Puppy not listening / cat relationship

[opheliesistac]

Hi, i create a new post for another concern...

Our 5 month old frenchie with us since end of august is still over exited around my 2 old cats. One of the cat is doing ok but the other one is still afraid. We have kind of "relocated" the cats upstairs but they are free to come down when they want to. Unfortunatly most of the time when we let the puppy spend some time with us out of the kitchen , he runs upstairs even in front of me when I say NO. He knows now there is cat food upstairs and I am guessing this is one the reason he wants to go... (Even though he is kind of difficult when it comes to meal time ! )We don't know what to do anymore ... We have try to go up and take him down as much as poss, treats, big NO. Oh yes and if my older dogs is around whith the puppy and the cats she gets very aggressive toward the cats she has been with for the last 10years...of course our older dog does not go upstairs at keast when we are around I guess ! We don't know how to deal with these problems :(

[JMFS]

Did your older dog have issues with the cats before, or is this new since the puppy?

Momo ignores our cat, but if I shoo the cat away Momo will chase after the cat and nip at him. If Gertie sees Momo chasing Monkey (the cat) then Gertie joins in the chase, though she doesn't bite or otherwise aggravate Monkey, she's just following Momo's lead. That may be what your older dog is doing - picking up on the puppy's example.

 

The cat food issue is easy to fix if you can put it up higher than the puppy can reach since cats are good at getting to higher places. Either that or put the food in a location the puppy can't get into (you can put up a border or rearrange furniture to create a cubby hole that only the cats fit into, something like that). If you don't already, you can put the cats on a regular feeding schedule and take up the food after 20 minutes. They'll catch on. We had to do that with Monkey because of raccoons and opossums coming around when we left it out.

 

When introducing cats to one another I've always put the bedding for each cat in the other cat's area and brushed the cats with the same brush so their scents comingle. I wonder if something like that would work with the puppy. If the cats have a bed, put that in the puppy's sleeping area for a while so he gets accustomed to their scent.

 

Those are some ideas to get you started. :)

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You have received excellent advice from Jennifer. Other ideas that come to mind is creating an area just for the kitties. It's important for your cat's comfort and safety, that they are provided with a safe place to retreat that is out of your dogs' reach. There are several options to provide such areas.

 

-You can use a pet baby gate equipped with a small pet door at the bottom that is enough for your cats to go through but not enough for your dogs to pass through (this might not work for your puppy though as he may easily fit through).

 

-Alternatively, you can provide your cats special cat trees and condos that are high enough to be out of your dogs' reach.

 

If your cats are stressed by your dogs, you may also want to provide some calming aids such as Feliway or Comfort Zone, which are products that mimic a chemical that cats are known to emit through special glands on their faces when they are feeling calm. There are also several over-the-counter supplements that can help calm down nervous kitties. Cats, being creatures of habit, can easily get stressed by changes and new additions.

 

It's important that your puppy isn't allowed to rehearse chasing behaviors over and over, also, considering the fact that your older dog seems to picking up this habit. Left untreated, chasing cats can quickly become your dogs' favorite past time and that's for sure not a good hobby as it can put your cats in peril.

 

Preventing rehearsal of chasing behavior requires strict management and this entails keeping your dogs away from your cats when you are not supervising and keeping them under control when you are supervising.

 

Crates, pet gates (by the stairs maybe?), exercise pens, play pens and fences are management tools that can be considered when your dogs cannot be supervised. It's important to ensure your dogs have no way to escape them by chewing, digging or climbing over or under these barriers.

 

When you are actively supervising, you can control your puppy and prevent him from rehearsing chasing behaviors with a collar and leash, and later on, with just voice control and training.

 

 

Training your dogs " leave it," can turn helpful. You may need to train one dog at a time for now using only one cat. Perhaps start with the puppy if your older dog is mostly influenced by him and not prone to chase on his own. "Leave it" is covered in the 101 0bedience section of the course, but I want to offer tips on training a "leave it' in this case that is more tailored to your current situation which sounds like the most pressing issue for now. You can then train it to cater other aspects of your puppy's, life later on.

 

In teaching dogs to "leave it, "we will be using positive reinforcement rather than intimidation. I am emphasizing this because we may often feel that the best way to train a dog to stop doing something is by using intimidation Teaching your dog to "leave it" using positive reinforcement accomplishes two things: it potentially creates positive associations between your dog and your cat and between your dog and you, and it gives your dog an alternate behavior to perform that is rewarding and your dog is wanting to perform willingly because it's so rewarding.

 

To train your dog to leave it, put your dog on leash (in this case your puppy) and arm yourself with high-value training treats. For now, practice with a stuffed animal attached to a string or even better a flirt pole (pole with a stuffed critter attached).

 

Have a person wiggle the stuffed animal at a distance, sit next to your dog, and when your dog shows signs of interest, tell him "leave it" and immediately deliver him a tasty treat. Repeat several times. Gradually have the helper wiggle the stuffed animal closer and closer and practice more leave its.

 

At some point, have the helper place the stuffed animal in front of your dog and then move it away (as an animal fleeing) while you practice "leave it." Give your dog a jackpot of treats (5-6 small treats at once ) scattered for not chasing the stuffed animal. If your dog fails, you need to to further practice this part.

 

Remember: distance is very important considering that most dogs aren't able to cognitively function (they can't think straight) when a cat is within chasing distance and they may even care less about treats!

 

If at any time your dog isn't responsive, it's likely because he's too close to the stuffed animal (and therefore, not ready for this level of distraction yet) or the treats you are feeding aren't high value enough. Go back a few steps increasing distance temporarily and try increasing the value of the treats if he seems disinterested. Tossing the treat rather than hand feeding it, may make it more enticing as you add a fun game of "chase the treat."

 

Next, have your dog on leash and find a distance from your cat where your dog is under threshold. You may need a helper to keep the cat at the right distance.

 

Once you have found a distance where your dog isn't too concerned about your cat, have him practice "leave it" as done with the stuffed animal. Once you have a solid response you can practice closer distances.

 

At some point, when you think your dog is fluent, have your cat nearby and have a friend call your cat by calling his name or shaking a box of cat food. This should cause your cat to run. Be ready to ask your dog "leave it" for this exercise and be ready to deliver a jackpot of treats for complying. Practice several times.

 

Once your dog seems reliable, it may be time to start practicing on a long line (a long leash) and then off leash. Make sure your dog keeps the muzzle on if you are concerned about safety. Practice initially in an area where your cat can easily retreat if needed (in front of the pet gate with cat door or near the cat tree).

 

At some point, with practice, you may notice your dog is well under voice control and looks forward to your kitty coming close because he has associated kitty with all the tasty treats used in this exercise. He may voluntarily look at you and approach you for his treat upon seeing the cat.

 

If you are concerned about using treats and their associated calories, you don't have to use treats all the time in dog training. As your dog gets more and more used to being around kitty, these exercises can be later done with a portion of the dog's daily ratio of kibble and then later on, the use of food can be diminished over time, but you still want to use high-value treats every now and then to maintain and reinforce the good behaviors.

 

 

You can also try giving clicker training a try. Please read the clicker training section if you haven't done so yet in the course to get started. I have found the clicker to be an excellent tool for this task.

 

To get started, a quiet area usually works best and the dog should be leashed. The cat should be released from a room and kept calm with the aid of a helper. The cat should be prevented from running away. You want to put up the dog for success so you do not want to expose him right away to the cat running and have him fail by chasing. Keep your dog on leash for better control and safety.

 

As soon as the dog starts staring at the cat, you should click and the dog should be given a treat. In order to work, the treat should come right as soon as the click sound is produced. Let too many seconds pass by and the dog no longer knows why you are clicking him for (not chasing the cat).

 

If the dog does not respond to the click it could be because the cat is too close. Try to repeat with the cat at a farther distance. Then as the dog appears to respond to the click, try to allow the cat to get closer. After several days, the dog should have learned that the clicker is a much more interesting device than paying attention to the cat. Success occurs when the dog is no longer interested in chasing the cat and no longer stares at the cat as prey.

 

 

A disclaimer is warranted here: Not all dogs will respond to training easily as some dogs have very strong prey drives. Generally, these are breeds that have been bred throughout the years to hunt prey, therefore prey drive is inherited deep in their genes. While training may reduce the will to chase, it's always recommended to consult with a dog trainer/behavior consultant for in-person evaluation, safety and guidance. There can never be such a thing as cats being 100 percent safe from dogs and vice-versa. Accidents can always happen and they happen in a split second.

 

Always supervise dogs and cats when kept together, an incident can happen in a matter of seconds. Use collars and leashes for better control and safety as needed. If you are concerned about your dog/dogs potentially breaking loose from your grip on the leash and injuring your cat, by all means let him wear a muzzle. It never hurts to add an extra layer or protection and play it safe. If your dogs act ever aggressive towards the cats, keeps cats and dogs separated for safety.

Edited October 12, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[opheliesistac]

Hi JenniferM, thank you for all the advises. no my dog never had any issues with the cats before... it really looks like she is defending the puppy only when the cats show their limits to the puppy. I will try to feed the cat twice day... i will try different things and see ...

[opheliesistac]

Thank you Adrienne, I will try to teach him the Leave it command as I find it very interested for many more reasons as well... it seems that the dog wants to play , he doesn't seem to be aggressive actually and one of my cat doesn't look afraid and keeps on coming with us and just try to make the puppy understand that he is too close/exited around him ....I do stay very careful when cats are around and try to have the cats around when the dogs are tired and calm after a walk for exemple .... The thing with leash is that the puppy expect a "walky " as soon as he sees it :) !! i will let you know how it goes...

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You are very welcome! Keep us posted. If your pup expects a walk, it may actually be a good idea to walk him first to drain some energy and hopefully lower his threshold a bit and then practice leave its.