Help! How do you get a dog to stop chasing cats?
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Anonymous
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First of all, I don't want to hear from any cat haters. I love all of my animals equally, two cats and a dog and they are all staying no matter what. We adopted our cats 11 years ago and we love them very much. One is shy and sweet and the other has a very funny personality. The shy one is very affectionate with me but timid with others in the family. Doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Anyways, along comes dog. I fell in love and adopted a dog in May. The first thing I did was have him tested with cats and kids. He passed both with flying colors. He walked through a room full of cats that were roaming freely and he ignored everyone one of them, walked around and walked out. He was and still is perfect with kids. He is a great dog BUT he has turned in to a nightmare for my poor cats. He chases them relentlessly. One of them basically lives in the basement or under the bed. Will not come out unless I she knows the door is shut and he's not around. For meals. The other isn't as extreme but limits himself to one room pretty much so that he doesn't have to get chased.
He doesn't ever try to hurt them in fact once he catches up, he usually just gets swatted and hissed at and backs up then goes forward than backs up again. It is quite silly. I'm not sure what to do! He gets plenty of exercise but hasn't had any training since we've adopted him. Is there anything that you know of that can work? Has anyone else been in this situation? Any advice? |
Anonymous
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My dog is relentlessly after my cat. My dog came from a shelter in WVA and was not tested for cats. She has a high prey drive. THis is not my cats first rodeo with a dog. Our former dog was a hulking 90lb pit bull who tried chasing her. It did not last very long. The cat went on the attack with the pit bull (dog's nose lost in that battle) and the dog ended up slinking down to her belly whenever he walked by the cat-it was hilarous to see this 90lb killer looking dog pratically piss himself into submission around this cat.
This new dog, a big dumb dumb harmless lab is relentless and the cat has yet to launch a full attack, I'm thinking she is too old for these games and would rather just run. However she does not hide, she is smart enough to know that the dog cannot get her in tight spots or up high. My only hope if for the cat to really pull out her claws and show the dog who is the bitch now. |
Anonymous
| I've a cat and a dog that get along great, usually. When it comes to blows kittie prevails, always. My guess OP is that the critters will find an equilibrium in time. If the cats are really threatened they will clobber the dog and he'll learn the boundaries. |
Anonymous
| It takes some time, but they will work it out. If your cat is declawed it will take longer as a good swipe at the dogs nose will normally make them think twice. Use a lot of positive reinforcement and walk around with a treat bag. Whenever the cat comes around and the dog is near, give him a treat and teach him that being good and when the cat is near means food! It is the same method we used for one of our dogs who was somewhat aggressive with other dogs. Whenever they came near, we did the "happy baby voice" and gave him treats. Tell him no when he chases, and reward him when he does not. Takes patience, but that will help them work it out. They have a love hate relationship now. My dog knows that our cat is off limits, but beware other cats in our yard! They are fair game... |
Anonymous
I have a puppy and cats plus we have cats in the neighborhood that I don't want him to run after. First, you need to have places for the cats to go when he gets to chasing them. Someplace high. Then you have to have him on leash and high value treats with you. If trained you would get him to look at you and then let him look at the cat. It's tricky but you give a treat to him when he doesn't lunge or chase the cats. It takes time to do this and patience. You: Look at me, say leave it ( the cat) and give a treat if he lunges or tries to chase the cat you are holding him back so he can't get them. Personally I would sign him up for basic obedience. Good for you and him! ( enrichment) Dogs like to learn! |
Anonymous
| I would tell him "NO!" in a menacing tone. When I do that to my dog, he knows he has to stop whatever he's doing. Then reward him with a treat when he stops and looks at you. He will gradually understand that stopping and looking equal treats. |
Anonymous
| Tell cats to stop running! |
Anonymous
| Is the dog bored? Sounds like he's looking for someone to play with. |
Anonymous
| He wants to play, so try redirecting him as best you can to another toy. Sometimes if my puppy wants nothing to do with me and he’s focused on the cat, I try and get the cat to a safe spot high up where the dog can’t reach. |
Anonymous
| The only way to stop a dpg from chasing a cat is to stop the cat from running away. My advice would be to partition the house using baby gates. The cat can then chose to stay on the non dog side or jump over to get to the dog side. If the cat wants to get away, it can jump back to the non dog side. |
Anonymous
| We say "No cat!" and he understands. She has upstairs and he has downstairs and they will meet and bump noses and he sniffs her butt and she hates that. Most of the time its ok but if he's been chasing squirrels outside he will try to chase the cat inside. She knows his moods now and avoids him but "No cat!" also works. |
Anonymous
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Honestly I’d get an e collar and zap him for going after the cats.
We had a problem with our dog going after our Guinea pigs. The Guinea pigs are locked in another room, but dog would jump and scratch at the door, and try to dart in whenever we went in to take care of the pigs. Got a collar and zapped her for going near the door, barking, etc. I would never ever trust the dog around the pigs and they are still locked in the other room, but it’s broken the obsession. |
Anonymous
Shock collars Shock collars use electric current passing through metal contact points on the collar to give your dog an electric signal. This electric signal can range from a mild tickling sensation to a painful shock. Shock collars may be sold as training devices, although more and more companies are pulling them from the shelves. They are also used with pet containment (electronic fencing) systems. Shock collars are often misused and can create fear, anxiety and aggression in your dog toward you or other animals. While they may suppress unwanted behavior, they do not teach a dog what you would like them to do instead and therefore should not be used. |
Anonymous
The e collar was a game changer for our wild dog. We tried positive reinforcement, didn’t help at all. No aggression, fear, or anxiety issues. The one we use works like a TENS machine and we use very low settings, I’ve tested them all on me and it doesn’t hurt. My dog hates the vibration setting WAY more than the “shock” setting. Sometimes you really can’t teach them “what to do instead”. Like what it a dog going to do instead of chasing animals? There’s not really anything you can teach. |
Anonymous
| Forget it. If your dog is smart and you’re a good, consistent trainer, you might be able to dampen the prey drive. If not, get a strong leash and a hobble. |