Dog killed kitten

[Kumquat31]

My 12 year old dog killed my 3.5 month old kitten tonight. The dog was given a small treat, just like he had been given hundreds of times before, and the poor kitten walked near him. I only saw the attack out of the corner of my eye but it looked like he snapped at the kitten causing severe trauma to the kittens head. It's not the first time he has snapped at a cat or dog over a treat or toy but this time the consequences were the most extreme. He hasn't been displaying any signs of health problems so I don't know what could have caused this to happen. I'm absolutely heartbroken over the kittens death and can't even look at the dog right now, who buy the way, didn't even eat the treat he killed the kitten over. What should I do?

[Karen]

Oh dear, so sorry to hear this.

Do not blame yourself, and do not blame the dog. I am sure it was not intentional. But because resource guarding can be a serious issue, you may want to search the "nothing in life is free" dog training regimen.

Basically, no free feeding, you eat before the dog, and the dog has to wait until it is given food or anything else. It's annoying at first, but can help train the dog out of this behavior.

Rest in peace little kitten.

[janewilson]

The thing that took place is really unfortunate but you should not be putting the entire blame on the dog. May be it did not have the intention of killing it; it was just an accident. But what is more important to you is to understand the various moods and behavior of your dog. You can get in touch with someone who is writing a paper on this particular topic only- the various mood swings of the animals, just like we go through. Even they feel isolated and lonely and that is the time when you must be just beside them, caring for them, loving them and adoring them. Even they need to be felt special.

[Memaw23]

Hi! I know you were heartbroken. I had a dog before with aggressive behavior only towards other dogs. I've watched Cesar Millan many times before and because of his videos, I was able to understand there are certain triggers that cause the dog's negative behavior.