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Introducing Dogs or Puppies Into Homes With Cats

Introducing Dogs or Puppies into Homes with Cats

by Ed Frawley

Do you have a dog training or equipment question?

I am often asked how to make a new puppy (or dog) get along with the family cat or cats.

My answer is always "this is a simple thing to do as long as you are willing to educate yourself on canine pack behavior and make a few changes in the way you live with your cats." I remind people that cats can instigate problems with dogs. This is not always a one sided problem.

The average dog owner is completely unaware of how strong the genetic pack drive is in the domestic dog. Our dogs live their life by a set of genetic rules they are born with.

The success of this program depends on:

The ability of the new owners to be consistent in their training
The efforts that the new owners are prepared to make to insure success
If the owners preparing to establish pack structure and Obedience training
The dogs
The cats

Lindy vom Leerburg II with some kittens.

Over the years I have introduced a number of dogs to our cats. We currently own 5 cats. Four inside outside cats at our kennel and one is our house cat. Our dogs have accepted and lived with my cats without problems.

I would have bet a lot of money that a couple of my past police dogs would never have accepted a cat. Had they not gone through our program they would have killed our cats.

With that said, over the years I have had a couple of dogs that I would never trust to be around my cats when I was not there. Had I made the mistake and allowed these dogs to be unsupervised when with our cats there is little doubt the dogs could have killed a cat. The solution to a successful dog-cat situation with these dogs was to control the environment these animals were around one another and to insure that the dog was ALWAYS under my control, either with a dog crate, a dog leash or a remote collar.

The biggest part of a cat-dog problem is always the owners. Dog owners make huge mistakes if they just bringing a pup or a dog into the home and try and let the animals sort things out. This is a formula for disaster.

The way to introduce a new dog into a home with cats is with the use of a dog crate, or by keeping the dog on leash and supervised 100% of the time. Here we see a cat trying to figure out what this new thing in the house is.

THE FIRST STEP

The first step in the process of acclimating a dog to your cat is to provide controlled safe exposure. The dog must either be in a dog crate or on a leash in the house 100% for a long long time. At the least this period will be weeks but many times it can be months. There is no hurry. Those who rush the process are those owners who end up with problems.

I recommend the use of a dog crates. The use of a dog crate is the safest way to make sure you can control the environment. It allows you to focus on the cats while the dog is in the room.

In the beginning cats are put in a separate room before the dog is brought into the house. I always put my new dogs on leash when I bring them into the house. This shows them that coming into the house is a controlled experience and not someplace where the dog can charge around and act crazy.

In other words I ALWAYS control the animals and the environment I allow the animals to be in. That's how accidents are avoided. I don't leave things to chance. By having the dog on leash I have control of him if the cat runs and he tries to chase.

People often ask "When can the dog be off leash?" The answer is simple - when you can control the dog under distraction. If you can't call your dog to you when it is highly distracted by your cat - then the dog is not under your control and it should either be on leash, in a dog crate or wearing a remote collar.

This test can be made by made by putting the cat in the dog crate before the dog is brought into the house. The dog should be on leash. The owner can drop the leash and let the dog drags it. If the dog then gets out of control and won't mind the handler can simply grab the leash and take the dog back outside outside.

A family Kitty investigating the new smells of the new pack member

The decision to correct or not correct the dog or how hard to correct the dog depends on if you are training the dog or just testing the dog. I wrote a free ebook titled "THE THEORY OF CORRECTIONS IN DOG TRAINING" You may want to review that material.

In The Crate

Once in the crate the dog is expected to be calm and quiet. If the dog barks at the cats they are verbally scolded. If they will not stop barking we either cover the crate with a sheet, spray lemon water in the dogs face or make them wear a No-Bark collar. We normally don't use bark collars on puppies until they are 16 weeks old.

The dog is never allowed to be in the house and out of the crate unless it's on leash. It's never taken out of the crate (on leash) when the cat is in the room until it has gone ONE WEEK without barking at the cats.

This does not mean the dogs are locked in dog crates for weeks at a time. They can have free (on leash) time in the house but in the beginning the cats are always put in a different room when the dog is out.

When I get a new adult dog my first priority is to establish pack structure. I normally wait several weeks before I allow the dog to have on leash house time. This program is covered in detail in my dvd ESTABLISHING PACK STRUCTURE WITH THE FAMILY DOG If you are a new dog owner I highly recommend that you get this dvd and run your dog through this program.

Cat owners who acquire dogs have two processes going on at the same time. They should be establishing pack structure with the new dog at the same time they are teaching the dog that their cats are now part of the dogs family pack. When owners take their time there are seldom problems.

During the period of time that an adult dog spends in the crate, he can be acclimated to a muzzle. I like the wire basket muzzles we sell because they are less restrictive to the dog. Dogs accept these muzzles quicker than the plastic muzzles we sell. The down side is they are a little more expensive.

For those people who do not want to spend the money on a wire muzzle the plastic Jafco muzzles are inexpensive and work just fine. It is important to learn to put them on properly. When done incorrectly the dog could possibly get them off. We always us marker training to put muzzles on (refer to my ebook on marker training if you have questions on this)

Getting the dog used to the muzzle during these first weeks gives the dog something else to think about other than the cats in the house. After weeks of wearing it in the crate it becomes second nature for the dog to have it on.

When the day comes to allow the dog to be loose in the rooms with the cats it is important to do this while the dog is on leash. If that goes well then have the dog in a muzzle.

Should the adult dog shows the slightest sign of aggression towards the cats it needs to get a correction. The severity of the correction will vary by the temperament of the dog. Some dogs simply need to be told NO !! - while other dogs require a level 10 prong collar correction.

The correction needs to be strong enough that the dog will remember it the next time it thinks about being aggressive to the cats. If you have been doing your training correctly your dog will be looking at you as it's pack leader. Pack leaders determine when to use aggression - not lower ranking members of the pack.

If a dog repeated ignores your warnings you have not done a good enough job of establishing yourself as this dogs leader. Should this be the case you need to go back to the pack structure training and work on that. You will also want to work on the dogs obedience training.

He will instinctively accept you as pack leader and your position that cats are not prey items to chase and kill.

The REMOTE COLLAR - When the muzzle comes off:

At some point in time the muzzle must come off.

This should only happen when you are comfortable with your dogs actions when the dog is on leash and the cats are around. You must have patience. For adult dogs and cats this could take months. With time they will settle into a life style where both sides accept the fact that they now share the same territory.

I prefer to proof dogs and cats with a remote collar. In my opinion using a remote collar is the safest quickest way to teach a dog that chasing cats is not a fun thing to do. When it's done properly this can have a life long effect on the dog.

I did a training dvd titled REMOTE COLLAR TRAINING FOR THE PET OWNER In my opinion everyone who owns a dog should learn how to train a dog with "LOW LEVEL" stimulation. This training is fare more human than a choke collar or a prong collar. It provides off-leash control of the dog that reinforces recalls and gives the owner the possibility of controlling off-leash unwanted behavior (like chasing cats).

The fact at this stage of training if a dog still chases the cat I teach the dog that the cat is like touching a hot stove. When the dog chases it gets a HIGH LEVEL correction. (not the low level we use in normal obedience training). Usually this only needs to be done once. After that if the dog even looks at the cat I say NO! and give a low level correction. The concept here is to stop unwanted behavior BEFORE THE DOG IS IN HIGH DRIVE. The higher the drive the stronger the correction needs to be.

There are many brands of remote collars on the market. Most border on "a waste of good money" While we could sell any brand we wish - we use and recommend DOGTRA COLLARS in our home and kennel. This decision is based on over 30 years of using remote collars. You can email use to ask what model we recommend for your dog.

Dogs and Cats being friends

The best of all worlds is when our dogs and cats become friends.

I need to say that there is a fine line between allowing the dog and cat to get to know one another play together and creating a safe environment.

Running in the house should never be allowed, even if it seems to be in play. When cats run this can easily trigger prey drive in the dog. I had the experience of seeing a neighbors dog kill a cat that the dog had lived with.

The cat ran across the front yard. This dog had a lot of prey drive, it chased the cat and killed it before anyone could even attempt to stop it. This taught me a valuable lesson. That is, dogs may act one way in the home and a different way when they are outside.

The moral of the story is error on the side of safety and be careful.

Teaching a new Leerburg puppy that Cats have claws

CATS and DOGS

Some cats accept dogs better than others.

One of our house cats (Garfield) came into the home as a kitten. The other (Fred) as an adult barn cat that was adopted. Garfield grew up with my old stud dog (Nick) He kind of adopted Nick as his best buddy. He looked at Nick as a heating pad. He would wait until Nick laid down and would go over and curl up on top of his tail and stomach.

For months Nick would jump up and walk away in disgust. Over time they became friends with Nick eventually allowing Garfield to lay on top of him and curl up next to him whenever possible. He even allowed him to feed from the same food bowl while he was eating. This just amazed me because Nick was dog aggressive and would attack another male dog without hesitation.

On the other hand Fred has never warmed to dogs. He learns to tolerate them on an individual basis, but he will always "hiss" if they come too close. He is no dummy, he knows who he can hiss at and who he must hide from. I think he uses Garfield as a litmus test. He watches how the dogs react to Garfield and then bases his response accordingly.

My son Jeff, Natan and Garfield (many years ago)

Then there are those cats who torment dogs. They know exactly what buttons to push to get a dog excited or mad enough to chase. Our office cat (Sting) knows exactly where the end of the dogs leash is when it's tethered to a desk. He will sit just outside of the area and stair at the dog. If he can get a dogs attention he will jump straight up in the air and run away because he knows it drives the dogs nuts.

When we see Sting do this we scold him. We either chase him away (as a good pack leader should) or we squirt him with a mater bottle (as an kid would love to do).

The bottom line is this says volumes to our dogs. It demonstrates leadership to the dog and don't for one minute kid yourself that the dog doesn't look at it like that.

CATS and PUPPIES

Many people get puppies and bring them into the home where there is an existing cat.

Under these circumstances it's important to realize that a cat with claws can take a pups eye out in an instant. So if your cat has claws you need to be more concerned for your 8-week-old pup than for your cat.

Follow the same steps with the dog crate. In this case, it teaches the cat that the dog is now a family member. If I have a pup with a lot of prey drive I will get a puppy prong collar and let him drag a line in the house.

If he gets into trouble or tries to chase the cat I will correct him. It does not take many corrections to teach the dog that "NO" means "NO." It's very important to show the pup a lot of love after these experiences. He has to see that you do not hold any grudges and that you are still his best friend. So if you have to correct, then give ten times the cuddling after the correction.

THE END

With a little bit of luck you will be able to get your dog and cat to live together in peace. It's very important to remember to go slowly. No matter how quickly or badly you want it to happen, you have to allow these things to process at their own speed, which can be a snail's pace over months. The best advice I can give is to error on the side of caution and don't take chances with your pets lives.

This is a photo of our friend Deanna's bitch in her whelping box just before whelping a litter... of pups.

Reviews
Q&A

July 11, 2011

I have ever owned dogs and was considering adopting a small whippet mix. I already have two 8-yr old cats, and your Q&A on introducing the two species had me scared straight.

Thank you for the invaluable information, because it is clear that my cats and I are not ready for a dog. You prevented a tragedy.

Julie

Hello Ed,

I wanted to write you a short note to let you know what a difference you’ve made for us. In October we adopted a 3 year old Belgian Malinois from our local animal shelter. At home we had an older (12ish) rescue dog that we think is a Catahoula, along with two cats that we adopted a year ago.

I’m 45 and have owned dogs all my life, most of them adopted. I competed in AKC obedience trials with a couple of English Cockers I owned back in the 90’s, got a CDX on one of them. I’ve never had a problem bringing a new dog into the house, but was I in for the surprise of my life with Summer (the Mal we just adopted).

It turns out that I’ve always been lucky, or else been able to just overpower all the dogs I’ve adopted in the past. Summer was a different story. On day one she attacked our older dog – nothing too serious, but she did draw a little blood. Then a couple of days later she chased one of the cats up a tree. Then she jumped over our 6’ backyard fence into the neighbor’s yard, walked into their house, and proceeded to be chased around their yard by their very large Lab before jumping back over the fence into our house.

I was at my wits’ end and was worried that one of our animals would be hurt, killed, and/or we would get sued by the neighbor. I asked advice from my vet, contacted a Belgian Malinois rescue organization with the thought that this just might not work out and we would not be able to keep her. I also did a Google search on “dogs getting along with cats” or something like that, and that’s when I found your website. I started with your article about cats and dogs, then went looking around on the rest of your site. I found the article on pack structure groundwork and thought, “This is what we need to do.” We talked about it as a family, got a dog crate, and started on the program. I kept reading the free articles on your site, and then I bought several of your videos.

It was difficult at first but we stuck with it. She went from the social isolation phase to being on lead in the house, to dragging the leash, to wearing a remote collar, and now she’s able to be in the house wearing just her dominant dog collar. She is a true success story, and we are both relieved and grateful to you for the free information you’ve put on your web site. She gets along with our other dog, she gets along with the cats, and loves being a part of our family. Best of all, from the time we started your program, we felt we had regained control of our house, and I still feel I have that control. Now we have her in an obedience class (we’ve bought your marker training video and are in this class mainly so we can get into their agility classes – we’ve tried to get her through the learning phase of these basic commands at home and view the class as a time to let her deal with more distraction), and it’s very rewarding to get to the door of the training facility and see her stop and sit until we get through the door first.

Our latest change is switching her to a raw food diet, which we started two weeks ago. It was kind of intimidating at first, but she’s put a couple of needed pounds on and her coat absolutely glows. I don’t think we’ll be going back to Costco kibble any time soon.

So thank you, thank you, thank you. This dog has a home, we would never give her up now and we absolutely love her to death. If not for your site, we would not have been able to turn this situation around.

With much appreciation,
Glenn

Q.	My mom and little sister live in country, and have several cats. One of the cats they had was a very mean cat who did have her claws. The other cats were rescued, and de clawed. They decided to get 2 purebred German Shepherd puppies. They dogs and cats got along great, and the dogs are very good dogs. The dogs are 1/2 brothers, and my mom has not fixed the dogs, as the breeder has asked my mom to use them 1x for studding, and would also like to show Bear. Bear's grandfather killed a poodle over the dinner bowl. The dog are now almost 4 yrs old, and very well behaved. Bear is INSANE about balls. You would think he is Retriever!!! He and Wolf do play rough with each other as well, but when it comes to the cats, they are so gentle with all de clawed cats. The one cat 'Spanky' on the other hand has been awful to the dogs since they were puppies. She would scratch them on the nose any chance she got, she would do it when mom's back was turned, and of course when the dogs growled, or attempted to retaliate they got into trouble. Mom came home one day to Span ky lying in the bathroom, soaking wet (I mean dripping wet!). She rushed her to the vet, and was able to save her. The dogs never broke the skin, but as cats get abscesses, the area where the dogs grabbed her, the skin died and ripped open. (I guess I don't really blame the dogs for this, as she really was an awful cat, and if I were a dog I probably would have as well, but that doesn't excuse it...) Nobody was concerned for the other cats, as like I said, the dogs got on great with them. They would lick the cats, and the cats loved the dogs. The would actually sleep on the dogs!!! With what happened to Spanky, we were always cautious with leaving the cats alone with the dogs, and would usually separate them into the basement (usually, but not always). Well, my sister went to work on sunday, and she separated the cats from the dogs (cats downstairs, dogs upstairs) but 'Spook', a very skiddish, nervous cat must have darted thru the door with out my sister noticing. When she got home from work, Spook was in the bathroom, dead, and again, soaking wet. We tried to believe it wasn't the dogs, as there were no bite marks, but I did do a close inspection of the body, and there were 2 small bruises on both sides of her body, as well as a large bruise under her chin. There was blood in her mouth (and a small tooth missing) and blood in one of her ears. I am sure the dogs did this, probably not on purpose, maybe she just darted off somewhere, Bear was bored and saw it as a moving ball, and maybe the were just playing with her, grabbed her head, and strangled her by mistake (playing too rough). The only explanation I have for her being wet is that they tried to lick her alive once they saw she was dead. But it has now happened twice, and we are all very disturbed. No one more than my sister, who of course blames herself, and doesn't want anything to do with the dogs. (They were her dogs, and she was incredibly attached) We don't know what to do now. Should we put them down, or try to find a home? Regardless, my mom works night shift and refuses to get rid of the dogs as it mean my sister will be alone in the country at night. What if we do find a home, and they do it again? Does anyone have any ideas as to what happened, or what to do from here???

A.	OH PLEASE DON'T HUMOR ME WITH YOUR STUPIDITY! What part of common sense did you miss!!

Q.	Hello, I have a seven year old cat and recently adopted a ten month old toy poodle. The poodle is very sweet-natured, except when it comes to the cat. He will not leave the cat alone. My poor cat cannot get a drink of water without being chased. The poodle is not aggressive toward the cat, but he harasses the cat every time he moves! I want to correct this behavior, and my firm, "No's" are not working. Please advise me on remedying this problem. Thank you in advance for your time and advice. Sincerely appreciative, Tina

A.	I have written an article on How to Introduce a dog into a home with cats - You can find these if you go to the list of training articles and scroll down. With that said – your dog is not trained. If it were you could control it. You MUST train this dog – just because its small does not mean it should not be trained. I also recommend that you go to my web site and read the article I wrote on my philosophy of dog training. I think you will get some good ideas there You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog. Your dog must go through training steps before it can be considered fully trained. You will read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. No professional dog trainer would ever take his dog to an obedience class with 15 or 20 untrained dogs and try and train it there. Its crazy. The dogs cannot concentrate with the distractions. I think if you read the testimonials on my DVD you will see that my customers feel the same way. If you make the decision to learn to train - get a prong collar. You can read about it on my web site. There is an article I wrote (with a number of excellent photos) on how to fit a prong collar, you can also read about the different types of prongs.

Q.	Hi, I am looking for a book or video on curbing animal prey instinct. I have a 7 year old female Weimaraner that has started killing cats. She lived with our cat since we got her (The dog had 2 other homes before ours). She seemed to like our cat so when our cat died of old age we thought it would be ok to get a new kitten and the dog killed it by shaking it. She ran in the door and snatched it up. We also found 2 dead adult cats in our fenced backyard that she killed. We have an adult cat also that we got the same time as the kitten she killed. I want to teach her to accept the cat and that hunting inside our house is not acceptable. We do not use this dog for hunting. Is this possible or not. I am hearing a lot of weimaraners kill cats. Thanks for your help

A.	This is just an example of what can happen when the correct protocol is not followed when introducing a new cat into a home with dogs. Dogs that kill cats need serious obedience training and serious pack training. If this were my dog it would go through my protocol on GROUND WORK TO BECOMING A PACK LEADER (read my article on this). It would be a long, long, long time before this dog was not tethered to me on a line while in the house. I would also be using an electric collar on the dog (in the house). There is also a protocol on how to use e-collars. I have written about this too.

Q.	Dear Mr. Frawley, I bought my dog from a disreputable breeder. I did not know any better. She was much older than they told me she was and not at all socialized to humans. From the very beginning she wanted to chase the cat. At first I scolded her but she didn't seem to care about my opinion of her actions. My house has a path that runs though the kitchen and living room in a circle and she quickly learned to just run the circle and have me chase her back to the cat. She's fast so I got a throw chain and I have pretty good aim. But we weren't bonding. I decided hitting her was not the answer and started putting her outside instead. Then I enrolled in obedience classes and spend most my time with her. We do everything together. I have not hit her since that first month and things are going well, except I can not get her to stop antagonizing the cat. She is absolutely obsessed. My dog seems to want to do the right thing in all matters except the cat. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you Martha

A.	Use a drag line (18" to 3 ') attached to a prong collar on the dog. If you cannot get a hold of that short of a line then make it longer. EVERY time that you say "NO" and the dog continues to chase it MUST get a strong, strong, strong correction. The dog must respect your authority and pack position or it will not stop this behavior. If the corrections are not strong enough the dog will not respect the command. This is a very, very simple concept. Some people cannot correct hard enough to make their dog respect them. These are either soft temperamented people, or extremely hard temperamented dogs. These people should use electric collars or get rid of the dog. The collars work ALL of the time.

Q.	Hi I have a question for you. I have a 2 1/2 year old male neutered male german shepard/doberman mix dog that we have had for 3 months. We had two cats one that had kittens shortly after the dog arrived consequently 2 kittens ended up getting their skulls crushed by this dog as they walked by one went by his food bowl and one went under the dogs legs after the dog and the mother cat got in a fight (the cat provoked it). He also growls if you approach his food bowl and guards it. He has snapped at my foot as I have walked by him while he had a treat and has growled as I tried to move him off the bed while he was lying beside "his favorite owner." My question is I am pregnant and have also gotten a pit bull/boxer mix puppy, which the older dog has attacked and would like to know the best route for this dog. Sincerely, Christel

A.	The best route for this dog is a new owner. One that understands or tries to understand what is going on in a dog’s head. You are making too many errors with this dog and unless you are prepared to make some changes you have created a disaster that is waiting to happen. I suggest you read my article titled Dealing With the Dominant Dog. You should have read my article on how to introduce dogs and cats. Had you introduced your pets properly you would probably not have had 2 dead kittens. You should approach the addition of this new dog in the same way as I explained to introduce cats. Just from your e-mail I can tell you that you are bringing these problems onto yourself. A dog SHOULD NEVER be allowed on the bed or even IN THE BEDROOM. This has nothing to do with fleas or dirt - it has everything to do with PACK DRIVE , RANK in the FAMILY PACK and DOMINANCE. Unless you are prepared to learn something about dog training my advice is to find new homes for both dogs. In my opinion you are putting your future child in danger. If you chose to keep these animals, at the very least you should get a prong collar and my training video Basic Dog Obedience. Read what I have to say about obedience training. I doubt that you have approached it in the manner I talk about.

Q.	I have a question. I got a new dog recently and he has been sweet to my cat. The cat on the other hand, strikes out and runs after him, attacking. The cat has lived with dogs before, and has always adjusted before, I think the cat is jealous of the dog since he is the new in the house. My dog has even got to the point where he cries if she hisses or growls at him they fight. The cat provokes it and seems happy when she gets him to fight back. I know part of it is the car wants to play, but is being very rough about it, and my dog would never hurt a fly. When the cat is not in an aggressive mood, she just walks by unfazed by him, maybe with a little hiss. I am worried that the cats behavior will cause him to dislike her, and never want to be friends with her. Yes, we do reprimand her (we do this 'sound' when she does a bad thing, and she knows what it means) when she picks fights but she does not really care.

A.	Cats need corrections just like dogs. I would put a number of cans around the house with rocks in them. When the cat does this I would be throwing these cans at it. I will guarantee you the cat will not like this. Spoiled cats are just as bad as spoiled dogs.

Q.	Mr. Leerburg, My dog, a German Shepherd/Greyhound female mix - age 4 is becoming more and more aggressive with my 4 house cats. We got this dog as a puppy and introduced her into our home which had 2 other female dogs and the 4 existing house cats. She used to fight with the other dogs and I had been advised that she was trying to be the top dog in the house. Unfortunately are other dogs have passed away. The attacks on the cats are unprovoked. This morning my dog came in the house, one of my cats was laying on a rug which the dog has never laid on and she attacked the cat viciously. They both ended up running outside where we were able to separate them. The cat hide in the backyard. After about 10 minutes I finally located the cat and the dog attacked her again. The cat only had minor physical injuries, but was very scared. This has happened before and the dog does not discriminate, she has attacked each of the cats. Do you have any suggestions for me. I can not leave the dog outside because she digs out and I am terrified of her attacking a person, which she has never done, but I fear if something is not done, this will be the next step. Thanks for your help. Cynthia

A.	This dog will probably never attack a person. People totally misunderstand animal aggression vs human aggression. It is two totally different things. The solution to this problem begins with you. If your dog was properly obedience trained it would respond to you when you said "NO!!!" - Because you can not control the dog this only means that you have failed in your responsibility to properly train your dog. I breed police dogs. When my dogs are properly trained they attack humans. A police dog is no different than your dog from the standpoint that it must learn to mind the pack leader (YOU). The reason my dogs mind is because they know the consequences of not minding. This means that if they do not respect me when I tell them NO - they get a severe correction. There is no gray area between NO and MAYBE NOT. No means NO and if a dog does not respect me when I tell it NO then I take the position of pack leader and I do what is necessary to get this dog's respect. How severe the correction is depends on the temperament of the dog. Some dogs (and I am sure yours is one of these) only require a leash correction with a prong collar or a correction with an electric collar. If my dog did not respond to me telling it to "leave it alone" it would get its ass kicked so bad that it would wonder what on earth it could do to not ever make this happen again. In other words, I do not fool around with dogs that do not respect the meaning of the word NO. This is YOUR MISTAKE not your dog's mistake. It is not that I blame you - people that are not professional dog trainers do not understand pack and rank drives in dogs. But if you expect to live with this dog you are going to have to make an effort to learn. If you would like to learn something about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. It sounds like you should consider and electric collar - the Dogtra model remote collar would be the best solution. You can find it in the list of training equipment on my web site.

Q.	Hello from Michigan. I am hoping you can answer a question for me. I have researched a lot of German shepherd information and recently purchased a female. I did not find your site until afterwards though, and I am hoping I am not sorry. I am so amazed and impressed with the information you make available. I will be ordering a video shortly. My question is, my female Sire: Addi von der Gundorfer Hohe and Bitch: Gini vom Merlin, is a very intelligent dog. But we do have a slight problem... Sash LOVES to kill cats. She seems to take great pleasure in it in fact. Is this normal? My obedience instructor says that is aggression. Do I have a problem? I really don't see it anywhere else. She is 8 months old, 65 lbs, and 23" at withers. I know you are very busy, but I'm looking for help. Thanks so much for your time. Teri

A.	Your obedience instructor needs to go back to school. Feel free to tell her I said this. Your dog kills cats because of prey drive, not aggression. Aggression has to do with protecting ones self. Prey drive has to do with chasing and killing things that run away. You correct this by teaching the dog that cats are no longer prey items. This is done with a shock collar and obedience training. When you use a shock collar for this the intensity of the shock is as high as it can go. This falls under the category of one or two good corrections are better than 1000 nagging corrections. Take the dog out on a long line in an area where there are cats. Watch the dog closely. The instant the dog goes for a cat, shock it. It's not necessary to say anything, in fact it's better not to. The dog must learn on it's own that cats are no longer fun to chase. We do not want the dog to think that you are part of this process. If it thinks that then it may think that it can get away with chasing a cat when you are not present. Whereas if you do this work without saying a word, it does not matter if you are there or not.

Q.	Dear Mr. Leerburg, I found your article on Introducing a dog and cat, but I need a little advice if possible. I have an 18 year old cat and last year we rescued a lovely golden lab/Husky puppy. She is now one years old. We have been working on training which has been very difficult because she came from a home where she was tied up and never shown any attention because she is too energetic and the child became afraid of her size and energy. So We have been trying to teach the basics and to show a lot of love and attention. For the last month or so she has been allowed in the house with us at night, and we have not really had any problems with the two (the cat just ignores her, unless she starts to get to active and then she wants to play) and she just lays down on her blanket and chews on her bone, Then the last two days, she has tried to attack the cat twice, luckily we were very close and we were able to avoid any problems and she is following every movement of the cat making me think that she is stalking the cat. We are both nervous now and we do not let her inside and this makes us feel bad because we liked to have her inside (especially since my husband works nights). I am asking you if you could recommend something that we could do as we do not want her to become jealous of the cat being indoors and her out. I hope that you can give us some advice as we do not want to alienate her for much longer causing more harm than good. Sincerely, Khrystina

A.	If you read my article you should know the answer – this process involves a dog crate. If the dog is in the crate it cannot attack the cat. Also if the dog is properly trained it will do a down stay on the rug when the cat is out (this is only after a month or so in the crate). This is a handler problem not a dog problem. If you would like to learn more about the principles of obedience training a dog, read the description for my Basic Dog Obedience video You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the steps of training a dog must go through before it can be considered fully trained. You can also read why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. Get this tape and a prong collar. If you do not have a prong, we also sell those on our web site. If you do not have experience with a prong collar I have written an article on my web site that explains how to fit a collar, and how to put it on.

Q.	Hello Mr Frawley, My name is Suzanne. I first of all wanted to tell you how much I really like your web site. It has been a tremendous help to me. I ordered your Basic Training DVD. I also followed your advice on one of your web pages and bought a Prong Collar, and also an Electric Shock Collar. The page of the most interest to me, is your page on "Introducing dogs into homes with cats". Our family includes 3 dogs: a Corgi, a Samoyed, and an Alaskan Malamute. We also have a full grown grouchy male cat, which my dogs have never harmed. Then we got 2 new kittens, and although our Corgi and Samoyed accepted them, our Malamute killed one of them. Our entire family, especially our children, was heart-broken and I was desperate. I turned to the Breeder that I bought our Malamute, Kodiak , from but she had no suggestions. Then I found your web site. I followed everything you said to do to the letter. And I have been experiencing a LOT of success with Kodiak. It's been only about a month so far. I only had to shock him ( which I hated to do, but felt I had to ) about 4 or 5 times. After that, he stopped snapping at or trying to bite the cats. He is still very supervised around the cats. He wears his prong collar and he's on a leash. He also wears his electric collar, although I haven't had to shock him in weeks. He is still in his muzzle. I don't yet trust him completely around the cats. Not at all. But I feel very hopeful. Like you said, it takes time and consistency. I'm sorry for all these details..........but I am really in need of some form of reassurance from you. On your web site, you said that training dogs is NOT breed specific, which really had me feeling very relieved. Then this morning I e-mailed the breeder that we bought Kodiak from, telling her about our good progress. She wrote me back quite upset that i would use a shock collar on my dog. She also said that you don't seem to know anything about Alaskan Malamutes, because they have a much stronger prey instinct that German Shepherds, and most other dogs. sigh. She also said that she strongly doubts that I will ever have total success with Kodiak and cats. She was also upset at me for "sending Kodiak mixed signals." Here's what I have done : When he only sniffs at the cats as they walk by, and then comes back to me submissively, placing his head on my lap, I praise him lavishly and give him a treat. I am trying to tell him how pleased I am with him for not snapping at the cats and for only sniffing them politely. The breeder is upset, telling me that I am sending him mixed signals, and confusing him, because of his natural instincts. PLEASE, PLEASE please, Mr. Frawley, could you possibly reply to this e-mail ? I am so hoping that you can offer me some sort of reassurance about this problem and some sort of hope. All our dogs and all our cats mean a lot to my me, my children and even my husband. I know I've made some mistakes as a dog owner, and hopefully you won't write me back telling me that I ought not to be one ! But, I'm honestly trying. Thanks in advance for your reply and your time. Sincerely, Suzanne

A.	I have bred over 350 litters of working bloodline GSD’s and produced training videos for 25 years. I have this saying: You need to be careful about who you listen to on training your dog. “Everyone has an opinion on how to train your dog – just ask your mailman, your neighbor, your hair dresser or barber, or your best friend – the problem is that very few people have the experience to back up their opinions which results in a lot of bad information being handed out”. Your breeder falls right into the middle of this category. Please send this on to her or him. Dog training is not breed specific – its temperament and drive specific. You have done the right thing. Put the shock collar on this dog and use it. Every time the dog even looks at a cat it should get a NICK – I am serious here – he is shocked for looking at the cat. Fact is you do not have to say anything when you do this. Just nick him. I have written about how to take 2 weeks of putting the collar on and taking it off 4 or 5 times a day – so the act of putting the collar on the dog means nothing to it - the collar going on cannot be a trigger in the dog's mind. Good luck

Question on Introducing Cats to Dogs: My husband recently rescued a puppy that looks to be mostly Golden Retriever. She is about 6 months old - they guess and weighs not quite 50 pounds. He has not been training her as well as he should - but I'm going to remedy that. He and I don't currently live together and until this week (I'm puppy sitting because he is out of town) I did not realize how well she wasn't trained (or rather how well my husband isn't trained). She may end up moving in with me so that she gets trained properly. During the week, we have made great progress. She is listening well and will stay for about a minute and is learning leave it - although leaving hot dog chunks is a bit tough for her still. On the flip side though - when my oldest cat ventured into the kitchen along with the puppy - leave it worked incredibly well. I managed to get her to sit, down and stay hoping the kitty would have a chance to sniff the puppy. The stay was short lived - but the leave it worked pretty well. She did end up chasing kitty down the hall - but the cat at least got a head start. My cats ( 8 and 9 years old and weigh about 8-9 pounds each) were raised with a Belgian Terv. They weren't afraid of dogs at all until my husbands Great Dane entered the picture. He had aggression issues and literally tried to eat them on numerous occasions. The kitties now are obviously a little scared of dogs. Our puppy is very playful. Her head will be down, butt up, tail wagging - but the cats just run and hide. One hasn't come out of my bedroom all week. I put up a baby gate so they could see the puppy and venture out if they wanted - but they really aren't. I have put the puppy in her crate and brought the kitties into the room so that they could sniff her - they just turn and run. Do I need to modify the puppy's behavior in any way so that the cats are more likely to come out of my room and investigate her? I love my cats, but I'm tired of their food being in there. The youngest of the cats would starve before coming out - the Dane picked on her more because she is so timid. I think the puppy just wants to play with them - her actions seem playful - I think. Its probably more of a cat issue - but I want to make sure that I do things right since they will eventually live together all the time. Thanks for the help! Katrina Answer: What happened with the Dane should NEVER have gotten to the extent that it did. That dog should have been dealt with severely for even looking at the cats, much less trying to eat them. The result of the Dane not being dealt with is a couple of cats with serious dog issues... would you want to go near something that had tried to eat you in the past?? This is not the cats' fault, yet they are the ones suffering. Sometimes cats and dogs just can't be together. If you don't like the cat food being in your room, find another room where the cats can feel safe away from the puppy. The puppy may not be aggressive, but the cats are gun shy. Even a bouncing puppy is threatening to them. They may come around, and they may not. Question on Introducing Cats to Dogs: I have a 3 yr old red-nose pit, and a 3 month old kitten. They play with each other and eat and drink out of each others dishes. What signs, if any, should I look out for if the dog gets angry at the cat? Is it a good idea to have them both in the same house? The pit snapped at the cat when my wife gave the kitten her plate to eat off of and the dog didn't like that one bit. Any advice will be appreciated. Answer: Food, toys and affection are triggers for a fight. DO NOT FEED THESE TWO TOGETHER - the dog will eventually kill the cat. ALWAYS pet the dog before you pet the cat. The dog must know it’s a higher member of the family pack. Comment on Introducing Cats to Dogs: Hi ED I read your "Introducing dogs into home with cats' report online and you supply excellent information for pet owners and animal lovers. But I am concerned about the foolishness of some cat owners who bring dogs into their cats' lives and make them miserable and put the cats' lives at risk in some occasions. One woman told you she brought a 2 and half old male German Shepard/Doberman mix into a house with cats and kittens. OMG! Reading that I wanted to scream! It's no wonder 2 of the kittens were killed by this dog. And another person wrote to you about how her 8 month old German Shepard has a slight problem of killing cats and enjoying doing so. Huh? Is this woman for real? Slight problem? It's sad she thinks her young dog killing lots of cats is a slight problem. When her dog kills the wrong person's cat it might be a big problem for her and the dog. She says her 8 month old female dog Sasha is already a cat killer and gets a thrill out of it? How would the dog's owner know that unless she's watching her young dog kill these cats or is siccing her dog on them? Her letter to you was very upsetting to me an avid animal and cat lover who is sick of cats being abused and targets for dogs and people. When that dog is 2 or 3 years old it might have killed 20 or 30 cats or more if it's already killed several by 8 months old. I don't really blame the dog for killing cats but I blame the dog owners for allowing it unless the cat comes in their yard and gets caught by the dog. I wonder if her dog is killing stray cats or pet cats. Sadly stray cats are seen as fair game by some people but when this dog kills many pet cats she has hurt many families and put the health of her own dog at risk for people who want revenge. I hope the owner gets a grip on this dog before it becomes serial cat killer and possibly attacks a child playing with a cat in their yard. That is a distinct possibility for a dog who has acquired a taste of killing cats and loves doing it. And I read online recently of a woman who had a Jack Russell Terrier and a couple of cats. She wanted a kitten and kept the kitten in the basement. But her JRT got into the basement and killed the kitten and she was all upset. But what did she think would happen when they were alone? I hate that cats and kittens are put at such risk by negligent dog owners like Sasha's owner. And then you have the cat owners who make the mistake of bringing a dog into a home with cats and kittens and not knowing how to introduce the dogs to the cats. Ed, I hope your advice reaches as many people as possible because so many pet owners need your advice because they are putting the welfare of their cats and kittens at risk by bringing a dog home and just thinking they will get along fine without the proper introduction. Keep up the good work. I like what I've read of your info online. I only wish you could get to these people before they turn their cats lives upside down. Scott Question on Introducing Cats to Dogs: Dear Ed, We have a cat that lives outdoors most of the year. When it is really cold we bring him in. Our 8-mo old GSD is always very interested in the cat, however the cat never lets her get to close. The cat is really the only thing the puppy will not pounce on. Tonight while the cat was in, the pup was tormenting him. I told puppy no twice, and then came up behind her to physically remove her from the area. I think I startled puppy, and she snapped at me. In that moment I wasn't real sure what to do, but I knew I had to let her know this was not permitted. (She has never done this, and is generally very obedient) I grabbed her by her Leerburg prong collar and took her to her crate. I know the crate is not supposed to be associated with punishment, but I really don't know what else I could have done. What would you say? Thanks for your input. Your website has been a great asset, and I really like Leerburg's products. Tami Answer: This is an owner mistake - you should be using a DOG CRATE - when the two get too wild - you pick up the pup and put it in his crate. You should be using the crate all the time - also putting the pup in the crate is not punishment, it’s the place you put him whenever you want and for whatever reason you want. Question on Introducing Cats to Dogs: Hi Mr. Frawley, I was just on your website and am very impressed with the breadth of your knowledge about dog training. I saw that people write to you with pet questions and concerns and I'm hoping you'll be kind enough to give me some advice. I have a 2 and 1/2 year old female Miniature Pinscher who is home alone all day while I'm at work. When I had more money, I used to send her to doggie daycare a few days a week, but these days I just can't afford it. I'm sure she misses the activity and companionship that she received in day care and she really loved the man who ran the business. I'd really like to get my dog some companionship and I was thinking about adopting an adult cat. My dog has stayed in other homes with cats before without any problems. However, she is used to being the queen of the castle in my apt. and is fairly jealous. If I stop by to visit her at her doggy daycare and I pet any other dogs, she tries to get in between me and the other dog and must have my attention immediately. My intention in adopting an older cat is to give a good home to a cat that may be harder to place and also so that the two animals can have companionship when I'm at work all day. My concern is my dog will be too jealous and feel displaced. Maybe she's fine and I'm just worrying too much about her. Her temperament hasn't really changed, but she does knock over the garbage can on nights when I get home a little later than usual. Any insight you can provide would really be appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help! Joanna Answer: It's a nice thought you have about rescuing an older cat. The only problem is that it is harder for an older cat to adjust to a dog. Kittens tend to spit and hiss for a while, but eventually learn to ignore the dog. An older cat has issues that you might not know about until you get it home, and then it is too late. My secretary tried to bring an older cat into her home with very "cat friendly" dogs, and it did not go well. The cat would actually attack the dogs (Labs) and urinate on their beds. She found the cat another home, and got a kitten. Question: Dear Sir, I would like to commend you on your excellent, informative website. I have studied your Q and A section and don’t think my question has been asked previously. If there is a similar one I apologize for the repetition. I am wondering if you could give me some advice to solve a problem we have with our jealous dog. The Dog, Ruben is a 6yo mongrel (probably kelpie / staffie cross). He was adopted from a shelter by my brother a few years ago. He is extremely well trained, adores people and knows his place at the bottom of the pecking order, (just above our cat). Sully our 3 yo cat is very playful and outgoing. The pets have been living in the same house for just over a year, and in general the dog simply ignores the cat and they live harmoniously, however we do have one problem. When the cat approaches people, particularly when he shows affection or wants to sit on someone’s lap, Ruben rushes over and tries herd the cat away from the person. He often puts his head down and gives the cat a menacing look out of the corner of his eye. The cat then usually moves away to sit by himself, and the dog goes back to whatever he was doing. Sully (the cat) has leukemia, so I would like to stop Rubens jealous behavior before Sully’s health declines, as at times when he is unwell the bullying is too much for him and he gets really down and reclusive. They are both lovely, smart, and otherwise extremely obedient pets. I would really appreciate any help you can give me. Thank you for your time. Bronwen Ed's Answer to the dog and cat problem This is the beginning signs of dominance. You should control how you pet your pets. Always pet the dog first - but make him sit or lay down before you pet it. Then pet the cat. If the dog tries to but in - PUSH THE DOG AWAY WITH A NO!!!! COMMAND. Make it clear that this is unacceptable behavior. When done petting the cat - call the dog to you (MAKE HIM DO SOMETHING -every dog needs to do something to earn praise) A dog that demands praise is a dominant dog. He is telling you to groom him and pretty soon he will DEMAND that you groom him if you don't nip it in the bud. The bottom line is this dog needs my Basic Dog Obedience Program because this is one of the beginning signs of dominance. Mr Leerburg Hello. We currently have a 3year old male, neutered bengal cat. He has quite a predatory nature. We have just introduced an 8week old cavalier king charles to the home. When we try to introduce the two the bengal tries to go for the puppy's neck and tries to put the neck in his mouth. As you can imagine it is pretty scary for us as we do not know how far the cat would take it if we were to allow it to continue, this I assure you we would not let happen. We never allow them to be together alone and at present we put them in two different rooms with a glass door in between so that they can get used to each other but I feel that this will not improve the situation. Can you please give us some advice as we are quite concerned to what the bengal might do. Regards Rebecca Hi, Just started poking around your site & wanted to let you know I plan to spend a lot more time there. I grew up with GSD's & in 1991, after I was married & out of the folks' house, we got our own GSD puppy. Back then it was still "yank & crank", but he still turned out to be a great dog. He passed on in 2003 from a rapidly growing tumor on his spleen and in 2004 we bought another GS pup. When I looked into training I found everything had switched to this "happy happy click click" method. I gave it a try & in some regards it's very nice, but not so effective when you have a biting puppy with a mouth like a steel trap or an adolescent dog who has discovered that it's fun to chase deer! Anyway.......... it's reassuring to see that there are professionals who believe in the middle ground. I'm sad to report that our 2004 pup, Otto, died in June at 17 months of age from mesenteric torsion - what a traumatic experience for all of us. The breeder "replaced" him with, Hauser, a completely unrelated pup out of all import lines & I can't believe the difference in the 2. This little fellow (almost 9 weeks old now) is going to be a lot more challenging for us and I'm sure I will be referring back to your site time & time again. Now for the question: We also have 2 small female cats who are 11 & 1/2 years old. In the 15 months Otto lived with us we failed to ever properly acquaint them. The cats are extremely shy & refused to be in the same room with him. The same is true with Hauser. Even if he's sound asleep they will run and hide if they realize he's anywhere near them. The cats are generally out all day & are called in each night before dark (yes, they are trained cats!). The puppy is only allowed in certain areas of the house but the cats have free run of the place. This situation frightens me as it will be only a matter of time before something really bad happens. Any suggestions? Even if I can't make the cats accept the puppy, he must learn in no uncertain terms that they are also part of his pack and absolutely off limits in terms of chasing & biting (or worse). But I don't want to create a situation that will make him jealous or resentful towards them. Help! Thanks much. Cathy Question: Dear Ed, My name is Geoff. I have a situation with my pets which is not good. I own a 4 year old Irish Setter (Jenny) I also own a 6 year old female cat named Buster and then there is Bennney a 3 year old Tom Cat. I had Benny neutered 3 months ago. Since then he has become a stay around the house cat, living outside and sleeps in our garage. He follows me everywhere. We are the best of friends. Like a little dog. Well today I brought home a new puppy ( Bucky) . A nine week old Weimaraner. Just adorable. Well I had Bucky on the lawn and was getting to know him when my tom cat Benney arrived. I was between them trying not to let Benney get too close. All of the sudden Benney side stepped me and took a swipe at the puppy, striking him on the ear. Then Benney just went nuts in aggression. On his next attack I was able to boot him out of the way. I looked back to grab the puppy and he was gone, running across the yard. Benney the tom cat was on him before I could get to him and rolled him. Puppy crying all the while. I finally grabbed the puppy and Benney attacked him in my arms. He missed him with his claws, but I received the scratches. Benney was so aggressive that he looked like a small Bobcat on the attack. I have never experienced behavior like this in all my years of owning dogs and cat. Before I had Bennney neutered, he ran the neighborhood and was gone days at a time. He would come in all beat up cut, scratched and bitten. This would happen time and time again. So needless to say his is a fighter. Could you please advise me on how to proceed with this transition. Any help would be most appreciated. I thank you, Sincerely, Geoff Ed's Comments: This is not a common situation. With this said it may be time to give this cat some crate time. He may not like it but tough!! If he is going to be an ass he will have to be controlled. The unfortunate thing is that this pup will probably always hate cats. Question: Hello again, Well, we have our Bichon now. Yesterday he arrived late in the day. The cat was in the back laundry room behind a glass door with blinds. The dog did eventually see the cat through the glass (while on his leash) and yup, he barked like crazy. We pulled him away from the door, told him to sit. When it was time for a walk, he barked at other dogs. He seems to get quite upset. My kids and I told him to SIT in a very firm voice, and he did, but it was a stressful experience. I was advised that spraying him directly in the face with a water bottle should work for this behavior. He obviously knows certain things, like sit, and he is otherwise a very calm dog. In the house he is quite cute and friendly and does not bark at all. I have read much of what you have written and I understand this is pack behavior. I have the water bottle ready and I am hopeful it will work. My 10 year old son and I had a long talk last night about the cat and that right now the important thing is making sure both animals are safe. And by the way, the dogs who are getting barked at do not bark back. It is a little embarrassing to have our dog so out of control in public. I am determined to fix this. Thanks for your excellent advise once again and I hope we'll have a better day today. We haven't even had him for 24 hours, so I think there is hope. Best, Alicia Ed's comment on new dog in home with cat You need to get a dog crate and use it. By not having a dog crate you only increase the problems you will have with your new dog. Question: Hello: I've adopted a four year old German Shepherd/Norwegian elkhound cross. She's a beautiful dog, attentive and obedient, a very good listener. One of the reasons I chose her is because I have cats and this dog, I was told at the shelter, is very good around cats. I have found this to be totally true; she doesn't lunge at the cats, is very calm around them and doesn't even pay them that much attention. The problem is not with the dog but with one of my cats. My two older females have already adjusted to her. One of them hisses at the dog a little but she does not seem too stressed and is already back into her regular routine of sleeping on the corner of the desk in my home office, while the dogs sleeps on her designated bed in the same room. My male cat on the other hand is showing an alarming amount of aggression. He is otherwise and has always been a very laid-back kind of guy but is not taking well to the dog. I'm having to keep them apart in the house. Do you have suggestions as to how to introduce them gradually to each other? I particularly don't want to have the dog experience a traumatic beginning in this house and would like this dog to have as positive as possible a transition into this household. Regards, Patricia Ed's Answer on a cat that is aggressive to dogs The training is the same for the cat. The cat needs to learn that the dog is now part of the home. If it gets aggressive it needs to be corrected - just like a dog is corrected. Question: Hello Mr. Frawley, I enjoyed your article and all the advice you've offered others. My girlfriend and I considering adding a former dog of mine, a 6-year-old female airedale-aussie mix, to our home where we've lived for about a year. Shortly after we moved in, we brought in a male cat that was rescued by a friend of animals (who had dogs in the house). The cat has grown to become a healthy 2-year-old. He is playful and friendly to people and has access to the whole house. The dog hasn't lived with me for at least three years, but remembers me. She has quite a bark and tends to bark at visitors loudly. Good watch dog. The dog was quite skittish as a youngster, and appeared to have suffered abuse as a pup. She was abandoned at a kennel so we (former girlfriend and myself) rescued her. The dog is better now that his current owner (former gf) added an electric collar to the training. My current girlfriend and I are comfortable with that. The dog seems much better balanced. Anyway, the dog's not aggressive, but is a medium sized animal with big feet. The cat growled quite a bit when they first met here at the house. We didn't correct the cat at the time. I suppose we will next time the dog visits. We typically squirt him with water. I'm hoping that works well enough. Or do you really like the cans with rocks in them? Also, and this is my key question, is house size an issue? Our house is small. The cat stays inside. We have about 895 square feet. Cutting the bedroom out of the dog's life is a significant thing... though I completely agree with your reasoning. But it's just about the biggest room in the house. The yard is 2/3 an acre and plenty for a good run on a line. The cat sleeps on our bed when we're out, and occasionally on my girlfriend's feet. Would it work to keep the dog off the bed, but allow it into the bedroom? I'm basically concerned about space. Are dogs and cats harder to merge in a tiny house? I'm just terrified that we'll come home one day and find the cat dead. My girlfriend had to put down her last cat right before we moved, and that was terribly difficult on both of us. -Doug Ed's Answer on adding a dog back into the house with a cat: Doug, The size of the house is not important. How you choose to live with this dog is very important. Read the article I wrote on how to introduce a dog into a home with cats. You can find these if you go to the list of training articles and scroll down. I would never train a dog again without a remote collar. Once you learn the concept of low level stimulation training you will understand why I say this. Here is a DVD I just finished last fall on that subject. If you are serious about making this thing work, Start this dog at the very beginning of training. Assume it knows NOTHING and start again. When I get a fully trained import from Europe I take that approach. Then the dog learns what I expect - the training goes fast but the foundation is there between me and the dog. My Basic Dog Obedience DVD covers that. Here are some articles you should study: You should read the article I wrote on GROUND WORK TO BECOMING A PACK LEADER. This is how I would handle the dog with the cat when the dog is not in a crate. I would recommend that you read the article I wrote titled THE THEORY OF CORRECTIONS IN DOG TRAINING Also read: Training with Markers Question: Good morning- I am hooked on your website that I just learned of last week. I have a good question. I have a 5 year old German Shepherd/Border collie and (2) cats (all rescued). They get along fine. Lived together here for the last (two+ years together). We just adopted a German Shepherd (possibly Chow, etc. MIX at almost 4 months and doing pretty good BUT he wants to chase the cats and they are pretty terrified until they don't hear him trotting around. Do you have any advise or videos/dvd's on this particular issue? I figured if my dog can accept (2) cats and it's a "dream" relationship, a puppy would be easier, dumb mistake. Do you think I can make this work or was this a BIG mistake? He really is a smartie. Not to mention adorable. Trouble is I am not a great trainer. I just want them all to get along. Would appreciate any feedback. Thanks so much. Judy Ed's Answer: Yep – a big mistake. You are not handling this situation correctly. I wrote an article on how to introduce a dog into a home with cats. You can find the list of 300 or so training article I have written. I also wrote an article titled THE GROUND WORK TO BECOMING YOUR PUPPIES PACK LEADER . If this were my pup it would never be allowed around the older dog until I had it 100% obedience trained. If you cannot control the pup when it is loose (and the cats and other dog are put away) how do you think you are going to control it when the cats and other dog are out? I recommend that you get the 4 ½ hour DVD I did on my Basic Obedience program. You will probably find that you have not had the full picture on the training steps for training your dog. A dog must go through training steps before it can be considered fully trained. When you read the description of the DVD on my web site you will find out why I am not a fan of taking an untrained dog to obedience classes. No professional dog trainer would ever take his dog to an obedience class with 15 or 20 untrained dogs and try and train it there. Dogs cannot learn when faced with this kind of distraction. If you read the testimonials on my DVD you will see that my customers feel the same way. I also recommend that you read the article I recently wrote titled THE THEORY OF CORRECTIONS IN DOG TRAINING While obedience training is not the solution to all behavioral issues it most definitely is part of the solution for every single behavioral problem. QUESTION: I purchased a Belgian Malinois, Female, Age 4 in May of last year, after I was the victim of a violent home invasion. She is a great protector and stays right by my side. She will sit, stay, lay, heel from a distance, out on a bite suit(very well) she will retrieve like champ, she will refuse food from anyone but me, she dogs well with my kids and dogs. She will lay patiently by the door when someone knocks in a down stay, and is very attentive. She follows her guard command well, and her attack command also. She gets extremely excited to do these things........... So your wondering WHY I'm emailing you !!!!!!!!!! She will NOT ignore a cat for the love of God nor money, she can't do it. I have used the e-collar over and over, and I wish the cat could turn around and be about 20 foot tall and kick her tail ONCE, but we know that is not the case. Do you have any suggestions on working her with cats, or since she is very (cat & prey driven) is it hopeless? Thanks in advance for you expertise. ANSWER: Sounds like a nice dog. The dog needs correct use of the e-collar. It needs to be used at the highest setting and the dog needs to get stimulated for LOOKING at the cat – not chasing the cat. Use a crate for the cat in the living area. I assume you have a cat. The dog wears the collar during the day. We crate our cats at night. It comes down to a management issue. QUESTION: Hi Ed, I just read your eBook, "Introducing Dogs (or Puppies) into Homes with Cats," and had a question (or two). I have a cat, and am thinking of getting a puppy. I've been to the Humane Society a couple of times, and all the puppies tend to be lab mixes (which I think, from doing my research, are a relatively easy breed). I noticed the bulk of the article deals with adult dogs, rather than puppies. I'm considering a 2 month old. With a puppy, do you need to use the muzzle/prong collar? Also, when you refer to "strong correction," do you mean the electric collar? And is that okay for puppies too? I am a bit worried because my cat tends to run down our long hallway...will a puppy go after her? Growing up, I had a dog and cat that peacefully co-existed, however, my dad did all the training. Sorry, after reading all of those emails/letters about people's dogs killing their cat has me a bit freaked! Thanks, Susan ANSWER: Typically, when introducing a puppy to a cat it’s the PUPPY that is danger of being hurt (i.e. scratched in the eye). Cats usually hold their own pretty well. We don’t advocate letting puppies have free run of the house, they are either in a crate or on leash attached to you at all times. This controls everything so you can allow the cat to become adjusted to the puppy safely. With puppies we don’t typically have to use strong corrections like we would with an adult dog that may want to harm the cat. Puppies usually just are curious and want to play, but will chase a running cat because of their prey drive. I would recommend you purchase the DVD titled Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Months. Ed has owned and trained German Shepherds for 45 years. In the past 30 years we have bred over 350 litters of working bloodline German Shepherds. We give this video to all of our puppy customers and we never get questions on how to raise a pup. Read the description of this puppy DVD on my web site. Dog training is not rocket science it's simple common sense ideas on how to handle and train a dog, The DVD has 2 ½ hours of training information along with 15 puppy training articles that I have written. You should also consider the 4 hour DVD on Basic Dog Obedience. The fact is you have much more to learn than your dog. I recommend the handlers start studying this DVD right away even though you won’t use some of this training material for several months (usually not until the pup is 4 to 6 months old). I also recommend that you go to the web site and read the article on “Ed’s Philosophy of Dog Training.” I believe you will not only learn something about dog training, I hope you will also adopt the same philosophy on dog training. You should also read the article on Puppy Groundwork. Good for you to do your research BEFORE getting a puppy! More people need to take that approach. Question: Dear Mr. Frawley, I am working on introducing a new dog to my two cats. I am following the instructions in your article on this subject. This dog is 1.5 yrs. Golden Retriever mix, adoption return after the couple had a baby. Supposedly he has been around cats since he was a puppy. We are on the beginning steps of dog in crate while cats are in the room. Things appear to be going well. He does not bark or whine at the cats and I am able to easily distract his attention from them. Here's my question: After the cats are removed to a safe room and the dog is let out of the crate, he runs around the house searching for them. Should I be concerned about this behavior, and if so, what should I be doing to correct it? Thank you for your time. Patti ANSWER When your new dog is not in the crate, he should be on a leash. I would not let this dog loose in my house for any reason right now, and I would certainly not allow him to hunt for the cats. This dog needs structure and leadership. Please read this article about becoming an effective pack leader. The first sentence in this article says it all: You can feed water and love your dog and he will like you but he very well may not respect you. 99% of all behavioral problems are a result of dogs not respecting their owners. This happens as a result of poor handling and/or poor training. This article was written for people like yourself, people who have great intentions but not enough knowledge of pack structure.. There are links within the article that will take you to other articles on my web site. At the end of the article I tell people that I wish I had time to train them through emails but I don't. Go to the web site and read articles I have written, buy some of the training videos. We have been doing them since 1980. Go to the web discussion board and read the archives of the board. There is a great deal of information here and I make sure it is valid information. This board has almost 6,000 registered dog members like your self. Use the search engine on the web site (it's on the tool bar on the left side of my web page) I hope this helps. Question: Hi I have 2 cats, one(kitkat) which is 2 years old, and was rescued at the age of 6 months. I have my 3year old tom cat (chase) which I bought at the shelter as a 2month kitty. I love my cats dearly, with all my heart, but I am tired of them being cats (heh) I want a dogs attention too. I have been seriously talking to my bf to buy an English bull dog puppy around 2 months. I am proud to say that I am an animal saver, I rescue cats and dogs. I have brought other small kittens to the apartment for food. My cats go BONKERS!! They both hiss and growl, so I just lock the small kitten in my room, and give away. I want that puppy so bad, but I do not want to get rid of my cats. Please help. What do you think, is it possible to get my cats to accept the new soon to be family member? I have to say that chase is not the nicest cat in the world. He is very spoiled, and at times I have to say is pretty stupid, I do get scared, because when I get mad at him he comes at me. I know in my part that it is very stupid. I am the only person he goes after, when he is in trouble. They are both afraid of children. They have grown up in a quiet house, can they handle a pup. Please answer as soon as possible. I really want to have that puppy. Is it possible to train them to love each other? Thanks Samantha Answer: I wouldn’t count on them loving each other, but they can be taught to live in harmony if you do your part correctly. This is all a matter of managing your “pack.” I would first read this article about how to treat your new puppy. We also have an article about dogs being introduced to cats. I would get some DVDs before you even bring the puppy home and study them. I would recommend you purchase the DVD titled Your Puppy 8 Weeks to 8 Month. There is also a house training eBook you can get along with the DVD that is very helpful. Ed has owned and trained German Shepherds for 45 years. In the past 30 years we have bred over 350 litters of working bloodline German Shepherds. We give this video to all of our puppy customers and we never get questions on how to raise a pup. Read the description of this puppy DVD on my web site. Dog training is not rocket science its simple common sense ideas on how to handle and train a dog. The DVD has over 3 hours of training information along with 15 puppy training articles that I have written. You should also consider the 4 hour DVD on Basic Dog Obedience. The fact is you have much more to learn than your dog. I recommend the handlers start studying this DVD right away even though you won’t use some of this training material for several months (usually not until the pup is 4 to 6 months old). I also recommend that you go to the web site and read the article on “Ed’s Philosophy of Dog Training.” I believe you will not only learn something about dog training, I hope you will also adopt the same philosophy on dog training. I hope this helps. Question: Hello, So it looks like I have the opposite problem of most of your readers. My husband and I just adopted a 9 month old mastiff-shepherd mix. She is extremely skittish and submissive. So far, the dog barely allows us to get near her. The foster owner of the dog also took care of 20 foster cats. When we adopted the dog, the foster parent assured us that she was used to cats (which she is). Here is the problem: We have two cats. One cat has lived with a dog before and is already relatively used to the dog. She eats very quickly and then hides all day. We're not sure how she is using the bathroom! We've had her since she was a baby and she's never spitefully soiled our stuff, so we're just worried that she is holding everything in. So how do you recommend introducing the dog to the scared cat? The dog is very submissive so I am not worried about any aggression. However, the cat is so scared, I am fearful of forcing an introduction but I think it's important to have them meet so she can get over her fear. Please help! Thanks, Bess Answer: Having owned lots of cats in my life, I think the key is to let the cat do things at her own pace. Don’t actually try to introduce them, let the cat make more contact as she feels more comfortable. I have successfully added wild cats that hated dogs to our family, but I never actually tried to force anything. Let the cat do things her way and make sure she has places where she can get away from the dog and places where she can watch the dog from either up high or from a crate. Your cat has to feel safe first, so don’t rush this. There is no reason to be in a hurry to do this. Question: Please please help me, I have just got myself a lovely little yorkshire terrier. She is just over 1 year, yes I did the wrong thing and brought her straight into the house where I already have a cat. The cat is a female, she is about 4 years and been neutered. The cat hates the dog. My dog is going to be spayed at the end of the month. I am hoping this will settle her a little towards the cat. We have a gate up on the front room so the cat can come and go as she pleases in the rest of the house. I don't want to crate the dog as it distresses her so much. Could you give me any advise ? Kaye Answer: This is 100% a owner problem and not a dog cat problem. 1 - Neutering at this age (1 year) will not change one single thing. Any Vet that tells you differently is more interested in my money than good medicine. It is too late to change aggression. 2 – If you not willing to crate train this dog then you may as well find new home for it because you are in for nothing but problems. The cat is only the first. 3- You need to develop a pack leaders mentality and not anthropomorphize this dog. Which is what you are doing. 4- The same thing goes for the cat – it either needs to be in a crate or in a separate room with a litter box. These animals need to learn that the other animal is now part of their new home. They also need to learn that unwarranted aggression is not going to be tolerated. That comes from a pack leader. There are no short cuts to this (IE neutering – that’s a hope and a prayer and it doesn’t work) You need to educate yourself and make this work or give the dog back. If you want to learn here are the dvds to teach you: Establishing Pack Structure With the Family Dog Basic Dog Obedience You should get the ebook I wrote titled COMMON SENSE SOLUTION TO HOUSE TRAINING. The thing is this – many many people like yourself are not willing to accept the fact that dogs will raise hell when you put them in the crate. That’s not a dog problem it’s a people problem. With time they accept the crate as “THEIR SPOT” its often where they go to sleep because they know no one will step on them or bother them. It should also be where they are fed. So this is up to you – you are not going to re-invent the wheel ion dog training just because you have issues with crate training. Kind Regards, Ed Frawley Question: Hi, I just adopted an intact 5-yr old male German Shep who, I'm told, is Level 3 Schutzhund-trained. He's been retired due to an injury. I am having him neutered in the next 2 weeks. I am having a problem introducing him to my cats, as he is fairly aggressive toward them. Can you recommend a training video or other anything else, that can help me with this? I am reluctant to use shock collars and other extreme measures. My goal is to get him to be friendly with the cats, not fearful of them. Is this even doable? Thanks. Michele Answer: I wrote an article on my web site about how to introduce new dogs into a home with cats. This is s a start. When I purchase new adult dogs – no matter how much training they have I need to establish rank and pack order. I want to do this without conflict and stress. I teach people who to do this in my dvd - Establishing Pack Structure with the Family Dog. During the pack structure program I introduce Marker Training to the dog. This is also a non-conflict methods of working with a dog. But with this said I always finish a dog with a remote collar. It provides a level of off leash control that is impossible any other way. The key to this work is learning to lose low level stimulation – levels that you and I may not even feel. I introduce people to this in my remote collar dvd. We recommend and use Dogtra 280ncp collars. I hope this helps. Kind Regards, Ed Frawley Question: Dear Cindy, First of all, I want to say thank you to yourself and Ed for providing so much help to dog owners. Your dedication and the products and services you provide are priceless. My fiance and I are the proud owners of a one-year-old German Shepherd named Maxwell. We've gone through pack training and training basics with your DVDs and have the e-collar one as well. We've had Max since he was eight-weeks old and he really is becoming a fabulous dog. One of our largest challenges has been playing referee between Max and my fiance's two cats. He simply will not learn to leave them alone. Small little things that run and our gigantic shepherd with a fairly active prey drive just aren't a good mix. That being said, it's gotten to a fairly livable set up. He knows to 'leave it' when we say so, and will obey our "here" and "place" and "crate" commands, so for now things are fine, it's just something to improve on a little every day. Still, he seems a little stressed about them and wonders where they fall in the pack order, hence the constant testing. But, in a few months, I'll be moving in to his house and bringing my cat, Eliot, with me. So not only will we be introducing cats, we'll be introducing a new cat to our energetic juvenile dog with an active prey drive. Every thing I've read on your web site is about introducing a new dog to a house hold with cats, but nothing about introducing a new cat. I was wondering if you had any suggestions for this introduction. Since we have a few months I was wondering if bringing the cat over for brief visits and letting them all get acclimated a little at a time would be a good idea? Or would it be counter productive to bring the new family member in then remove it repeatedly? Eliot grew up with a dog for his first year or two, but it was an older, lazy beagle. I really would love for Eliot and Max to be friends. So other than isolating him in a room, scent sharing, removing the other pets, letting him explore at his own pace, and the feeding at the door so they're friendly thing, any other suggestions for me? Thanks in advance for your advice. We could really use your help! Valerie Answer: I use the crate when introducing cats to dogs. I wouldn’t take the cat back and forth until you are ready to move in. I set up a big crate for the cat, up on a table or somewhere that the dogs can’t crowd around it whenever they want and let the cat get used to the dogs that way. I’ve successfully introduced adult “dog haters” to dogs this way with success. It can take a long time to get a cat to be relaxed around a dog, but if you just let things move at their own pace it will happen. The cat should have his food, water and litter in the crate. You may want to get your cat used to a crate before you move, that would make it a place of safety and comfort for him. I’d crate the cat when the dog is loose, and then crate the dog when the cat gets his free time. Cindy Thank You: Hi, I recently adopted a German Short Haired Pointer (Daisy). Your article on cat introductions was very helpful. When I decided to bring Daisy home I was told that she would eat my cat(Irish), I would regret getting her, and that I would have to take her back to the shelter etc... I followed your instructions almost to the letter, and the introduction went wonderfully. They will never be best buddies but, nobody has been eaten!! Mollie Question: I have a couple of questions about dogs and house cats: You recommend to nick the dog for even looking at the cat. Where would that level of correction fall? It seems like a working level nick would just stimulate a high drive dog to act on it's thoughts. But a high level seems unfair. I have used the highest level on my e-collar to end my dog's desire to chase and kill my cats. I have not corrected her for looking at the cats, only for lunging and although she can be in a room with the cats, I still would not trust her without backup (a long-line and e- collar). If they pop her for any reason, she flies into attack mode. If the purpose of nicking the dog for even looking is total avoidance, would this cause problems down the line if the cat approaches the dog, like fear (and possibly therefore a new motivation for aggression towards cats)? Also, I guess this rules out the possibility of such a dog ever becoming "friends" with cats? Thanks for the advice, Loren Answer: I haven't found that correcting a dog for looking at a cat to cause fear. I am not OVER correcting the dog, and I have a good level of communication with my dog and he's fluent with the collar so the worries you have don't manifest as the problems you are concerned about. I suppose if you just slap an ecollar on a dog and start pushing the button with no foundation that you could cause some problems. Personally, I don't see any need for a dog to be "friends" with a cat or dog or any other animal. Some dogs can be friendly with others, but dogs that have shown me that they want to lunge and chase and kill small animals are not candidates for this. I want my dog to be clear with my leadership and to be indifferent to potential distracters no matter what they may be. When I am dealing with a cat chasing dog, I also correct my cats for behavior I don't allow as well. I don't allow my cats (we have 6 of them) to get in my dog's space, or do those little "run bys" to try to taunt them. Cats can follow pack order too. I may use a squirt gun or whatever I need to in order to enforce this. My dog sees that I am completely running the show, and keeping the cats out of the immediate area and this counts for a lot from the dog's point of view. Cindy Question: Hi Ed, We adopted a 6-7 year old boxer/bull mastiff mix from a rescue organization two weeks ago. I bought your Ground Work and Basic Obedience DVDs, and I've been working through the groundwork program with him. This is the first dog that I've owned as an adult. I kept him in a crate 24/7 for the first week (with the exception of a couple of hour long walks), and he's been on leash in the house for the past week. He has not shown any signs of aggression towards our cat until yesterday, and in general, he's been a very easy dog to work with (no pulling on the leash, no house training problems, no excessive barking, no handler aggression). I feed our dog once in the morning, and he doesn't get fed for the rest of the day. After my wife and I got home last night, she fed our cat, and then we sat down to eat. Our dog was acting a bit agitated, but he eventually settled down and went to lie down in his place on the carpet. After we finished dinner and cleaned up, the dog was still lying in his place while we were watching TV. Our cat entered the room, sat down about ten feet from the dog, and hissed at him (as she normally does). The dog got up, walked directly towards her, and lunged at her with his jaws wide open-- no barking or growling or any other warning signals. Luckily, we were able to restrain him with the leash before he could do any damage. We were unable to give him a very strong correction because he was wearing a flat collar, and he's not a very soft dog. I read your article on introducing dogs to cats, but I'm not sure where to go from here. I'm reluctant to muzzle him because he's slobbers, breathes with his mouth open, and likes to clean himself. An electric collar seems like a good solution, but they are quite expensive. Do you think we can get the same results by issuing a strong leash correction with a prong collar if he ever goes after the cat again? What might explain why he went after the cat when she was sitting there? Is it a pack dominance issue? Should we not feed the cat in front of him? This dog has regularly been in close proximity to our cat (1-2 feet) without paying any attention to her up until this point. I can't quite figure out why he decided to go after her last night. Thanks for your help, Thomas Answer: Well the good thing is that you had the leash on. Hands down the easiest way to solve this problem is with vigilant consistent handling of the dog and controlling the environment for both of these animals. We have 5 cats (in our offices and kennel) cats will screw with a dogs head – so they can be instigators. I would feed the cat in a different room. The dog would not be lose when the cat is being fed – crate it. The quickest solution is a remote collar. My own personal dog has a fascination with our cats. They drive him crazy – its his prey drive. I control it with my remote. He gets nicked for even looking at one of the cats. We don’t wait until he is chasing – the correct timing is when he looks at the cat. Bottom line is a remote is the greatest training tool there is. Once you learn how to use it (my DVD is Remote Collar Training for the Pet Owner) you will have off leash control that you never would have without a collar. I know they are not cheap – but what would one trip to the Vet cost with an injured cat? A collar would probably be ½ that amount. Cindy and I both use a Dogtra 280ncp remote collar when we train our dogs. This collar has a very small receiver (on the dogs neck) in addition to a digital readout on the transmitter. This is critical in fine tuning the low level stimulation we use in the training. In the mean time – this dog needs to be back in the crate. Get a prong collar and put it on and take if off around crate time. Watch my streaming videos – they will help you too. Muzzles are not the solution. They only cover the problem – they fix nothing. Regards, Ed Frawley Question: Dear Ed, I have a rescue dog (I believe she is a German shepherd X blue heeler), whom I am trying to teach not to chase cats. We do not have a cat, so my opportunities to correct the behavior are very sporadic and difficult to control. She is approximately two years old, and I’ve had her for a year. I’ve used a positive reinforcement training approach to teaching basic behaviors in the past. I recently purchased your e-collar training video because I came to the conclusion that cookies are just not going to trump kitties, ever. And I want to correct this behavior before she chases a cat into the street and gets hit by a car, or gets shot (the police shoot residential area dogs in MT). We are currently enforcing not being off-leash except in controlled areas (=where I have been able to ensure that no felines are present). However, she has had the opportunity to chase and tree a number of cats. My questions for you are 1) will I be able to correct the behavior now that she has had a taste of chasing? And 2) do you recommend any other videos you produce to help me sort this out? Thank you for your time, Julie Answer: Julie, You are 100% correct that the only way to deal with this is with a remote collar. Cindy and I both use a Dogtra 280ncp remote collar when we train our dogs. This collar has a very small receiver (on the dogs neck) in addition to a digital readout on the transmitter. This is critical in fine tuning the low level stimulation we use in the training. There are a ton of junk collars on the market – Most not worth a plug cent. The concept is to extinguish this behavior. That is not done with low level stimulation. Its done with the highest level of stimulation that the collar has and then when the behavior is extinguished you can back off to much lower levels. The way this is done is to stimulate the dog for just looking at a cat – you don’t wait for the chase – you stimulate for the LOOK. When you do this a number of times you will find the dog will look away from a cat when it is in the presence of it. The thing is you will NEVER be able to take this dog out without a collar on. You may get to the point where you don’t use it but once a month or so but you will ALWAYS NEED TO HAVE IT ON THE DOG as a backup “JUST IN CASE” scenario. I compare it to a police officer carrying his weapon. He seldom uses it but it is always there in case its needed. Those people who think they use a remote and come to the point where the dog is trained and they don’t need it quickly find out they were drop dead wrong. So get your home set up so that the collar is on a charger all the time it’s not on the dog. Keep it close to the point where you go outside. Teach the collar going on with markers (food rewards). Do this a lot. We keep a bowl of treats by the collars – when the collar goes on the dog always gets a reward for sitting quietly. You may want to consider the DVDs I am doing with Michael Ellis. Go to the free streaming video section on my web site and listen to the 7 part lecture from Michael on his system of training. Regards, Ed Frawley
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