ITS A BOY Please help

stacey · April 2009

Ok so my son and husband surprised me this weekend by adopting a 2 year old chow/akita mix. The dog is very very sweet, good with other dogs but I am afraid for my two cats.

We brought him home and the cats are not happy. We have kept them apart and we tried to let them meet each other but the dog keeps lunging at the cats (I am not sure yet if it is predatory or playful). Does anyone have any suggestions on getting them used to each other? Right now we have the dog on the second floor and the cats on the first floor with the stairway cut off for both of them.

anastasia beaverhausen · April 2009

Keep the dog on a leash while you introduce them. Do it for only a few minutes at a time.

jf22561 · April 2009

From my experience "lunging" is never a good sign. I agree that the dog should be kept on leash at all times when around the cats. You might want to consider hiring a professional trainer if you're uncomfortable with how things look. Good luck.

stacey · April 2009

Thanks I really would hate to give the cute guy up if he doesn't get along with the cats.

AB- that's what I tried last night - I am going to keep doing it xoxo

jf - Do you know any trainers that might be able to help?

antigone · April 2009

We've had our English bulldog puppy Louie for four months now and we also have 2 cats. It's still an apartheid situation and will probably continue to be for the foreseeable future. When we're out, he's in his (my son's) room. It's as much for his protection as for the 2 cats. Raoul is kind of a wimp (all hiss and no scratch) but Mia is a tough cookie who will not back down from a fight. She already nailed Louie in the eye once and because he's an idiot, he keeps trying to jump up to play with her. She is not amused.

Keeping the dog on a leash sounds like a good idea. We don't do that with Louie because he basically means well, but he's a bit of a doofus. The worst threat he poses is to himself when he tries to mix it up with Mia. I also like keeping him in a separate room for part of the day because it leaves the cats free to roam the house. Cats do love their territory.

opossumqueen · April 2009

The Fido website lists some trainers. If one doesn't work on dog/cat into's he or she might be able to recommend someone who can help.

http://www.fidobrooklyn.com/features/dogwalkers.html#training

opossumqueen · April 2009

Oh, and there is hope.

My folks have a big dog with a high prey drive. She kills anything she can catch (which is a lot since they live in the country). BUT, she's gotten used to the barn cat my folks now let in the house. She actually tries to play with that cat, though the cat only responds by scratching the dog's face and running. All other small animals are fair game to her, but she leaves that cat alone now. And she was not raised with the kitty from puppyhood.

Good luck!

stacey · April 2009

Thanks guys - I made an appointment with a trainer from the Fido website and keeping my fingers crossed.

laura b · April 2009

I'm not a dog expert, but this looks helpful:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dog-care-introducing-new-dog-to-cat-other-pets.html

good luck!

whyfi · April 2009

Hey Stacey - Lucy did the same thing, but I'm willing to bet that she's even more stubborn than your pup. As a couple others above have suggested, I introduced them with Lucy on-leash, with a correction every time she pulled, lunged, barked or... well, anything besides sitting calmly by my side. It didn't take more than a week, maybe two, to take the edge off; it was about more than 3 months until I was confident enough to leave them home alone, in mixed company.

stacey · April 2009

Thanks WhyFi - we did try the leash last night and following the ASPCA website tips. He did ok but I am still not sure if he is just excited to see the cats or if he wants to attack them. He doesn't bark or growl at them but it is very hard to try and get him to listen and calm down when they are around. I do have to say he listened better yesterday than the day before to us.

WhyFi didn't you recommend a collar or a leash that was good for training purposes? We just have the regular non-leather type leash they gave us when we adopted him plus a plain leather collar.

whyfi · April 2009

This is what we use with Lucy - it looks worse than it is, most of the time it's sits loosely at the top of her neck.

And you can also use a gentle lead - Lucy, being very stubborn, never stopped rubbing at it, though.

With either one, you're looking for a sharp, but usually pretty light, correction - just enough to get their attention, to make them sit down & look up at you, waiting for your direction. This is what you're looking for -

If you can't get this to happen, also try making him lay down, facing away from the cats. The main thing is to make sure that he's not sitting there like a coiled spring.

whyfi · April 2009

Oh, if you want to try the gentle lead, I think that we still have Lucy's around. I can check when I get home this evening.

anastasia beaverhausen · April 2009

Stacey, I have one of those collars if you want it. Don't go buy one.

I loved the Gentle Leader, too. Totally worth the money.

whyfi · April 2009

Awww - see, aren't we all so damn helpful?! :P

lulu's momma · April 2009

Hey Stacey,
I actually got certified as a dog trainer last winter so if you want some help let me know and I can walk over and assess the situation. Sometimes a leash can aggravate the situation since the dog feels constrained and then gets frustrated. There's a couple ways we can handle this. Just let me know.

Anyone else out there who needs a dog trainer please let me know. I'm cheap, but good.

stacey · April 2009

Thanks WhyFi and AB I will take whatever you are willing to give

Lulu - do you still have my email addy & Cell #? If so give me a call or send me an email so we can talk.

whyfi · April 2009

I still have the gentle lead - let me know when an' where!

ITS A BOY Please help

Comments

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories