my dog chases Cats!

[Eudora]

I have a 6-month old Golden retriever called Tanya. She chases the cat next door and won't let up until someone makes her or the cat is in a tree! I need help to make her stop!! Logan? anybody?

[mruffruff]

I wish I knew the answer to that one. I have a stray cat that wants to live with me, but I have 4 dogs. Three would be able to accept him, but one would definitely chase. I doubt if a scratch on the nose would be enough to deter the dog.

How do you train a dog to leave a cat alone?

[Eudora]

I was hoping someone would know. Not even my aunt can train her. I guess it happens to all dogs. Maybe she'll grow out of it...

[4 feline house]

I'm no dog training expert, but I must weigh in long enough to say, whatever you do, do not reward her or do anything to reinforce this behavior or make her think this is acceptable! My cat was chased up a tree by a very large dog, being walked unleashed, while its owners laughed and clapped!

Come to think of it, wouldn't a good leash solve the problem!

[Eudora]

I do have one-but she pulls so hard against it I am afraid she will strangle herself!

[cr7clark]

Eudora,
Try a harness instead of a leash, that way your dog will be in no danger of choking.

[purrley]

I know here in Utah we have a strict leash
law for dogs, seems the only way to fix the
problem for dogs who chase cats and cars.
It's just Canine Nature with them I guess.
I just believe everyone owning a dog should
keep them in control - this holds true for
cats also. If you don't want your cat chased, keep it in the house :)

[ September 21, 2001: Message edited by: purrley ]

[Eudora]

Thanks BosMom, I will go and buy a harness straightaway! can you recommend a good brand?

[thelmalu99]

My cousin was telling me that his dog Tasha chases neighborhood cats. He said that, back when she was still a puppy, they saw a stray cat and said, "go get it, Tasha", and that was the end of that. They didn't mean for her to become a cat-chaser. I guess they just didn't think.
It's a shame because I'd like for them to come to my house and bring Tasha, but I have two cats. Unfortunately, I don't think that would be a good scene. :eek:

[purrley]

You know what's kinda funny - my cat Panda Bear is an extremely territorial feline - my cat chases dogs!!!! :D :D

[zippy-kat]

I am soooooo glad to see you are doing something to remedy the problem! I applaud you! You are a very responsible dog owner.

My first kitty left me after 8 years because someone let their rottweiler roam around. The rott killed my Tom.

On behalf of other cat owners, I commend you for your efforts to solve the problem. Thank you so much Eudora!

[4 feline house]

Purrley - I do keep my cats inside, but he escaped when I was bringing in groceries and it was while I was trying to coax him back in that the dog chased him up the tree - where he stayed for hours because he was too afraid to come back down. But thank you anyway for your kind tips on responsible pet ownership.

[Eudora]

You're welcome but I didn't do much at all! I care about all animals and I don't want any of them to be hurt if I can help it. (I borrowed a harness form my aunt and am trying it out to see if it will work. wish me luck!)

[purrley]

Dear 4 feline
Just a little story on bolting cats.
My Panda Bear is the only cat out of the 4 that I allow to go outside - this is because she was practically raised outdoors. The story goes - the summer before last I saw this cute little white kitten with a red collar running around the neighborhood - skittish as the dickens - couldn't get close to this little one until around last November when after a lot of coaxing and kitten chow - I was able to pet her. That's before I knew she was a she - anyway by the time I realized she was a she, she was pregnant. She stayed outside most the winter - I let her stay in my garage, along with heating pad and one day (Feb. 24th to be exact) - I noticed she was bleeding. So I got her in the house - put her in a cat condo and within the hour she blessed me with three kittens, one I kept which is my Braydee that I talk about occasionally. The others were adopted to famlies that I know so I can keep track of their progress. Anyway, back to bolting cats - Panda bolts to the outside whenever I open any door and according to one neighbor specifically, she is a menace. Panda (out of all the cats in the neighborhood that run loose) is the only one (according to this neighbor) that does her duty on her tomatoe plants. So I'm trying so hard to make her just an indoor kitty. She's still a wild one, hates everyone but me, but I really love her a lot. We've been through a lot together. She gets along well with the other kitties - except she gets a little cross with her son Braydee. Anyway the whole purpose of this story is - that I understand fully that our babies can get away from us accidentally no matter how hard we try not to let them loose. Oh by the way - my Panda Bear has since been spayed so we won't be expecting again :D

[Eudora]

Good news........ Tanya/Cookie is now improved. She only barks when she sees cats and it is safe to let her off leash around cats.

[cr7clark]

Way to go, Eudora! I wish your pets many happy years of loving and contentment in your home.
As far as brands of harnesses go, it's tough to give advice on this issue because there are so many companies and each company produces leashes/harnesses under several different brand names. A good pet supply store will let you try out several of them and return the ones that don't fit right. PetSmart, a giant pet supply retailer here in the US, encourages owners to bring their pets right into the store, so anyone shopping at a PetSmart would be able to "try before they buy".