Like Cat and Dog
October 7, 2010 12:11 PM Subscribe
How do I train my dog to love (or at least ignore) my cat?
Dog is a small mutt that is probably about half cairn terrier. He's very mild mannered when it comes to human interaction, he likes strangers and only barks at things outside the house. He absolutely hates other animals, though, and goes in full-on crazy attack mode when they come near. We've been discouraging this behavior the best we can, pulling him away from the offending animal, shouting briefly, and trying to redirect his attention, but he is doggedly determined to catch the critter.
We've recently introduced a cat to the house and now I'm stumped as to how to make them live together in peace. Attempts to calmly "introduce" them to each other usually result in the dog barking, the cat hissing, and scratches for whoever is holding her. We do our best to keep them separated or restrained but there still have been several instances of human chasing dog chasing cat. The cat always gets away unharmed and has lots of places to hide and be well out of dog's reach but this really isn't the situation we'd like. What, if anything, can we do to encourage them to get along or at least ignore each other? Is it even possible?
Dog is a small mutt that is probably about half cairn terrier. He's very mild mannered when it comes to human interaction, he likes strangers and only barks at things outside the house. He absolutely hates other animals, though, and goes in full-on crazy attack mode when they come near. We've been discouraging this behavior the best we can, pulling him away from the offending animal, shouting briefly, and trying to redirect his attention, but he is doggedly determined to catch the critter.
We've recently introduced a cat to the house and now I'm stumped as to how to make them live together in peace. Attempts to calmly "introduce" them to each other usually result in the dog barking, the cat hissing, and scratches for whoever is holding her. We do our best to keep them separated or restrained but there still have been several instances of human chasing dog chasing cat. The cat always gets away unharmed and has lots of places to hide and be well out of dog's reach but this really isn't the situation we'd like. What, if anything, can we do to encourage them to get along or at least ignore each other? Is it even possible?
Response by poster: They've been together about three weeks.
posted by richrad at 12:23 PM on October 7, 2010
posted by richrad at 12:23 PM on October 7, 2010
Whatever tactic you use, give it more time than you think you need. The dog is a terrier mix. Terriers were specifically bred to chase, hunt and/or generally harass other small animals, like rats, cats, rodents and such. You're kind of in a pickle here, when it comes to just that breed's general outlook on life.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:35 PM on October 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 12:35 PM on October 7, 2010 [1 favorite]
When I worked at an animal shelter, we recommended putting animals on either side of a closed door for introductions, so they could smell one another. Another thing you can try is trade their blankets or other things that will get them used to the other's smell without them being right next to each other.
posted by almostmanda at 12:42 PM on October 7, 2010
posted by almostmanda at 12:42 PM on October 7, 2010
If the dog is not going to actually hurt the cat, you might just let them work it out on their own. There are natural consequences to harrassing a healthy cat. Eventually he might decide that the pain is not worth it.
posted by SLC Mom at 12:44 PM on October 7, 2010
posted by SLC Mom at 12:44 PM on October 7, 2010
"The dog is a terrier mix. Terriers were specifically bred to chase, hunt and/or generally harass other small animals, like rats, cats, rodents and such. You're kind of in a pickle here, when it comes to just that breed's general outlook on life."
That statement is a little generic in my opinion. While it's true that Terriers were bred to hunt vermin, we had a purebred Cairn Terrier and he never was aggressive with cats. The dog's personality is just as important as his bloodline.
You might want to check out Victoria Stillwell's site for some advice on how to handle this.
posted by Hanuman1960 at 12:51 PM on October 7, 2010
That statement is a little generic in my opinion. While it's true that Terriers were bred to hunt vermin, we had a purebred Cairn Terrier and he never was aggressive with cats. The dog's personality is just as important as his bloodline.
You might want to check out Victoria Stillwell's site for some advice on how to handle this.
posted by Hanuman1960 at 12:51 PM on October 7, 2010
Greetings,
I introduced a cat into a dog household years ago and this is what worked for me..
For two weeks, I kept the cat in a separate room with a closed door that had more than one inch space under the door so they could smell each other and see each others paws.
I than opened the door and stacked two tall window screens on top of each other and kept them separated that way but now they could see each other clearly through the screen. Things were rather calm by than but I let it stay that way for about 2 more weeks.
I gave them both treats when i let them get close to each other...
By the time I let them get totally together, they were pretty used to each other and ultimately got on well.
posted by Studiogeek at 12:56 PM on October 7, 2010 [2 favorites]
I introduced a cat into a dog household years ago and this is what worked for me..
For two weeks, I kept the cat in a separate room with a closed door that had more than one inch space under the door so they could smell each other and see each others paws.
I than opened the door and stacked two tall window screens on top of each other and kept them separated that way but now they could see each other clearly through the screen. Things were rather calm by than but I let it stay that way for about 2 more weeks.
I gave them both treats when i let them get close to each other...
By the time I let them get totally together, they were pretty used to each other and ultimately got on well.
posted by Studiogeek at 12:56 PM on October 7, 2010 [2 favorites]
I introduced a dog to a house with two cats. All were shelter animals. One cat was declawed in the front and the other was fully clawed. The dog showed lots of interest in chasing the cats, but eventually learned that cornering a cat would result in pain. The dog never fully resolved the instinct to chase the cats, especially the one that was partially declawed, but the cat with claws eventually ruled part of the house, and the dog was scared of him.
It helped that we had places where the cats could go when being chased by the dog. One room was blocked off by a baby gate, which we installed about a foot off the ground. Our dog couldn't get by it, but the cats could easily run under or jump over it. In that room was the cat box and the cat food, so it was their safe zone. The dog was also not allowed on furniture so the cats could jump to safety on the back of the sofa or on a chair.
But generally it just took a few scratches to the nose for the dog to learn that the cat meant business.
posted by aabbbiee at 1:15 PM on October 7, 2010
It helped that we had places where the cats could go when being chased by the dog. One room was blocked off by a baby gate, which we installed about a foot off the ground. Our dog couldn't get by it, but the cats could easily run under or jump over it. In that room was the cat box and the cat food, so it was their safe zone. The dog was also not allowed on furniture so the cats could jump to safety on the back of the sofa or on a chair.
But generally it just took a few scratches to the nose for the dog to learn that the cat meant business.
posted by aabbbiee at 1:15 PM on October 7, 2010
We've been discouraging this behavior the best we can, pulling him away from the offending animal, shouting briefly, and trying to redirect his attention, but he is doggedly determined to catch the critter.
No, no. This reinforces that other animal = bad event. Provide treats whenever another animal is near. Focus his attention on little pieces of chicken or whatever he likes. It will take time, but he will see that being around cat = good things happen.
Cats are just fuzzy sociopaths, so this approach will likely not work with them. But they can learn to tolerate dogs.
posted by desjardins at 3:03 PM on October 7, 2010 [2 favorites]
No, no. This reinforces that other animal = bad event. Provide treats whenever another animal is near. Focus his attention on little pieces of chicken or whatever he likes. It will take time, but he will see that being around cat = good things happen.
Cats are just fuzzy sociopaths, so this approach will likely not work with them. But they can learn to tolerate dogs.
posted by desjardins at 3:03 PM on October 7, 2010 [2 favorites]
I generally feel nervous about terriers and cats, mostly because my mother has a high-prey drive jack russell (which is a breed of notorious cat-eaters) who seems unable to not treat my cat like he's potential dinner, despite our best attempts and the fact that the cat is twice the dog's size. Since I've seen the dog take down animals like squirrels and groundhogs, I'd hazard a guess that size is sometimes no real barrier for these dudes. But the dog has only had a few experiences around the cat, and so it's entirely possible that really dedicated training would help.
One thing I have read is that you should always give the cat lots of tall hidey places where they can run off to. Having gotten clawed trying to hold my cat while a dog was around, it's something I'd recommend against, generally. Let the cat run away if it needs to.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 4:54 PM on October 7, 2010
One thing I have read is that you should always give the cat lots of tall hidey places where they can run off to. Having gotten clawed trying to hold my cat while a dog was around, it's something I'd recommend against, generally. Let the cat run away if it needs to.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 4:54 PM on October 7, 2010
Optimally, you would let them smell each other for a couple weeks, and then do introductions with treats for everyone. Woo! Other species are GREAT! Happy Voice!
Barring that, generally the cat wins -- and it sounds as if that is the case here. I would take a deep breath and let the dog be free. The cat will be sure to let the dog know how close the dog can get. Most dogs will give up after a couple minutes. I've only had one dog that was willing to stand there and be beaten up until I rescued her (and she'd have done it the next day, and the next day . . . we declared her adoptable only to a cat-free home, lol). A crucial element is the owner being relaxed -- fake it if you must with a goofy happy voice (Who's a good doggy!?!? Yes, he is!) and relaxed posture and a bored look on your face.
Some cats will swipe at their doggy-housemates for years -- I had one who would hide under the table cloth and bat at the dog whenever they walked by. That was fine with me, as no animals or stuff got hurt, and while the dog wasn't thrilled, she wasn't overly stressed by it.
posted by MeiraV at 5:07 PM on October 7, 2010
Barring that, generally the cat wins -- and it sounds as if that is the case here. I would take a deep breath and let the dog be free. The cat will be sure to let the dog know how close the dog can get. Most dogs will give up after a couple minutes. I've only had one dog that was willing to stand there and be beaten up until I rescued her (and she'd have done it the next day, and the next day . . . we declared her adoptable only to a cat-free home, lol). A crucial element is the owner being relaxed -- fake it if you must with a goofy happy voice (Who's a good doggy!?!? Yes, he is!) and relaxed posture and a bored look on your face.
Some cats will swipe at their doggy-housemates for years -- I had one who would hide under the table cloth and bat at the dog whenever they walked by. That was fine with me, as no animals or stuff got hurt, and while the dog wasn't thrilled, she wasn't overly stressed by it.
posted by MeiraV at 5:07 PM on October 7, 2010
You didn't mention if the dog has gone through any obedience training. The key to stopping almost any behavior is having a dog that, 100% of the time, sits when you say "sit", and leaves it when you say "leave it", and comes when you say "come". Once you've got those three down, the rest is much easier.
posted by HuronBob at 6:24 PM on October 7, 2010
posted by HuronBob at 6:24 PM on October 7, 2010
I don't know what the AskMe etiquette for a minor thread hijack is, but...
What do you do if the dog is capable of killing the cat? I'm in a similar situation to the OP (though we don't own the cat yet) and my dog is quite capable of murdering a possum (an Australian Brushtail Possum, which is just as scratchy and vicious as - and slight larger than - a domestic cat).
posted by autocol at 4:28 AM on October 8, 2010
What do you do if the dog is capable of killing the cat? I'm in a similar situation to the OP (though we don't own the cat yet) and my dog is quite capable of murdering a possum (an Australian Brushtail Possum, which is just as scratchy and vicious as - and slight larger than - a domestic cat).
posted by autocol at 4:28 AM on October 8, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:15 PM on October 7, 2010