Public Forum Proceed to Auspet's New Discussion Forum | Pet Directory | Classifieds | Home | LinkXchange


Click here to make Auspet.com your default home page

  Auspet - Message Boards
  Dogs - all types
  Unusual Puppy and Cat Situation... Please Help

Post New Topic  Post A Reply
profile | register | preferences | faq | search

UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone! next newest topic | next oldest topic
Author Topic:   Unusual Puppy and Cat Situation... Please Help
dobergal
New Member

Posts: 4
From:California
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-23-2003 09:06 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for dobergal     Edit/Delete Message
I am hoping that I will be able to get some advice that will help my situation. I recently brought a doberman puppy home and we have 2 cats. We got him at 9wks old and he is now 11wks. I mistakenly thought that if I got a little puppy as opposed to an adult that the puppy would accept the cats as fellow household members and leave them be. Had I had 2 cats that would just swat at him that might have worked, but I have one cat that thinks he is a dog and constantly entices the puppy to play by running around and away from him and then letting himself get caught and rolled on his back where then the cat gently paws the dogs face (no claws out) This cat is so unusual that I have never seen it once hiss, growl or flatten his ears. My other cat is your typical kitty will get really irriated and start swatting at the puppy and then will remove himself from the situation.

I know my puppy is just wanting to play with the cat and doesn't really want to harm him, but he likes to stand over the cat and nip at him, put his mouth around his neck (very very scary to see) and play like he would with one of his puppy littermates. I have tried so many things to try and get him to stop chasing the cats but the tempatation is too much for the my little puppy. Its a constant high speed pursuit in the house, if the puppy catches up to the cat it is because the cat has stopped running and rolled on his back and start playing with the dogs face, however, occasionally the puppy has grabbed on to the my cats skin or nip his ear and my cat makes a cry (still the cat doesn't get mad though and swat the puppy).

I don't want this to continue because as my puppy gets older he can really hurt my cat, who is all too trusting.

I was told to shake a can on pennies and say "NO" when he went after the cat. I was told to spray him with a water bottle, to keep him on a leash and do a leash correction... all sorts of things. I know he is just a little puppy and perhaps I am getting too frustrated to early, I just worry for my cat, as my puppy seems very stubborn in general as well, and wonder if he'll ever learn the cat is not a toy.

Sometimes if he is so involved with a bone then kitty can sit right by him and he'll leave the cat alone. Other times he'll leave the bone to stand over the sitting cat who will then roll on his back or run away thus beginning the crazy chase all over again.

Has anyone had a similar situation? Did it just resolve itself? He can occasionally be lured away from the cat chase if I shake the bag of treats, but not always.

I was told that if the dog has an incredibly high prey drive that this behavior may never correct itself, and that the cats would never be safe. So I don't know what to do. For awhile we held him on a leash but I think this pent of things even more within the puppy and had more desire to go after the cats so for the last couple of days I have just let him tear around the house.

I should mention that we also live in close quarters right now in a townhome and our moving to a house in the first week of Oct. I thought perhaps in the new house the desire to chase the cats might be lessened because there would be more space to roam around, perhaps more space for the cats to hang out somewhere else, and the puppy will have a yard to play in, but the cats will also share the yard, so he might still chase them in the yard as well.

I apologize for the extremely long post but I am desperatly seeking out advice and any suggestion or similar experiences that others may have had.

Thank you so much for your help

-Yvette

IP: Logged

Jamiya
Member

Posts: 1392
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-23-2003 10:46 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jamiya     Edit/Delete Message
I have a similar situation going on, although my cat is not a willing participant.

My puppy is about 4 months old - some sort of border collie mix probably - and we have had her for 3 weeks. We also have 2 cats who are 12 years old, going on 13. They are both indoor cats and front declawed.

Patches, the smarter cat, will defend himself. Sometimes he runs when the puppy chases, but sometimes he stands his ground and swats at her. That makes her dance around him and bark, which makes him hiss and swat....altogether very noisy and stressful for everyone. If she runs at him, sometimes he will run away. We have the puppy confined to one room, so the cats can jump the gate to the kitchen (or squeeze through in the case of the not-so-smart cat) or go down in the basement (where there food and litterbox is - it's a finished basement).

The not-so-smart cat is another matter. She runs if she can, but sometimes she just sits there. The puppy jumps on top of her and bites her tail and her ears and everything else she can reach. The cat wails and hisses, but just sits there! I am afraid she is going to get hurt.

I have tried teaching the dog the Leave It command. We are still working on that one. It was recommended to me by many different people.

We tried keeping her on a leash, but that doesn't work because she will chew through it to get away.

Sometimes now if she is tired, she doesn't chase. I have also seen other times where she is calm (but not that tired) and she just looks at the cats. I think she knows I do not want her to chase them, but sometimes she just can't help herself.

What I have decided to do at the moment is to only scold her for biting them, not chasing. When she bites, I hold her muzzle closed and tell her NO BITE, the same as when she play bites our hands, etc. I am hoping she will clue in to the fact that the kitties will not make her get in trouble as long as she does not bite them.

The only other thing I have tried is giving the puppy a time out when she is totally out of control. I grab her by the collar and hustle her out the door and leave her alone outside for a short time (like a minute or so). She usually sits by the door wanting to come back in, and is a bit more subdued when she does come back.

I don't know what to offer in your situation where the cat is teasing the puppy and encouraging the play. The only thing I would hope is that the cat lets puppy know when enough is enough. Our vet said my cat would run away or fight back if the dog was actually hurting her (no matter how mentally challenged the cat is) but I'm not so sure. Puppy has got a good hold on her tail before and she just wails.

Sorry I don't have more useful advice for you, except letting you know you are not alone in this problem. Try the Leave It command, and let us know if anything changes or works!


Jamiya

IP: Logged

honeybear
Member

Posts: 926
From:
Registered: May 2003

posted 09-23-2003 11:28 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for honeybear     Edit/Delete Message
dobergal, I cant help. I also have a cat who thinks he is a dog and does the exact s same thing. I I have seen many posts on this and really good advice, but I dont recall what they are, Hopefully the people who posted will in the past will chime in and help. Also if you go back thru previous posts, look at the headings, that will help find old info too.
Good luck
Honeybear

IP: Logged

jeminn
Member

Posts: 166
From:Colorado, USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 09-23-2003 11:31 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for jeminn     Edit/Delete Message
You are probably going to get all kinds of opinions here on how to handle this problem, which is great about this website. I have read many posts on this type of behavior so you might want to look through some previous pages to see if you can find some other posts about it.
Your 11 week old puppy seems to be acting very normally for his age. Your cat on the other hand, is somewhat unusual to allow this type of interaction, and I too have a cat that is much like what you have described. I also have another cat that is a complete opposite, and completely petrified of dogs, which has been a challenge with two dogs in the house, one with a high prey drive (a husky) and another with a high herding, chasing drive (an aussie). When we brought our 11 week old Aussie into our household, she went nuts for my cats. The black cat would allow just about anything, and continues to do so, now after 3 months of having a new pup in the house. I did begin to teach my pup a "leave it" command in order for me to control some of this behavior in the beginning and has really helped I strongly encourage you to teach this command and you can start now. It works for many other things as well, such as the litter box, other animals, chasing, chewing, etc. Your pup is also young enough to be forming a pretty strong bond with this tolerant cat, and it may be that this is just a phase that will work itself out as your animals get more used to each other, and your dobie matures. You may find that your dog becomes quite protective of your cat and that is not all bad. It warrants caution though, as with any dog and cat behavior in the beginning. It is wise to keep a close eye on the situation, continue to reinforce obedience training in your pup so he will mind you as he gets older, and will understand when enough is enough. In the meantime, just make sure their interaction is acceptable play, for both your cat and your puppy. You may want to keep a leash on your pup when it is in the house so you can teach that "leave it" command with some reinforcement of stepping on the leash during a chase. You can also teach the command "Easy" when you want your pup to be gentle with your cat and not maul them. Pet and speak calmly to your dog when he is licking or playing with your cat, and keep him from being too rough by saying "Easy". You can use this again for many other things- when dogs approach when you are out for walks, or strangers or children want to pet your dog. Those are two very useful commands and it is not to early for your dog to start learning them. When you are not home, I hope they are separated. Are you crate training? That is also a benefical way of giving your dog a time out when he gets too wild with the cats. You also need to teach your dog that when he is too rough, the cats are no longer accessible to play with and will be removed from the situation. When you or your cat has had enough, separate the cats into a safe room. Don't scold your pup, but redirect his behavior towards something else. You can supervise, and you can train your puppy, but it really just takes time and patience, and practice. Much of their relationship with eachother will probably work itself out much like littermates would do and they will come to know and read eachothers behaviors, what is tolerated and what isn't. Just be careful your dog doens't hurt your cat or allow him to think they are prey- all the more reason to get going on obedience training, learning a few basic important commands, and finding lots of new toys and experiences that will keep him entertained and occupied besides chasing the cats. Redirect that when needed, give your cats breathing room, and supervise the play. I imagine it will all work out fine in time. I know it probably feels like this is going to last forever, but it doesn't- most cats and dogs learn to live in a peaceful manner given the right kind of training and opportunity to do so.

IP: Logged

Maizey
unregistered
posted 09-23-2003 06:08 PM           Edit/Delete Message
There are many posts with tons of good advice in previous topics on here, but I have to say, I understand that it looks scary to you, and you should monitor the play, but I also have a cat who plays with my dogs, they mouth her in the same way, she baits them into play and loves it...but when she has had enough she does let them know it.
I used to have a german shepherd who played with another cat the same way, they slept together, loved on one another and played rough. I do not allow my dogs to chase the cat ever, even if she started it(and she does!). They are told "leave it", it's a command you should teach your pup, it is useful in many situations. There are instructions on how to teach this command in a fairly recent post as well.

IP: Logged

gimsf
New Member

Posts: 2
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-23-2003 10:42 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for gimsf     Edit/Delete Message
On the flip side:

Having both a dog and a kitten, I am speaking from experience. Yes, the cat could become injured if the dog does not keep himself in check. HOWEVER, the dog can also be injured. When a cat wrestles, they tend to go for the eyes, which can result in a scratched eyeball on your dog. Training the cat to not do this takes constant repitition and physically stopping the play every time it happens.

Perhaps that is also the key for your situation, to physically end their fun time every time the puppy goes for the neck, etc.

IP: Logged

jeminn
Member

Posts: 166
From:Colorado, USA
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 09-24-2003 08:37 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for jeminn     Edit/Delete Message
Dobergal- after reading some of your other posts and understanding more clearly that your dog has some aggression issues, I would keep a VERY close eye on your dog and cats interaction and limit their play. Your dog needs to learn how to manage his aggression, and the excitment of these cats could be very distracting to your training goals. If he is growling, curling his lips etc. at you, you can not be sure what may trigger a more lethal outburst towards your cats if things got out of control during play and chase games. Having other animals in the house, especially a fast moving cat, or a too trusting cat, can be overstimulating for a dog that has some issues with aggressivness. I am not saying it won't work out- just be extremely cautious and take it slow. The dog needs to know and understand that the cats are pets, not prey-and you need to understand what triggers your dogs aggression before he can be trusted with any other animals. Limit their interaction and keep your cats safe from harm. Also until your dog learns more basic obedience, this could hinder your attempts with training to have these distractions to deal with. Give it some time, work with your pup as much as possible right now. As you get more control of your dog and your dog learns to listen, then you can spend more time teaching proper interaction with your cats. It could add to more problems with trying to get his aggression under control at this point if he is completely going nuts when they are around and bringing out all his aggression, playful or not. I hope that in time, all this will work out for you, your dog and your cats, but be patient.

IP: Logged

Tanya
Member

Posts: 22
From:
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-25-2003 11:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Tanya     Edit/Delete Message
I am currently having a similar problem. We have a 3 year old Welsh Springer Spaniel female. She loves our 11 week old kitten and they sleep together and play. However i am worried that sometimes the dog gets too rough with her. Although i have never heard the cat yelp or meow I worry that she might hurt her sometimes. The kitten is a real tease and loves to come up behind the dog and nip her bottom then run away. Any suggestions?

IP: Logged

All times are ET (US)

next newest topic | next oldest topic

Administrative Options: Close Topic | Archive/Move | Delete Topic
Post New Topic  Post A Reply
Hop to:

Contact Us | Auspet.com


Ultimate Bulletin Board 5.45c
















© 1999-2017 AusPet.com