Oh Boy, the cats.....

cowboy17 · 10-27-2011, 04:02 PM

Gunner is 5 months old and doing fantastic.
Other than the landsharking (which is getting better) he has been a dream.

BUT then there are the cats. It's terrible.
They are two pretty cool cats, come when called, sit, speak and lay down on command (yes dog training works for cats if you are very patient) and were fine with our Bullmastiff but now there is a new dog in town.

He barks at them agressively, puffs out and tail goes up. Chases them uncontrollably and getting him to stop and relax is near impossible.

I had one of the cats in a crate yesterday and though that it might be a good way to introduce them as the cat was safe(Maybe not the best idea). Gunner went ballistic, nipping at the crate that the one cat was in and just would not relax.
After about 5 minutes I managed to get him to sit and not bark about 8 feet away from the crate.
Any ideas on how to get these three to live in peace, or am I up against the age old battle between cats and dogs?

Marnie · 10-27-2011, 04:42 PM

I got really, really lucky with my new 6 month old pup. The night I brought him home, we stepped thru the door onto the porch and surprised the barn cat. The cat huffed up and hit the pup in the nose with eight fishhook claws. The pup took it very well. He calmly sat down and thought about it. Since then he has been curious but respectful. My guess, this was his first cat encounter of the worst kind. In addition, this was not yet familiar territory for the pup. New place = scary monsters that hit. The cat got the upper had right out of the box. The pup will end up being 100% trustworthy with cats.

You are gonna have to stop letting your dog chase and get on his case for any sign of aggressive behavior toward cats. What comedian was it that always said "nip it in the bud"?

BlackJack · 10-27-2011, 05:08 PM

I have bengal cat, who very odd, for some reason he likes to be chewed on by a dog. He comes down and lets my 12 week old pup drag him through the house and shake him. He did the same thing for my other GSD when she was pup. Several times I saw Molly carrying the cat through house with its entire head in her mouth.

RocketDog · 10-27-2011, 05:22 PM

BlackJack, my pup did that exact same thing to my cat. My cat did not seem to really mind, he definitely did not defend himself. My vet said absolutely DO NOT let the pup do that though, as he could play too hard later and accidentally kill or hurt the cat. I posted about it here and received a sound reprimand basically. Is your other dog older now? How do they play?

I have not and will not let the pup do that anymore to the cat. He is learning, slowly, slowly, to only sniff and lick the kitties.

BlackJack · 10-27-2011, 05:31 PM

Yup older, they still play rough and get along. If he gets too rough the cat puts a stop to it... But it rarely does it. Sometimes they groom each other.

sharkey19 · 10-27-2011, 06:34 PM

Good luck! I wish I could offer advice but I am still struggling with my 1.5yr old to stop chasing the cat. He has a very high prey drive and will chase anything that moves. I am lucky in that he is not aggressive, if he ever catches up to the cat he just stands there and licks him.

I have tried some things, they didn't really work with him, but you might be able to try them. One thing you can do is carry around a water gun and if he so much as looks at the cat, give him a good squirt in the face (my dog actually enjoyed this, so that kind of backfired). If he is food motivated, you may try redirecting him and getting his attention with food.

What his been working for me (gradually), is him having been trained with a good down stay and leave it. Of course this requires me to catch when the cat is approaching and make sure he is in position. Also, when Dax was around that age, I always had him on leash (not necessarily tied to anything) so that I could grab him and correct him if he tried to run at the cat.

My best advice is be patient, don't get too frustrated, stay on top of him always, and have a safe place the cats can go to (and obviously never leave them unattended, which I am sure you probably don't already).

chelle · 10-27-2011, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharkey19

My best advice is be patient, don't get too frustrated, stay on top of him always, and have a safe place the cats can go to (and obviously never leave them unattended, which I am sure you probably don't already).

That's all I can suggest, too. It was a problem at first, but now Bailey *licks* the cats ears??!! And the cat PURRED? I could not have been more shocked to see that!

Josh's mom · 10-27-2011, 10:24 PM

Baby gates are your friends!!!!

We have the ones with small doors in the bottom for cats to get out. Our female has massive prey drive, when she catches them she usually smells them. The last time our ragdoll/snowshoe mix clawed her in the nose, she bled for a few minutes but it hasn't stopped her from chasing him again.

Quest10ns · 10-28-2011, 02:11 PM

I try to let them sniff each other out unless a) the cat is cornered or b) the dog raises up and uses her powerful paws to push the cat to the ground. The cats are good at defending and hissing, but like everyone else has said, don't leave them unattended.

Rott-n-GSDs · 10-28-2011, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh's mom

We have the ones with small doors in the bottom for cats to get out. Our female has massive prey drive, when she catches them she usually smells them. The last time our ragdoll/snowshoe mix clawed her in the nose, she bled for a few minutes but it hasn't stopped her from chasing him again.

My 75 lb female GSD can get through that teeny, tiny little cat door. Don't ask me HOW she does it... but she does. Of course, it takes her long enough so a cat running away from her would be able to escape.

With Luna's prey drive issues with the kitties, we simply kept a long lead on her and reeled her in every time she'd go for the cats. She eventually learned. (We attempted redirecting her with treats, but she soon figured it out. She would chase the kitty, turn back and run to me all of her own accord, and wait for her treat. "Mom, I chased the cat! Time for a treat!" GSDs are too dang smart.

Just a side note: a dog that's showing this sort of a prey drive issue with your cats should NEVER be unattended with them, even if he does eventually get used to them.

10-27-2011, 04:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
cowboy17 Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 143	Oh Boy, the cats..... Gunner is 5 months old and doing fantastic. Other than the landsharking (which is getting better) he has been a dream. BUT then there are the cats. It's terrible. They are two pretty cool cats, come when called, sit, speak and lay down on command (yes dog training works for cats if you are very patient) and were fine with our Bullmastiff but now there is a new dog in town. He barks at them agressively, puffs out and tail goes up. Chases them uncontrollably and getting him to stop and relax is near impossible. I had one of the cats in a crate yesterday and though that it might be a good way to introduce them as the cat was safe(Maybe not the best idea). Gunner went ballistic, nipping at the crate that the one cat was in and just would not relax. After about 5 minutes I managed to get him to sit and not bark about 8 feet away from the crate. Any ideas on how to get these three to live in peace, or am I up against the age old battle between cats and dogs?

10-27-2011, 05:08 PM	#3 (permalink)
BlackJack Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Porto Martins, Azores, Portugal Posts: 134	I have bengal cat, who very odd, for some reason he likes to be chewed on by a dog. He comes down and lets my 12 week old pup drag him through the house and shake him. He did the same thing for my other GSD when she was pup. Several times I saw Molly carrying the cat through house with its entire head in her mouth. __________________ Molly GSD -1/12/09 Immo Jipo-Me GSD -8/01/11

10-27-2011, 05:31 PM	#5 (permalink)
BlackJack Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Porto Martins, Azores, Portugal Posts: 134	Yup older, they still play rough and get along. If he gets too rough the cat puts a stop to it... But it rarely does it. Sometimes they groom each other. __________________ Molly GSD -1/12/09 Immo Jipo-Me GSD -8/01/11 Last edited by BlackJack; 10-27-2011 at 05:34 PM.

10-27-2011, 10:24 PM	#8 (permalink)
Josh's mom Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Texas Posts: 212	Baby gates are your friends!!!! We have the ones with small doors in the bottom for cats to get out. Our female has massive prey drive, when she catches them she usually smells them. The last time our ragdoll/snowshoe mix clawed her in the nose, she bled for a few minutes but it hasn't stopped her from chasing him again. __________________ Judy Josh (GSD)- 8/10/10 Daisy (ragdoll cat) 10 yrs old Romeo (ragdoll cat) 9 yrs old Caspurr (ragdoll/snowshoe mix) 8 yrs old

10-27-2011, 04:42 PM	#2 (permalink)
Marnie Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 233	I got really, really lucky with my new 6 month old pup. The night I brought him home, we stepped thru the door onto the porch and surprised the barn cat. The cat huffed up and hit the pup in the nose with eight fishhook claws. The pup took it very well. He calmly sat down and thought about it. Since then he has been curious but respectful. My guess, this was his first cat encounter of the worst kind. In addition, this was not yet familiar territory for the pup. New place = scary monsters that hit. The cat got the upper had right out of the box. The pup will end up being 100% trustworthy with cats. You are gonna have to stop letting your dog chase and get on his case for any sign of aggressive behavior toward cats. What comedian was it that always said "nip it in the bud"?

10-27-2011, 05:22 PM	#4 (permalink)
RocketDog Elite Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Eastern Washington Posts: 1,270	BlackJack, my pup did that exact same thing to my cat. My cat did not seem to really mind, he definitely did not defend himself. My vet said absolutely DO NOT let the pup do that though, as he could play too hard later and accidentally kill or hurt the cat. I posted about it here and received a sound reprimand basically. Is your other dog older now? How do they play? I have not and will not let the pup do that anymore to the cat. He is learning, slowly, slowly, to only sniff and lick the kitties.

10-27-2011, 06:34 PM	#6 (permalink)
sharkey19 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Guelph Posts: 321	Good luck! I wish I could offer advice but I am still struggling with my 1.5yr old to stop chasing the cat. He has a very high prey drive and will chase anything that moves. I am lucky in that he is not aggressive, if he ever catches up to the cat he just stands there and licks him. I have tried some things, they didn't really work with him, but you might be able to try them. One thing you can do is carry around a water gun and if he so much as looks at the cat, give him a good squirt in the face (my dog actually enjoyed this, so that kind of backfired). If he is food motivated, you may try redirecting him and getting his attention with food. What his been working for me (gradually), is him having been trained with a good down stay and leave it. Of course this requires me to catch when the cat is approaching and make sure he is in position. Also, when Dax was around that age, I always had him on leash (not necessarily tied to anything) so that I could grab him and correct him if he tried to run at the cat. My best advice is be patient, don't get too frustrated, stay on top of him always, and have a safe place the cats can go to (and obviously never leave them unattended, which I am sure you probably don't already).

10-28-2011, 02:11 PM	#9 (permalink)
Quest10ns New Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 8	I try to let them sniff each other out unless a) the cat is cornered or b) the dog raises up and uses her powerful paws to push the cat to the ground. The cats are good at defending and hissing, but like everyone else has said, don't leave them unattended.

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