Introducing Dogs (or Puppies)
Into Homes With Cats
DVDs to help in this training process
Read
this article as a FREE eBook
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:
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.
Fred 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.
DVDs
That May be Needed for Training
Question on Dog That Kills Cats:
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???
Ed's Answer About Dog That Kills Cats:
OH PLEASE DON'T HUMOR ME WITH YOUR STUPIDITY!
What part of common sense did you miss!!!
Question On Dog That Chases Cat:
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
Answer to Dog Chasing Cat:
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.
Question on Introducing Cats to Dogs:
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
Ed's Comments on Cats and Dogs:
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.
Question on Introducing Cats to Dogs:
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
Answer:
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.
Question on Introducing Cats to Dogs:
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
Answer:
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.
Question on Introducing Cats to Dogs:
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.
Answer:
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.
Question on Introducing Cats to Dogs:
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
Answer:
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.
Question on Introducing Cats to Dogs:
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
Answer:
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.
Question on Introducing Cats to
Dogs:
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
Answer:
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.
To Top
Question on Introducing Cats to Dogs:
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
Answer:
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
To Top
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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