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Thread: Dog chasing cats

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    england
    Posts
    15

    Dog chasing cats

    Does anybody have any suggestions on how i can stop my puppy chasing my cats.We have had buddy the pup for 3 months he is now 6 months but he will insist on chasing the cats.I have got 4 cats one of them as smacked him so he doesn't chase him now cause he's scared of him but the others won't smack him and just run away from him with him running behind.I'm just abit scared that one of them is going to end up hurt cause they run so fast around the house.I have tried holding him back but as soon as i let go he's off to find where they are.
    julie

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2002
    Location
    B.C Canada
    Posts
    390
    I have the same problem with my black lab.. She loves to chase the cats.. One of our cats is 9yo and has bad arthritis, We try and keep Presley away from her. She is also old and cranky so one look from her evil eyes and Presley submitts to her!!! But we also have a cat who is a year old and they play together but maggie is soooooo fast and can jump high and get behind things to get away from Presley. I don't really know how to stop it but if Presley starts to get too rough i ask her to laydown on her bed and she calms down a bit...But i have a feeling they will always chase untill all the cats put her in her place.
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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    england
    Posts
    15

    Presley

    Thankyou for your reply,your Presley looks exactly the same as my buddy.He is six months and seems to be growing by the day,he as to go to the vets next Monday to have an op to have a lump removed of his leg which as appeared since taking him on the beach which i'm a little nervous about.
    julie

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Tabbyville, PA
    Posts
    15,827
    Only one has swatted back? I'd not hold him back and let them fight it out themselves. They are bound to all swat back and give him a good swipe on the nose. All of mine would have done so in the first ten minutes of him being in the house! Seriously, I've found that the animals always work things out among themselves. Unless your cats are especially scaredy cats or feral, the "let them be" theory works best.

    Good luck at the vet with the lump.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Northern Canada
    Posts
    5,530
    I'm going to take a different approach with this than the advice you've been given. I have many dogs and several cats. The dogs are not allowed to chase the cats, EVER. Showing too much interest in a cat gets the dog booted outside. The house is the cats' territory.

    When I introduce a new dog, they are always kept on leash. The cats always have an escape route and at least one section of the house is blocked off from the dogs. Even the dogs who are good with the cats are never left alone with them--ever. They are always supervised when they are together.

    9 weeks ago my dogs killed one of my cats when she got outside. I don't believe they meant to. I think they were playing with her--chasing her like they do squirrels. A dog, even a puppy, can kill a cat extremely quickly, easily and accidently. Trust me, you don't want to go through this!

    Your puppy needs to be firmly and consistently told NO when he chases a cat. He should be kept leashed or crated until he learns not to chase.
    If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you must find the courage to live it.
    --John Irving

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    mass
    Posts
    184
    i think iy depends on the breed if you have a breed thay was breed for that i don't think there much you can do but say no and maybe give the kitty a place to get away sometimes
    good luck

  7. #7
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    Pixsburgh
    Posts
    5,004
    I've wondered about this myself. Roscoe chases the cats sometimes, which makes them scared of him. He just wants to play though. He is really big though, so I do worry that he'll hurt them without meaning to. They do growl and swat at him, and he wimpers away. They have a special room with a baby gate (yes, he could knock the gate over but I think he's too dumb to realize that ) that they spend most of the day in.

  8. #8
    I have 2 cats, from day one Mandy chased only one cat, the one that ran away, the other cat she never chased because she never ran.

    I agree that cats should have a safe place to go to get away from the puppy. I had baby gate up infront of my bedroom door the cats could jump over it and it was a safe place from the puppy. Puppy was not allowed to chase the cat. As the puppy has gotten older and the cat is less worried about the puppy, there is no more chasing in my house.

    Thanks kittycats_delight for the great signature.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Pennsylvania, USA
    Posts
    3,858
    We gave our cat control in this area. We have one door to our basement that we cut a "cat hole" in. This is just a little circlular hole at the bottom of the door big enough for the cat but not the dogs. The cat has the ability to "escape" to safety. It works like a charm for us! Actually what ends up happening is the cat sits on the other side of the hole and teases the dogs since they know they are safe!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    indianapolis,indiana usa
    Posts
    22,881
    I agree with Glacier saying "Your puppy needs to be firmly and consistently told NO when he chases a cat. He should be kept leashed or crated until he learns not to chase."

    Smokey & Maggie were always on leash in the house when
    they were first introduced to the kitties until they learned this
    lesson. It's really best to teach the dog that harassing the cat
    is a no no. I wouldn't wait to let them "work it out". It's too
    dangerous to do that.
    I've Been Boo'd

    I've been Frosted






    Today is the oldest you've ever been, and the youngest you'll ever be again.

    Eleanor Roosevelt

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    edmonds, wa
    Posts
    2,779
    from what i know, dogs veiw cats as possesions in the house hierarchy and if they see them as a threat then they will chase them ("disipline" them to show who's boss) what you can do is show the dog alot of attention and give him treats when they cat is around and then stop when the cat leave, then he learns that cat here=good and cat leaves=not so good. but if he's just trying to play with the kitties then i'm not sure if that would be the best approach

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    41
    I just brought to my 3 cat household a 14 week old Westie.

    The puppy is either in a pen, on a leash or fully supervised by me.
    While in the pen, the cats can watch her and get sued to her at their own pace. Over the course of 4 days they have gotten closer and closer to the pen and feel muchn less threatened.

    While not in the pen, she is on a leash with me inside the house. Over the last few days the cats have realsied that she is not free to chase them and so they feel safer and safer and come closer of their own accord.

    I take her into the back yard for exercise and little training session....always on the kleash and now, on our 5th day its really sweet because all 3 cats are watching her...they stand just out of reach of her retractable leash.

    The ragdoll cat got really curious and came close. The puppy chased her. The ragdoll turned around, faced the puppy and slapped her good and proper. The puppy cried and I was concerned, but she was unharmed. Now the puppy thinks twice before thinking about chasing the cat and she changes her mind.
    The other two cats keep running. That's ok. I will give them time to get used to her.....on their own terms.

    What I would suggest (and I'm not sure if it would work with an adult dog but this is my best guess) is that you put your dog on an intensive training plan for say 3 -4 days. In that time, keep him under control with a leash (I use a retractable type one that I can let go longer or bring back shorter as required.

    Work out a punishment - negative reinforcement. This might be a NO and then a timeout for 5 minutes in the laundry or toilet (as an example)

    Keep your dog under the control of this leash at all times. When he approaches a cat gently thats ok, but if he goes to chases, do the punishment. When he is gentle, reward him with food (I use dried up liver bits that come prepackaged).

    While you are at work or shopping, during these days keep the dog away from the cats....somehow....in a crate, the laundry, at the neighbours house or something.

    The only other thing I can add is that I think this is totally solvable. You dog CAN learn to respect the cats. If your efforts do not work, I would get in a professional trainer. I once used a trainer for 1 hour. Cost me $180. Was the best money I ever spent in my whole entire life. These people are good - its what they do. I have had dogs and cats all my life. I am more of a cat person. But I would never bring them up and keep them separate. They must learn to be together peacefully. To have the situation in any other way, is to place both at risk. a Dog can injure or kill a cat, and a cat can certainly cause major injuries to a dog as well.

    Good luck! Don't give up. You can do this!

    Note to add: My other dog sleeps with the cats. They groom each other. They respect each other and they are friends. My previous dog that I lost to cancer was exactly the same. These animals would never hurt each other...not even play rough.

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