I have a 14 month old female Dobe named Grace. I rescued her when she was 8 weeks old and she has grown up in a home with one other dog (recently passed) as well as one indoor cat and one outdoor cat.
We live in a fairly densely populated neighborhood, so when we go on neighborhood walks, there is always a lot of activity - people, bikes, kids, dogs, and...cats. I would say that starting about 5 months ago, she really started noticing the neighborhood cats and gets very agitated - actually, somewhat out of her mind! She looks down driveways and walkways, because she knows they often come down those paths. I know where certain cats live and always try and anticipate (while remaining calm) so that I can get Grace's focus before we get to the cat. Sometimes we are able to walk past fairly successfully, but often times, she focuses away from me and onto the cat.

However, there are plenty of times when the cats appear out of nowhere, and then she just goes nuts. There are actually two "attack cats" in our neighborhood - one actually pursues and chases and stalks dogs down the street! So, on two occassions, cats have come out after Grace and her response is to puppy yelp, put her tail between her legs, and try to retreat. One time, she did start barking at the end of the incident - it was a bark telling the cat to leave her alone, not aggressive.

I have tried to correct her with a "fooey" command (her command to stop this behavior NOW) and leash corrections, but it seems that even after fairly hard corrections, I release and she goes right back to being crazed by the cat.

Now to back track a bit...(sorry this is so lengthy, but you'll see why I am a little uncertain of how to proceed)
Ever since she was a puppy, she has tried to play with our indoor cat, but the cat really doesn't want to play. The cat stands her ground, even taunts a bit at times, but also moves about very carefully when she knows Grace is in a more alert and playful mood. Grace pushes chew toys to her to engage her, and pretty much engages in the same behaviours that she does when she wants a dog to play with her. Unfortunately, when the cat runs, Grace wants to chase her - and that's when I am unsure of whether it is playful and preyful. When I see that she is starting to focus on the cat, I try and correct her with a "fooey" and to pull her focus away fromt the cat. However, I can't do it 100% of the time due to the fact that all of us move about the house differently (though I do try and keep Grace near me).

Our outdoor cat (a feral that adopted us and that has become more friendly and sociable with us than our indoor cat) often sits on a chair outside our back door. She and Grace nuzzle, sniff, etc. The cat will roll over on her back and paw at Grace's nose and Grace will sneeze, wag her tail, nuzzle more, etc. The cat purrs, etc. But, again, if the cat runs, Grace chases.

Our trainer has suggested we continue with trying to keep her focusing on either of us (with voice, food, etc.) and, if necessary, the more harsh leash corrections (a little tug does nothing, she can be tough when she's in her agitated state) while we are on walks, etc.

I am wondering if a remote collar might be a better option to use both on walks as well as in the house with our cat (when Grace starts fixating) to keep the correction consistent for all of the cat situations. Even if some of her interaction with our indoor cat is playful, is it better to just discontinue it all together through corrections?

Any suggestions? Thanks, for reading all of my details, etc.

 Quote: jenny martinwong

However, there are plenty of times when the cats appear out of nowhere, and then she just goes nuts. There are actually two "attack cats" in our neighborhood - one actually pursues and chases and stalks dogs down the street! So, on two occassions, cats have come out after Grace and her response is to puppy yelp, put her tail between her legs, and try to retreat. One time, she did start barking at the end of the incident - it was a bark telling the cat to leave her alone, not aggressive.

Sounds like the dog learned from a young age that unfamiliar cats can be a threat and that the best defense is a good offense.

what did you do when the cat came after your dog?

One thing i can say from experience is that it is best especially with an e-collar to give the dog a behavior to do and correct them for braking it, instead of trying to correct them for being fixated. If you stim your dog while they are dialed in on a perceived threat there is a good chance they will think it came from the threat and make matters worse.

"Leave it"
"watch"
"Heel" (focused)

are all incompatible with the problem behavior. The trick is to catch it early and not let them fail. My dogs can become fixated on dogs running the fences and otherwise out of control... if i see it first i make sure to tell them to heel and correct them looking away from me as we pass by the distraction. with lots of praise and rewards for making the right choices you shouldn't have to correct much.

Spray Shield is a product i just heard of that i'm ordering that is a non-harmful animal deterrent that sprays a 10 ft. citronella spray that most animals find offensive. It was recommended to me to deal with loose dogs that i have had problems with in my area. it allows you to show your dog your in control of the situation and you are able to protect him while remaining calm. if you try to chase the cat away there is a good your dog will take that as a Que to attack the cat.

Just my two cents, there are more qualified people to answer your question.

Good luck

Rob

Robert has made some good suggestions.

In addition, I'll add my own two cents worth.

Dogs need things to be very black and white, and very consistent. Either it's OK for them to mess with kitties, or it ain't. You can't expect your very young dog to be able to understand that it's OK to try to engage your indoor cat in play sometimes, but not others.

Whether it's from prey or play is irrelevant (and it's all from prey anyway, once your cat is moving). It's either allowed or not.

So, if you really want to get a handle on this, you've gotta work hard on your leave it command, and simply not allow your dog to try to engage with the cats. That will mean close supervision, and that may mean tethering, etc. Whatever it takes. But, unless you define cats as off limits, you're going to continue to have a hard time with this.

Also, on walks, be vigilant and protect your dog from the attack cats. Keep all of them away from her.

leih

Attack cats!!!????
Feed them a goldfish.

 Quote: randy allen

Attack cats!!!????
Feed them a goldfish.

And then dig the appropriately sized hole.

Thank you, for your suggestions and advice.

When we came across the first attack cat we tried to just continue walking. It was a somewhat difficult situation, because the cat jumped out of the bushes and it was dark. We tried to stay calm and get Grace focused on us, etc. It was a similar situation with the second cat, but it was during the day. Grace was a few months older then, so she was standing her ground more that the first go around.

We haven't tried the e-collar for the cat situation, yet, but your suggestions make sense should we go that route.

I also appreciate your advice about the spray. Grace is let confident lately when she is just with me as opposed to being with my husband, my husband and me, or when she hikes with a group of dogs and their respective owners. The spray would be great for the situations you mentioned - both to protect her and to show her I am strong enough to protect her.

Again, thanks, for the advice.

Best,

Jenny & Grace

Thank you, for your input. I have considered your suggestion of keeping all cats off limits, except that when she isn't in a playful mood, they will often lay right next to each other in the sun and coexist just fine. I'm not sure she actually considers our cats the same as the cats we come across on our walks. Her demeanor is completely different...I may not have explained that clearly in my original email. I guess I figured that she has been conditioned with our cats since she came into our home. I do understand what you're suggesting...and we do call her off - fairly - successfully when she does start to get playful. It will just take repeatedly doing this, I would imagine.
As far as the attack cats go, I do avoid them altogether. I actually didn't know the one was still alive. We hadn't seen it for nearly a year (we had two other dogs prior to Grace that just passed in the last year, so that's how we knew of the cat). And the second one we have avoided ever since we found out where she lived. I am going to take the suggestion of the citronella spray as a back up.

Thanks, again.

Yes, the idea of attack cats sounds crazy, but these two cats were bad asses! The one - that we thought had died - has a reputation all over the neighborhood....I am sure all of the dogs that have come across him have had nightmares!

Thanks, all of you for the suggestions...I had one other related question, as I have been watching some of Ed's DVDs and incorporating what I am learning into our training, routines, etc. In the Teaching Your Dog with Markers DVD, he lists cat aggression as one of the behaviors that needs to be extinguished - even if it means using corrections when markers don't work.
I am wondering what he would suggest for corrections - ecollar, dominant dog collar, etc. for our situation. She is a tough cookie is certain situations - a little tug on the leash is not going to do it....

I wouldn't debate the issue with myself or anyone else.

If I have some animal coming out and attacking me or mine on neutral territory, that animal isn't long for this world. If my dog doesn't do the job, I will.