Any tips for dog and cat getting along

[Jo Ellen]

Originally Posted by dogfaeries

Apparently if you try to snack on the cat, furniture starts falling from the sky. She has been considerably better since then. Not that I advocate throwing furniture...

[RowdyDogs]

How I would handle this...it's going to take some work.

So, first is to tire the dog out. Long walk, play session, whatever...you want her relaxed and tired. A tired dog is a good dog! Do this daily, if you're not already.

Then, don't let the dog and cat around each other unsupervised. Even if this means relegating the cat to the spare bedroom or whatever for awhile. The important thing is that you don't let your dog practice the unwanted behavior towards the cat. Chasing is self-reinforcing, so the more she goes nuts, the more she's going to want to. Keep them separated.

So then you have a tired dog, and a cat confined into a shut-off room. Okay. Put the dog on a leash and do obedience work with her. During this, let the cat out. You should be keeping the dog's focus on you and rewarding her for that. Correct her if she goes after the cat, but your goal should be to keep her paying attention to you and keep it positive. She'll know the cat is there.

Do that for a bit, then progress to letting the dog be on a leash but not actively working, and the cat out. Again, correct her if she goes after the cat, but just as importantly, reward her for ignoring the cat. She needs to know what you want, not just what you don't want. Gradually extend the time. Eventually you can remove the leash.

It sounds like a lot of work, because it is. But, I've introduced a lot of dogs with a high prey drive to cats and that's what works for me.

[GSDSadie]

Originally Posted by RowdyDogs

How I would handle this...it's going to take some work.

So, first is to tire the dog out. Long walk, play session, whatever...you want her relaxed and tired. A tired dog is a good dog! Do this daily, if you're not already.

Then, don't let the dog and cat around each other unsupervised. Even if this means relegating the cat to the spare bedroom or whatever for awhile. The important thing is that you don't let your dog practice the unwanted behavior towards the cat. Chasing is self-reinforcing, so the more she goes nuts, the more she's going to want to. Keep them separated.

So then you have a tired dog, and a cat confined into a shut-off room. Okay. Put the dog on a leash and do obedience work with her. During this, let the cat out. You should be keeping the dog's focus on you and rewarding her for that. Correct her if she goes after the cat, but your goal should be to keep her paying attention to you and keep it positive. She'll know the cat is there.

Do that for a bit, then progress to letting the dog be on a leash but not actively working, and the cat out. Again, correct her if she goes after the cat, but just as importantly, reward her for ignoring the cat. She needs to know what you want, not just what you don't want. Gradually extend the time. Eventually you can remove the leash.

It sounds like a lot of work, because it is. But, I've introduced a lot of dogs with a high prey drive to cats and that's what works for me.

Awesome, thank you! We already keep them apart but the one time she managed to slip out she did chase her outside. The rest of the time she does the whining through the window and running window to window but only when she sees the cat (a couple times during the day). Ok, wearing her out will be easy Thank you for the easy walk through. I know it will take time but I am hopeful

[dogfaeries]

RowdyDogs has a great plan!

I've been working and working on desensitizing my dogs to the cat. The more they get to see her, the less crazy they become. And chasing is never, ever allowed. My cat is also having to learn not to bolt out of the bedroom, when I open the door.

[kiya]

Nipped the kitty
It takes time, almost 6 months for Kiya, the exercise that worked for her was to put Kiya in a down stay with the best treats I could while the kitty walked around.
My youngest dog, Lakota is totally infatuated with cats. She loves to play but doesn't know when enough is enough. Now the kitty has grown up with the dogs and he's a tuff little bugger, I have to watch because sometimes he instigates and will bite Lakotas ear hard enough to make her cry and she gets mad.

[RowdyDogs]

Originally Posted by GSDSadie

Awesome, thank you! We already keep them apart but the one time she managed to slip out she did chase her outside. The rest of the time she does the whining through the window and running window to window but only when she sees the cat (a couple times during the day). Ok, wearing her out will be easy Thank you for the easy walk through. I know it will take time but I am hopeful

No problem, glad I could help! The only note I'd make is that you may want to make sure the dog doesn't get to "chase" the cat through the window either. It's still rehearsing the behavior and I'd be concerned that it may actually help build her drive to chase the cat by building frustration about not being able to get it.

Good luck! I know my GSD was actually one of the easiest dogs I've taught to behave around cats. He still loves to chase things and has a high prey drive but he learned that cats are off-limits very quickly (although to be fair, it was helped by an accidental meeting between him and my big black cat who gave him a swipe on the face that dampened his enthusiasm a bit). We've even encountered stray cats when he's off leash and he doesn't go after him, which is something I've never been able to get some of my heelers to do reliably!

[GSDSadie]

Originally Posted by RowdyDogs

No problem, glad I could help! The only note I'd make is that you may want to make sure the dog doesn't get to "chase" the cat through the window either. It's still rehearsing the behavior and I'd be concerned that it may actually help build her drive to chase the cat by building frustration about not being able to get it.

Good luck! I know my GSD was actually one of the easiest dogs I've taught to behave around cats. He still loves to chase things and has a high prey drive but he learned that cats are off-limits very quickly (although to be fair, it was helped by an accidental meeting between him and my big black cat who gave him a swipe on the face that dampened his enthusiasm a bit). We've even encountered stray cats when he's off leash and he doesn't go after him, which is something I've never been able to get some of my heelers to do reliably!

Thank you so much You have definitely given me hope I had asked elsewhere and everyone basically told me to get rid of the cat or the dog because the dog is going to kill my poor stressed out cat (which she isn't) and then turn on my kids blah blah blah.

So when we are not doing the supervised inside meeting (some training and letting the cat out) I will keep the curtains drawn. What would be the best correction for her? And I'm guessing I should correct her before she goes for the cat? Like when she looks at her? but keep on with the training after the correction ETS Would a check chain be ok for the correction?

Sorry for all the questions. I like to know what to do in all scenarios lol

[kiya]

GSDSadie did you click on my story? I should have said to click on the link Nipped the kitty
Last night as we were eating dinner, Kiya laying in her spot by my feet, the kitten sat in front of her face and sniffed her nose, not even a flinch from Kiya. A year ago she'd have bitten his paw off.
Be careful with the corrections, specially if you get fustrated she could start associating the corrections with the cat.

[GSDSadie]

Originally Posted by kiya

GSDSadie did you click on my story? I should have said to click on the link Nipped the kitty
Last night as we were eating dinner, Kiya laying in her spot by my feet, the kitten sat in front of her face and sniffed her nose, not even a flinch from Kiya. A year ago she'd have bitten his paw off.
Be careful with the corrections, specially if you get fustrated she could start associating the corrections with the cat.

Whoops sorry! I totally missed it! I'm off to read it now

[GSDSadie]

Ok I've read it

At the moment I can't even have them in the same room wondering around, Sadie can smell her and starts sniffing like crazy and when she sees her she starts whining, jumping and barking which then freaks the cat out so she runs off and then Sadie wants to run after her (thrill of the chase huh).

So I'm at a loss what to do. ATM I'm keeping them separated. Sadie stays mostly outside and the curtains are closed so she can't see the cat if she was to walk past the window. When we bring Sadie in we make sure the cat is either locked in a room or outside but this isn't doing anything for them to get along, it's just preventing the problem rather than fixing it?

I need to try the wearing her out with exercise and do some training while someone lets the cat in but I have a feeling she will just get fixated on the cat no matter what I do and it will discourage me

In my eyes the cat comes first, she was here first and she's smaller. We love her to bits