Any tips on a dog bothering a cat?

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Stackie

Stackie

I bite.
Joined
Jan 29, 2009
Messages
6,399
Location
Indianapolis, IN
I recently moved and my roommate has a cat. My dog is almost obsessive about trying to play with him. She chases him anytime he moves, and constantly tries to play with him by batting her paws at him and mouthing him. I know she's only playing and I doubt she'll do any damage, but I feel bad for the cat because she is constantly bothering him to play. He has various places he can get to that she can't, but most of the time he just lays on his back and bats at her (he's declawed). Not only is she bothering the cat but the incessant barking/chasing/attempting to play with him is getting annoying. It doesn't matter how long I take her on a walk or play with her, or however many toys she has, as soon as she sees him, she's bothering him. The only time she's around him is when we're home.

I've tried exercises where I get them to sit calmly next to one another for treats, but as soon as the treats are gone, she's back at it. I've also been calling her once I notice she's paying attention to him to divert her attention. She'll come to me for the toy/treat/whatever, but as soon as it's gone, she's right back at him.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated :))
 
I don't know about yours, but my dog learns very quickly not to do things when I squirt her with a spray bottle. We taught her not to bark at people outside our door or window this way. I would try squirting her when you catch her in the act of bothering the cat. It's not too much of a punishment, but with my dog it sure does get the point across.
 
We had 2 existing indoor cats when we first got our cat obsessed 7 month old dobie, and there is basically nothing you can do to curb that. Time was the only thing that helped. He does know commands, and follows the commands to leave the cats alone when indoors. If he sees a cat outdoors, though, the chase is on. I would suggest obedience training so your dog knows commands like "sit", "stay", "down", "leave it", "out"...that has really helped in so many situations. And the cats still hate the dog, but they have all learned to give eachother space.
 
She does know basic obedience, but all that seems to go out the window when the cat is around. When he's not, she listens well...however if she can see him, she completely blocks me out.
 
i think once the dog and cat are accustomed to living together, things will settle down. trying not to go insane in the meantime is the challenge, lol!

just a few weeks ago, my kiddo got a dog. Tibby lives at my dad's house because it isn't fair to a dog to live in an apartment with me and my kiddo, IMO. there are also two cats at my dad's. for the first week, Tibby would want to chase and play with the cats, but now pays them no attention whatsoever (unless the cats are getting treats, lol!).

i'm sure things will settle down with time. until then, ensure the cat has places to go to get away from the dog. propping a room door open with a stick and a hook latch so that it can't be closed, but can't be opened any farther than the stick length, is good. make the amount the door is open just big enough for the cat to squeeze through, but too small for the dog. this is what we have always done over the years with cats and dogs in my dad's house, with the door to the basement, and it always worked well.
 
To bad your room mate didn't have a cat condo where the cat could get away, but maybe some baby gates so there is at least one area the dog can't access?
 
Our dog trainer had up put a few pennies[or pebbles] in an empty soda can and tape it. Then shake the can at the same time as telling them no, worked great for our dogs. The other thing was to mix vinegar and water[maybe 30/70 or was it 40/60] in a spray bottle.
I have been using it on the new kitten when he start bothering the birds, works great.
 
Stackie said:
She does know basic obedience, but all that seems to go out the window when the cat is around. When he's not, she listens well...however if she can see him, she completely blocks me out.
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my obedience trainer would advise that the leash be on the dog when indoors (and when you are with her) so you can make a correction when she misbehaves. You might have to do this for weeks until you can correct her without the aid of the leash.

And after awhile she won't have that same fascination with the cat as she does now. It took my dog and cats quite awhile to tolerate eachother peacefully.
 
My dogs and cats have been together full time for the last 14 months. They've known each other off and on for the last 3-4 years. My border collie still chases the cats incessantly. It drives me nuts! I've tried all kinds of things, and it's gotten so it's not 24/7, but still like...16/7. Eventually I hope she will outgrow it and everyone will live peacefully. Funny enough, I think the times when I've left her loose in the house and left, she's ignored the cats...

Other than that, I've given the cats lots of places to get away. They have their own room with their food and litter boxes that the dogs are not allowed in. They have a cat condo so they can get out of reach and also a bed, a futon, and a bunch of shelves and chairs that they can go under.
 
Twilight Chinchillas said:
To bad your room mate didn't have a cat condo where the cat could get away, but maybe some baby gates so there is at least one area the dog can't access?
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He does have a condo, but Shelby has learned how to climb it..sigh. He does get on top of dressers and we have a room with a baby gate that he can get into but she can not. The only problem is he rarely tries to get away from her. He just lays on his back and bats/hisses/growls at her. I think he kind of likes the attention to an extent...

Jenn, I have been trying the leash thing. Doesn't seem to have an effect so far, other than her pretty much choking herself constantly or straining the heck out of her ribs when I have her harness on. Sigh.
 
i have the same issue, i have 6 boxers inside and my persian cat...i have had my cat for atleast 5 years and my one dog kiley will not leave her alone.. If the cat is out she will harass her for as long as she stays out. She wont eat, she wont go outside she wont do anything to get her attention off of my cat, and it annoys me so much. I have to lock my dog out the room to let the cat out. I say that to because my cat has a serious urination issue. She will urinate on my bed, rugs, anything she can pee on so i have a huge cat cage that she lives in. I tried to rehome her once before but she got very aggressive to the new owner for some reason. So my only other option is what she is in. I cant and will not tolerate her urinating all over the house like she was doing. So when I let her out in my room supervised the dog HAS to be locked out....It is just that bad.
 
As a positive reinforcement trainer, I would not recommend any "corrections" like yanking on a leash and certainly not spraying the dog with acid (vinegar)--ouch!! There are better, nicer, and more effective ways!

Start working on teaching a solid "Leave It" cue. Start in a place without distractions. Hold a bit of yummy smelling food in your closed fist and let her sniff it. Most dogs will mouth and paw at your fist, trying to get the food. Let her do this until she shows signs of giving up on that because it's not working. Anything--from taking a step backwards, to turning her head away from it in the slightest, or if you are really lucky, she'll sit down and look at you like "ok what the heck, just give it to me". When she makes any move away from it, reward her with the treat (or alternatively, give her something from your other hand). Do this LOTS of times, until it is obvious that she understands that only being patient and NOT mauling your hand gets her the food. Once she is getting the hang of it, start saying "leave it" as she is turning her head away or backing up. Idealy you'd like her to turn away from your hand with the food in it, because that will be the magic key to get her treat. Now you can start practicing with things on the floor or on tables that she wants. Best to have her on leash for that so you can help her make the right choice if she fumbles. But be sure to always reward her for leaving something she wants! If there's nothing in it for her, why should she do it? I wouldn't work for free, you probably wouldn't either, so why should our dogs? Playing with the cat is FUN, so we need to motivate her to leave the cat when you ask and come to you for something else fun (treats, toy, game of tug, whatever she likes--BUT, try to vary your rewards so it's not always the same thing).

I would let her trail a leash around inside the house for several weeks, until she really understands the leave-it cue and can do it easily. Eventually, if you are consistent, she will understand that pestering the cat will only get interrupted so it's not worth her effort.

I can usually get a dog to understand the concept of "leave it" within about 5-20 minutes, if they have never done the exercise before, but it takes a lot of repetition and a lot of practice with increasingly exciting things before you can expect her to stop mid-pounce!
 
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She is good about "leave it" with objects, food, etc. but not the cat. We've been through the basic obedience class at Petsmart. It's like she completely tones me out when the cat is around.
 
Stackie said:
She is good about "leave it" with objects, food, etc. but not the cat. We've been through the basic obedience class at Petsmart. It's like she completely tones me out when the cat is around.
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Then you need to practice WITH the cat, but in a controlled environment. For example, have the kitty in it's condo, or behind a gate, or better yet, in a carrier. If your dog can't physically get to the cat to harass it, it will instantly make it easier for you to tell her to leave it and build up to having the cat move around (with your dog on leash).

You can break this down into smaller steps if you need to. For example, put cat in a carrier on the other side of the room, and hold your dog on a 5ft leash. She looks at the cat/carrier, and looks back at you: have a party for that! You can wait until she looks toward the cat and then tell her leave it, as soon as she looks to you she gets rewarded. Slowly get closer to the cat/carrier. If your dog gets to a distance where she is not able to look back at you (we call this a threshold), then you need to back up and continue practicing where she can handle it. Again, the key is going to be practicing in a controlled environment. You always want to practice behaviors when you DON'T need them, so when the time comes that you do need it, you'll have all that positive, good practice under your belt to fall back on.

Also, if you are really serious about making this problem better, you need to make sure your dog is not able to practice the 'wrong' behavior. Dog's are like us in the way that the more we practice a habit (good or bad) the more ingrained into us it becomes. You want her to only have controlled experiences with the cat so that she's not spending 10 minutes training with you to leave the cat, but 6 hours a day chasing the cat of her own free will.
 
Stacie, I would recommend more obedience training. We took our dobie to an official obedience school, that was a 3 month program, I believe. The course we took was leash training, and our next step would have been off-leash training. It's a long process, and it requires a lot of practice at home. You have to correct the dog each and every time she does something you don't want her to do. When the cat is around, I would have your dog in a down position. Then, when she does stay, you give her a lot of praise to reinforce the good behavior. The more you practice with her and reinforce the good behavior, the quicker she will catch on that this is what is expected of her.

My dog and cats coexist peacefully in the house. (of course the cats aren't afraid of my chihuahua...I don't know why, lol) But the stray cats outdoors get chased. So he has learned that this is not allowed in the house, but it is tolerated to a point outdoors. But if I have him on his leash, and tell him to leave it, or to sit, or down, he will listen. He knows there is a time to "work" and a time to "go see".

If you have a place that goes into obedience trainer to a great degree than a petstore, that is what I would recommend. It makes a huge difference!
 
I agree with everything Diana has said. You can also take a second class at Petsmart - the advanced trick or intermediate classes really make a huge difference. They aren't just for the dog - they give you a wider knowledge base of tools you can use to train your dog... if that makes sense.

Also, if you are really serious about making this problem better, you need to make sure your dog is not able to practice the 'wrong' behavior. Dog's are like us in the way that the more we practice a habit (good or bad) the more ingrained into us it becomes. You want her to only have controlled experiences with the cat so that she's not spending 10 minutes training with you to leave the cat, but 6 hours a day chasing the cat of her own free will.
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This makes all the difference in the world - and it may involve your dog being crated when you are not home.
 
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