# Dog obsessed with one of my cats



## Elsie's mum (Mar 9, 2009)

Right so I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. All get on fine except one of the dogs and one of the cats but I'm not sure why as the dog isn't bothered about the other cat and the cat will curl up with my other dog so it isn't a cat-dog problem it's just those two together.

The dog will chase the cat and if she jumps up somewhere high he will bark at her. If he knows she is about he cannot relax and has to find her his whole body language changes. Because of this behavior the cat is scared of the dog and runs from him making the problem worse. If he does manage to get the cat he will pin her down and nudge her with his nose, he is a pointer cross so a fairly big dog so although it doesn't seem aggressive behavior I'm worried he could hurt the cat.

How can I change his behavior towards the cat?


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Elsie's mum said:


> Right so I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. All get on fine except one of the dogs and one of the cats but I'm not sure why as the dog isn't bothered about the other cat and the cat will curl up with my other dog so it isn't a cat-dog problem it's just those two together.
> 
> The dog will chase the cat and if she jumps up somewhere high he will bark at her. If he knows she is about he cannot relax and has to find her his whole body language changes. Because of this behavior the cat is scared of the dog and runs from him making the problem worse. If he does manage to get the cat he will pin her down and nudge her with his nose, he is a pointer cross so a fairly big dog so although it doesn't seem aggressive behavior I'm worried he could hurt the cat.
> 
> How can I change his behavior towards the cat?


The problem is that once you get into the run chase cycle then its a very hard habit to break. As soon as the cat moves it becomes a lot more interesting, but if the cats insecure and frightened than its the first thing its going to do, and then the cycle begins.

Usually when introducing dogs and cats its best to tackle it in the following way
to prevent getting into the cycle, whether its something you can go back to basics on and try to retrain Im not sure as you have already gotten into the trap but it may be worth a try.

Usually its best to crate train the pup or dog first, preferably before they have had contact. You then have the pup/dog in the crate relaxed with something like a favourite chew or a stuffed Kong. You then start to let the cat into the same room starting with short sessions. This way the cat tends to feel safe so more unlikely to run and start the run/chase cycle and the dog cant chase them anyway. You then build up the time of these short introductory sessions getting them used to the sight of each other and used to sharing space.
When you can do this for a decent amount of time and they are still calm then you can go onto the next step.

You have the dog on a lead under control with one person at one end of the room and then start bringing in the cat for short sessions at first if needs be and build it up that way. In both instances with the crate and the dog on a lead when they are calm praise both and give treats, to make good associations with each other and re-enforce the calmer behaviour around each other.

If your dog has never seen or been in a crate then you will have to crate train him first and get him used to and being happy and relaxed in a crate. Either that or try to go to stage two anyway and try that.

Often another solution too is to have baby or dog control gates which are taller and more robust then a baby gate but fit the same strategically placed around the house, and or on the bottom of the stairs. As long as the cat can get through or over and the dog cant, that is also a useful way of separating and giving the cat some freedom and safety and the dog cant chase. If your cat is used to using a cat flap you can actually also get dog control gates with cat flaps in them too.

It obviously goes without saying too if your afraid the dog will hurt the cat don't leave them alone together unsupervised which is probably what you do already anyway.


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## Elsie's mum (Mar 9, 2009)

Thanks for the reply!

The dog is crate trained and will relax in the crate no problem but however as soon as the cat goes past he goes mental, lunges towards the cat and barks/whines so not sure how to to that??. It has been a gradual thing getting to this behavior, I had the cats first and got the dog as at 6 months all was fine for ages but gradually it's got worse and worse.

I have gates on the bottom of the stairs, the living room and the kitchen door at the moment because of this problem and others he has (separation anxiety) so I can always keep an eye on him which is obviously helping the situation but not solving the problem. If he knows the cat is about he is like a dog possessed and cannot relax so its probably causing him stress and I'm not sure but may contribute to the problems I get when I go out which I put down to separation anxiety. 

The cat is 5 and the dog is 2 so I really want to find a solution because don't want to put up with this for 10+ years!!


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

I had this with a returned two year old malamute and because of their intense prey drive I had to fix it and fix it fast. I tried various techniques and reprimands to no effect so resorted to a 5ml syringe of water. As soon as he went for the cat I gave him a short sharp squirt in his face. No words and the trick is to not let him know its coming from you, he assumes its something to do with the cat that way. Literally after three wet encounters he backed off and my cat could live his normal life. At two Mals are big dogs and what made it worse was my cat is dog friendly, having always lived with dogs and when he cornered my cat in the garden I knew I had to stop it pronto. 
The dog went on to live with another Mal and a cat, in perfect harmony from day one and still is four years on. I very easily could have ended up with a dead cat and no way could I take that chance with a Mal.


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## sbonnett76 (Apr 6, 2010)

There's lots of posts on here about dog/cat issues, I've been through most of them previously as I had the same problem. I've just copied and pasted some information from one of the posts I replied to with a puppy and a cat having problems:

_When Roxy first arrived, I could have a big, juicy sausage in front of her nose and she would point blank ignore it if there was a cat around. Nothing, and I mean nothing, was more interesting than a cat ... two cats were like all of her Christmases at once!

It took a lot of time, but we worked on the "watch" command and Roxy's general obedience. The obedience and bond outside of the home can really impact control inside the home. We also didn't set our sights too high. We ditched the dreams of Roxy and the cats snuggling up together in bed and started to work on one step at a time, the first being to be able to distract Roxy every time the cats were around. She too went mental in the crate when the door was shut and the cats were there, but she was rewarded with really high value treats if she calmed or would follow a simple command e.g. Watch, sit or down. We'd also give her a chew to distract her for a couple of minutes.

These crate times were never too long. As soon as we thought that Roxy was becoming too aroused, we'd encourage the cats out of the room and let Roxy out. The trick is little and often ... Start with a couple of minutes a few times a day.

It's also not all about working with the dog. Remember to reward the cat as well if it's being brave.

It will take time, but don't give up hope. We still aren't living that original dream, but the cats now wonder around downstairs and sometimes will even jump on my lap in the lounge for a cuddle with Roxy in the same room. Don't get me wrong, Roxy is still very interested, but she doesn't move now and after a while, will even settle down. Wherever the cats are, we can also bring Roxy away to us and that sausage is now much more interesting than a cat.

We will never, ever trust her around them. If a cat is passing her and she's too close or standing over it, we will remove her immediately and we still have the gate at the bottom of the stairs, which will remain there. We've had Roxy for 2 years in November and it's 100 times better than it was.

Oh, and try to remain calm and patient. Both animals will pick up on your stress and that will make matters worse. If you feel yourself getting in a pickle, put the cat out of the way and everyone take some time out.

You can buy short training leads from most pet shops. I know Pets at Home sell them, but to be honest, we didn't waste the money. We just used Roxy's normal lead._

This may or may not be useful. We now have a second dog who is totally chilled around the cats and doesn't even acknowledge them and although that's sadly not rubbing off onto our little live wire, it is making the cats more confident and I'm sure that's 50% of the challenge. The other thing we've actually recently started to do is if Roxy gets too excited around the cats, without saying a word, we squirt her in the face with water from a bottle / spray. She backs off immediately and isn't harmed. Now, if she gets hyper, all we have to do is pick up the bottle and she's gone sulking into another room!!


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## Hopeattheendofthetunnel (Jun 26, 2013)

Was going to suggest exactly what Malmum said. Water pistol, ideally surrepticious shots - your dog should think that the water comes from the invisible and Almighty Cat Protection Spirit in the sky.

But even if he DOES see you, no matter. The cat is a fully fledged member of your household and has a right to live in peace instead of being in a constant state of terror and stress. If solving this issue involves a mild punishment via a squirt of water - so be it.


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## Guest (Jan 15, 2014)

For sure, safety first. Never leave them together unsupervised. That the dog is not trying to kill the cat is very promising and very workable. 

If you choose to go the avoidance route - water spray, shake can etc., beware that it a) might not work and may even cause the dog to get more excited, b) might make the dog learn to associate the cat with unpleasantness (which could lead to real aggression towards the cat), c) may make your dog skittish in unrelated situations.

Long term I think your best bet is going to be some sort of behavior modification plan based on focus work, impulse control, and desensitization/habituation. The last one for both the dog AND the cat.

In the book Control Unleashed there is a great exercise called look at that that works really well for dealing with impulse control while in an aroused state. 
Basically you want to be able to control the dog (and him control himself) even when highly excited/aroused by the cat. 

Ideally you would work on this under the tutelage of a good trainer who can walk you through the process and cater it to your and your dogs individual personalities and needs.

Have you tried working with a trainer?


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## Fluffster (Aug 26, 2013)

My puppy is desperate to play with one of my cats - and when she tries, he makes a really loud growling sound which makes her even more excited, and the two of them get worked up into a frenzy. There's no aggression in it at all, sometimes her and my girl cat play and when Daisy "catches" Lily, she just waits for Lily to start chasing her 

I've been trying a distraction technique lately where, when Max appears downstairs and Daisy starts to approach him, I say "There's Max!" and then throw a treat in the opposite direction. I've only done it a handful of times, but she let him get off his scratching post and go upstairs today without chasing which was a big thing for us! She just watched him going, then looked back at me 

Alas, I think Max is upset at now being ignored as he came down to ground level this afternoon and was strutting about making squeaking noises to try and entice her :skep:

This technique might not work for you (I stole it shamelessly from Cheryl89's visit from a behaviourist for a similar issue ) but it's doing well for us so far


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## sbonnett76 (Apr 6, 2010)

Just as a "there's hope" comment...

Last night, Nando (the more skittish of our two cats), had an impromptu sleep over with Roxy and Luther! The dogs sleep in the kitchen and dining room (both dogs have access to both rooms, but not to the rest of the downstairs at night) and I wondered this morning as I was getting dressed, why Nando hadn't appeared as he normally does about 1/2 hour before my alarm goes off, kneading my desperate for a pee stomach! As I walked downstairs, I glanced into the dining room and there he was, getting up from the bench having been locked in with Roxy and Luther all night!

Now, Luther wouldn't cause me any concern at all. He can't understand why the cats don't like him, but if you get the gist from what I've written previously of how hard we've had to work with Roxy, you'll know why I was so proud of her and Nando. For Roxy because she MUST have known he was in there, but was still snoozing on her bed and not bouncing off the walls at him when I went in and for Nando for finally being brave enough to not be affected by his little visit, proven because about 5 minutes after opening the door to free him, he was back in there sniffing around whilst the dogs were having their breakfast!

:biggrin:


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## Elsie's mum (Mar 9, 2009)

Thanks for all the replies and sorry for my late reply!

I will have a go at some of the techniques and let you know how I get on.

I think there is hope because the dog is fine with my other cat and the cat is fine with my other dog but im no way expecting them to curl up together just to be in the same room without chaos would be nice.


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