CherylRash

Thank you for your detailed reply!

One of our cats is 5 and the other 2 (sisters) are about to turn 3 so they were adults when we got Jax. We had a different dog (who passed in the fall of 2019) at the time the cats were adopted, an older greyhound who ignored the cats. In between our greyhound and Jax, we tried to rescue a 1.5 year old white GSD who had previously been attacked by other dogs in her house (multiple times). We thought it would be OK since the GSD had been raised with a cat, but, because of her attacks, she was fearful and lashed out at all small moving things, including children, so we could not keep her. I think this situation traumatized our cats. There has always been some conflict. Jax has never learned to respect their space. He does not seem to recognize their cues that they do not want to play or that they want to be left alone. The only change (other than Jax maturing) I can think of in the last 2 months was that Jax was neutered. 2 of our cats and Jax are now on medications to try to keep things calm but we are continuing to have issues. The cats have been corrected with a water bottle if they are attacking him for no reason. (One of the cats used to stalk him and attack when he wasn't looking.) With the medication and water, he has not been attacked for several months. We have been working with a trainer since Jax was 6 months. As a result, we use a prong collar. So his corrections are a "Ah" with a snap of the fingers and a quick snap of the prong collar, with us standing over him and waiting until he lays down and is calm. The 2 sister cats have been avoiding Jax lately but the sight of them, even walking slowly in a different room, sets him off. It seems to be mostly at night. The cats have a large cat tree, a cat shelf high on a wall, and the bonus room upstairs with a devise that allows only the cats to enter. The other cat has no fear and will walk up to Jax and sit inches from his face. Jax is walked twice a day ( 2 miles each time) and either played with outside or taken to the dog park (weather-permitting).

We have an 11 month old white German Shepherd, Jax, who we adopted at 10 weeks. We have 3 cats, who have lashed out at him in the past, swiping at his nose, etc. when he wouldn’t leave them alone. Jax’s behavior towards the cats has changed in the last 2 months. He will bark, growl, and show his teeth, and run after them when they walk by at night or when he sees them in the kitchen or when they walk near him when he is in his crate. Now he is tethered to us but he still tries to go after the cats. We correct him when he is focusing on the cats but sometimes he sees them from a distance and reacts instantly and forcefully. It is difficult for us to remain calm when he lunges and jumps up and growls at a cat we can’t even see. We’ve started correcting the cats and they have not made contact with him in awhile but Jax’s behavior is escalating and becoming more frequent. Please provide guidance for help with these issues.

Is there a module for aggression between dog and cats? I can’t seem to find it in the topics.