Dogs love to chase....Cats run to escape danger
When introducing a dog to a new home with cats in it, it is essential to protect the safety of the cat . We can do this by
1). Using barriers i.e. stair gates to allow the cat to escape to place of safety and for her to know that the dog will NOT get access to her.
2) A house line (long lead) on the dog at all times so that you can stop a possible chase situation by keeping hold of the lead (or attaching it to your belt)
Dogs will always react to novel things ( postmen, people wearing hats, carrying sticks , pushing buggies) and NERVOUS dogs tend to OVER react to things , by barking , lunging, chasing.
Most cat owners will tell you that the dog and the cat will learn to accept one another over time.
What we need to remember is that these dogs have had a huge upheaval in their lives. They will feel unsettled, nervous, possibly extremely scared. They have been taken away from all they know and put directly into a very strange environment, strange smells, strange noises, strange people, strange dogs , and it will take time for this all to become the norm for them, it could take months, maybe years and it is our job to make the transition as easy as possible for them.
Helping your new dog accept and not chase a cat, does not mean scolding him, or shouting at him it requires calmness and rewards when he is behaving as you want him to . Also dogs live their lives through their noses and cats can give off quite a strong odour. It is worthwhile getting an old rag or towel and rubbing it all over the cat to ensure that his scent it on it , keeping the rag in a zip lock bag and regularly during the day letting the dog smell it and saying something calming like “nice” and rewarding him with a high value treat (piece of chicken, sausage, liver etc). If done often enough every time he smells the cat instead of the urge to chase he will think “goodies coming my way”. The same thing should be done when the dog sees the cat “nice” and reward.
This is a great exercise that can be done for many situations. Postie arriving, visitors arriving, strange noises. The trick here is always to be prepared with a dish of treats handy in a few places around the house. Kept obviously where dog can’t help himself. This is a very powerful way of changing any negative responses to novel things to a positive response. For example I was walking my griffon through the village yesterday when a young man took his GSD out of the back of his car. It immediately started barking and trying to lunge at us and my girl tried to move to the back of me in fear, I immediately said “nice” and she came back to heel and looked up for her reward. The prospect of reward overtook her negative reaction to the GSD. I do this many times with her during the day , traffic noises, doorbell, when she brings me toys so it just becomes part of her day. Hopefully you see that this can be a solution to any negative reactions to cats.
Use their daily food allowance for this exercise.
Dogs and cats can become the best of friends but please make sure you think firstly about the safety of your cat.
Written by "Games based dog trainer"
When introducing a dog to a new home with cats in it, it is essential to protect the safety of the cat . We can do this by
1). Using barriers i.e. stair gates to allow the cat to escape to place of safety and for her to know that the dog will NOT get access to her.
2) A house line (long lead) on the dog at all times so that you can stop a possible chase situation by keeping hold of the lead (or attaching it to your belt)
Dogs will always react to novel things ( postmen, people wearing hats, carrying sticks , pushing buggies) and NERVOUS dogs tend to OVER react to things , by barking , lunging, chasing.
Most cat owners will tell you that the dog and the cat will learn to accept one another over time.
What we need to remember is that these dogs have had a huge upheaval in their lives. They will feel unsettled, nervous, possibly extremely scared. They have been taken away from all they know and put directly into a very strange environment, strange smells, strange noises, strange people, strange dogs , and it will take time for this all to become the norm for them, it could take months, maybe years and it is our job to make the transition as easy as possible for them.
Helping your new dog accept and not chase a cat, does not mean scolding him, or shouting at him it requires calmness and rewards when he is behaving as you want him to . Also dogs live their lives through their noses and cats can give off quite a strong odour. It is worthwhile getting an old rag or towel and rubbing it all over the cat to ensure that his scent it on it , keeping the rag in a zip lock bag and regularly during the day letting the dog smell it and saying something calming like “nice” and rewarding him with a high value treat (piece of chicken, sausage, liver etc). If done often enough every time he smells the cat instead of the urge to chase he will think “goodies coming my way”. The same thing should be done when the dog sees the cat “nice” and reward.
This is a great exercise that can be done for many situations. Postie arriving, visitors arriving, strange noises. The trick here is always to be prepared with a dish of treats handy in a few places around the house. Kept obviously where dog can’t help himself. This is a very powerful way of changing any negative responses to novel things to a positive response. For example I was walking my griffon through the village yesterday when a young man took his GSD out of the back of his car. It immediately started barking and trying to lunge at us and my girl tried to move to the back of me in fear, I immediately said “nice” and she came back to heel and looked up for her reward. The prospect of reward overtook her negative reaction to the GSD. I do this many times with her during the day , traffic noises, doorbell, when she brings me toys so it just becomes part of her day. Hopefully you see that this can be a solution to any negative reactions to cats.
Use their daily food allowance for this exercise.
Dogs and cats can become the best of friends but please make sure you think firstly about the safety of your cat.
Written by "Games based dog trainer"