Work On Scent Swapping
While the kitten and dog are living in separate parts of the house, be sure you swap out their sleeping spaces every few days.
You can simply put an old towel on the dog and cats favorite resting places to soak up scent , then switch them over. This is an important step because both dogs and cats are much more scent-focused than us humans!
It’s All About The Kitty
This training method is from your kitty’s perspective.
This is one situation where I think the solution should be looked at from your cat’s point of view.
Here’s why
Firstly, cats are more strung than most dogs.
They also have thresholds that they reach faster. And they can stay peeved for much longer sometimes even days.
Secondly, they experience negative situations, like being faced with a bouncing 4-month-old puppy, much more intensely than dogs do.
Lastly, cats move like 50 caliber bullets, even when they’re not trying to. And your German Shepherd is a herding dog.
So their instinct is to chase and pin down anything that moves at pace. And your kitty cat fits the bill there.
See how this can get messy very quickly? Even if your puppy is on a leash?
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Hello Madelyn,You can teach avoidance using an electric collar. This needs to be done on top of general obedience training also, with the help of a professional trainer who is extremely knowledgeable about e-collar training .Before starting any such training though I suggest having the dog evaluated for aggression based on your description. Aggression being present will effect how the training should be done and additional safety measures that should be taken during training.Check out James Penrith from TaketheLeadDogTraining on YouTube, and his livestock chasing videos where he teaches avoidance.https://youtu.be/CpdvFaXnvygI suggest finding a trainer who could do a safe version of this , modified to apply to the cat.Best of luck training,Caitlin Crittenden
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Hi there. This is a little tricky without me being able to ask follow up questions. So I will do my best.I have worked with a few pit bull’s who are extremely excitable. One of my concerns is that when they are at that level of intensity, it can quickly become out of control. What is unstable excitement can become aggression. It’s not as if he is excited/playful. He sounds excited/curious/hunting/unsure. In addition, the cat is behaving in a manner to protect herself. So if she were to lash out, he could potentially react in an extreme and negative way.I am going to assume your trainer is working on counter conditioning and teaching him how to respond positively, or focus on you when the cat is present. This type of behavior training does take some time, but it is the best route to go. And I do have faith that this can be turned around IF you have the time to wait on a behavior change. I usually say about 90 days with this type of stuff.His behavior is simply due to lack of socializing as a puppy. He probably never got to experience being around a cat, or a small animal. So he really doesn’t know what to with himself, or it.If you haven’t learned the command “leave it” yet, ask your trainer about that one.I hope I was able to give you some insight. Thank you for writing in.
The Come Sit Stay Methods Of Training Your Dog To Leave Cats Alone
The following methods aim toward a common objective, which is to replace the natural chasing behavior in a dog with a conditioned distraction response upon the dog seeing a cat. Were redirecting the undesirable hunting instinct with a more desirable dont-pay-attention-to-the-prey instinct because there is no gain in it, using commands and treats.
We will now use stern, consistent vocal commands, paired with alternate expectations of behavior fulfilled by a reward to condition the response were after in your dog. For instance, instead of embarking on the chase when your dog sees your cat, we are going to teach your dog to come to you or to sit or to stay on command, thus, to avoid the cat.
Read our article on how to train your dog at home to learn how to obedience train your pup to come, to sit, or to stay on command by you. It will need to know one of these obedience exercises well before you can teach your dog to leave the cat alone.
Allow your dog to be in the same room as your cat. Again, never allow it to initiate a chase. The thrill will make the situation worse. Just wait to when the dog begins to grow alert, showing interest for the cat. This is when you must act. The moment your pup shows interest in the cat, use a firm vocal command to get your poochs attention. Follow this real case scenario on how to train a dog not to chase cats. We start by you calling your dogs name.
Butch! you call. The dog readies to bark.
Butch! you firmly call again.
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How To Train A Dog Not To Chase Cats Even If It Only Wants To Play
Since cats wont appreciate dogs chasing them around the house, the backyard, or anywhere else, for that matter, its important to pay attention to the dogs impulse control and work on it. Obedience training would come quite useful in this situation, as we play a crucial role in this.
Basically, going against the playfulness of the dog is not easy, so we would have to rely on commands. Usually, the basic sit, stay, down, or leave it would work quite well and give the cat a bit of peace of mind.
Training For Dogs Using Rewards
A reward-based training program such as this will teach your dog to listen to you, provide him with alternative behaviors to perform, and exercise his brain. In summary, be consistent in training and reward appropriate behavior be persistent with removing your dog from the situation if hes behaving inappropriately and make sure your dogs social, physical and mental needs are being met. Finally, never leave your dog alone with the cat unsupervised, since behavior can never be guaranteed.
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Barriers Crates Gates & Leashes
We highly recommend you use crates and gates to create boundaries. Carlson Pet Products has several high-quality options, and they have sent several products to Lindsay and Remy to try at no cost.
- Supervise at all times when the dog is not crated
- Keep your new dog leashed in the house at first
- Gate off an area of your home with an extra tall baby gate that has a small cat door your dog doesnt fit through
- Create additional cat escape routes such as elevated cat walks on walls using floating shelves
- When you cant supervise, keep your cat in a dedicated, safe cat room that your dog doesnt have access to
- Crate your dog when youre not home or leave in a separate room.
- Have your dog wear a long leash inside your home before transitioning to off-leash
How To Train A German Shepherd To Like Cats
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Are German Shepherds good with Cats?
I get that question a lot!
And to be honest, almost any animal species can live in complete harmony with another. Just check out this cute video of an Orangutan and her Tiger cub babies!
Okay!
I know you’re not here to watch cute videos of Orangutans and Tiger cubs!
You’re here because you want to know how to train a German Shepherd to like cats.
And you’re not alone!
A couple of days ago Jo, a reader at GSC left a comment asking for help with her kitty-doggy duo
And a while back I got this email from Tracey, another reader here are German Shepherd Corner
As you can see, both pooch parents have a firm grip on the understanding of how their German Shepherd’s are wired. And how their triggers and thresholds affect their behavior.
If you’re new to these concepts, I suggest you check out my article on triggers and thresholds before you start this training.
So, if your heart belongs to a kitty cat and a German Shepherd this guide will help to teach your furry friends to get on like a house on fire!
Although, you should be aware of the fact that some kitty-doggy duo’s will never become bosom buddies. But even if they end up mutually disliking each other without fireworks it’ll be a win for your household.
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Introduce Them All Over Again
In some cases, you may have to introduce your cat and dog all over again. This involves keeping them in separate rooms until they’re not stressed out by the smell or sound of the other. Begin feeding them on opposite sides of a closed door until they can both eat calmly.
Next, replace the closed door with a closed gate or screen and feed them on either side of the gate. Does your dog still fixate on your cat? Can you distract your dog with a command or treat? Keep this up until both pets are calm while eating near each other.
After this, you can give them supervised visits in the same room while your dog is on a leash. The whole process could take weeks or more. In some cases, especially with dogs that have high prey drives, you might not ever be able to leave them alone without supervision. This doesn’t mean you failed it just means you’re putting their safety first.
A dog that likes chasing cats might learn to get along with one cat in particular, but other cats may “trigger” his instinct. Sometimes, two pets’ personalities never quite mesh. But often, with patient training and reintroduction, your dog and cat will learn to be friends.
1. American Humane. “Introducing Dogs to Cats.” AmericanHumane.org, 25 August 2019, .
2. Silvani, Pia. “My Dog Chases My Cat. How Do I Stop Him?” Petfinder, .
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Hello Edith,I strongly suggest considering re-homing the kittens for their own safety. You can take measures to better manage her aggression, separate them, teach her to avoid them, teach her to tolerate them being near her food better, ect…, but since she already killed one this is likely not something you can stop completely, and even if things are managed a lot better between the animals to minimize the danger, the danger will probably always be there and the risk of something happening again present. It only takes a second for something to go wrong in this type of situation and she is in such direct contact with them that teaching a strong avoidance is not practical – even with good management something could go wrong.Very sorry you are going through this.Best of luck training,Caitlin Crittenden
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Dogs Just Want To Have Fun
Weve said it time and time again, but it doesnt hurt to repeat it dogs love their playtime. Its probably their favorite time of day, apart from mealtime. Whats more, they dont object to different play partners. Whether humans are trying to get their attention to play fetch or theres a cat they can chase around for a bit and use up that excess energy they have fun is almost but guaranteed.
Nevertheless, the problem with this sort of behavior is that cats dont like being chased around, especially by dogs. Most of the time, dogs are much stronger than cats, not to mention that their bites can harm them.
Cats, on the other hand, do have claws, but they would have to attack the dog to hurt it. In other words, given that a dogs body is much stronger than a cats, it can chase it down and pin it to the ground, for example, which could easily lead to bloodshed.
On another note, cats arent one of those pets that love playing. Sure, they like lasers and wont have anything against playing with a rubber mouse. However, they like to keep to themselves and would prefer if the dogs wouldnt come near them. In the end, theyre rather different species theyre the inherent opposites, no matter how much wed like to believe they are sort of similar.
Play Behavior In Dogs
Another answer for the question “why do dogs chase cats?” lies in play behavior. Does your dog like to play fetch? Does he like to chase other dogs at the park? most hounds do like it, why? because it is like chasing prey! The game gives them a rush of adrenaline just as if they were really hunting.
When dogs play they do not try to hurt the one being chased. They take short breaks or switch roles . The problem is that most cats do not like to be chased by dogs, specially if they do not know each other!
To prevent chasing, you need to teach your canine friend to respond to you when you do not want him to go after a cat . Start with basic dog obedience training like sit, down and stay. As your furry friend improves keep adding more difficult commands.
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Hello, with the killing of the kitten and the increased aggression toward the mailman, I would be concerned. I suggest that you contact a trainer in your area who can come and help you work with Daisy before a situation occurs that you cannot control. In the meantime, work on her obedience commands every day and work on getting her to listen to you: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-doberman-to-listen-to-you. Keep Daisy on a leash whenever you are out of the home. And research a trainer for help without delay. All the best!
Prevent The Rehearsal Of Chasing Behaviors
Your cat shouldn’t be destined to a future filled with days of stress just because a new dog has been welcomed into your home. While it’s important to provide kitty with a safe haven to retreat to, this doesn’t mean your cat has to spend the rest of his days hiding there because of the threat of being chased.
It’s therefore imperative that your new puppy or dog isn’t allowed to rehearse chasing behaviors over and over. Left untreated, chasing a cat can quickly become your dog’s favorite pastime, and that for sure is not a good hobby.
Preventing the rehearsal of chasing behavior requires strict management and entails keeping your dog away from your cat when you are not supervising and keeping him under control when you are supervising.
Crates, pet gates, exercise pens, playpens and fences are management tools that can be considered when your dog cannot be supervised. It’s important to ensure your dog has no way to escape them by chewing, digging or climbing over or under these barriers.
When you are actively supervising, you can control your dog and prevent him from rehearsing chasing behaviors with a collar and leash, and later on, with just voice control and training. If you are concerned about your dog potentially breaking loose from your grip on the leash and injuring your cat, by all means, let him wear a basket muzzle. It never hurts to add an extra layer or protection and play it safe.
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Introducing A Dog To A Cat
Republished with permission of Best Friend Animal Society
Some dogs do fine living with cats others simply cannot live safely with felines. Sometimes, a dog can live with certain cats , but not others. Even if your dog has successfully lived with cats in the past, it is important to remember that each dog and each cat is an individual and therefore each introduction is different.
When introducing your dog to a cat, pay attention to the body language of both animals. If the cats ears are pinned back or his tail is swishing back and forth, this is a good indicator that he is displeased. You particularly want to be aware of dog body language that could be potential warning signs. If your dog has a strong prey drive , she might become very focused on the cat. Shell stiffen, stare, and may start barking or whining. If you see these signs, do not let her near the cat. Ideally, her body language will be loose and relaxed around the cat. Its OK if she pays attention to the cat, but you dont want to see her fixated on him.
In addition, a dogs interaction with a cat can change depending on the environment. Just because your dog is OK with the cat inside the house doesnt mean shell exhibit that same behavior outdoors. She might fixate on the cat and start stalking him when they are outside together. So, be aware of her body language around the cat in each new situation, until you know how she is going to respond toward him.
Other Ways To Stop Dogs Chasing Cats
If your dog wont stop chasing cats, you may need to consider if there are any new factors in their life that may have brought this on. For instance, is your dog getting enough exercise? If not, they may be trying to use up some of their extra energy by chasing your cat around the house. Try taking them out for longer and more challenging walks.
If this does not work, consider taking your dog to an obedience trainer or a dog behaviour specialist. These professionals will be able to identify the problem and solve it.
If youre still wondering how to stop dogs chasing cats, its important to remember that sometimes behavioural changes are brought about by illnesses. If this is a concern, take them to a vet to make sure nothing is wrong.
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