Hello everyone,
My wife and I have just (2 days ago), brought home a 1.5 year old Lab/shep shelter rescue puppy dog. She was adopted as a baby and then surrendered to the humane society when she was four months old. Quick math = over a year in the shelter. She's a sweet girl, very quiet and loving 98% of the time. We also have a 4 yr old cat that we have had for close to two years. A lot of the time the dog and cat give each other a wide berth. When we first introduced the two there were no issues what so ever. But at seemingly random times the dogs tail will be wagging and the she will snarl, snap, growl, bark, lunge and charge at the cat with her hackles raised, and the cat will hiss and hide. Shortly after, the dog will be back to the original behavior of avoidance. She is very skittish, loud noises startle her badly, and she displays signs of previous abuse (sensitivity to fast movements). She's learning to play and her tail is coming out from between her legs more and more. We're also learning Sit-down-stay, she's doing ok, but has a long way to go. We've signed up for classes. We need to know what we can do. We love the dog very much and want the family to get along, please help.
Thank you,
sorry for the length
Chris and Mandy
Bookmarks