He was in a shelter around cats and did fine, now all he wants to do is chase them around here and he's scaring them half to death! How do I train him to be nice?
And is this type of breed chasers of other small animals, and missed that somewhere in my research, lol
2007-01-18 16:04:22 · 3 answers · asked by Kimberlynne 4 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Yes, he sounds like the type of dog that would love to chase small animals. Some dogs want to kill cats, while others just find it great fun to chase them. Hopefully your dog isn't the first option, because this would make him unsuitable for a home with cats.
If it seems like he's just being playful, maybe you can break him of the habit. First off, keep him on a leash around the cats, and don't let him bark and scare them. Keep a spray bottle with you, and if he expresses too much interest in the cat while on a leash, give him a quick squirt without letting him know it came from you. Obedience train him, and then, with him on a leash, get him to sit near a cat. You may have to start far away from the cat, since it will likely be scared and he'll probably be excited. But be firm and consistent. When he pays attention to you and not to the cat, give him lots of praise and a treat.
Never let him be alone with the cats. If you have to leave all the animals in the house alone, keep him confined either to one area of the house or to a crate. If he chases them while you're gone, it will only encourage him to keep doing it. Don't let him have opportunities to chase them.
Encourage him to play with his toys, and give him lots of exercise. If he has fun alternatives to chasing cats, this can make him more content with living peacefully with them.
I hope these help!
2007-01-18 16:15:50 · answer #1 · answered by Steel 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have a boxer breed, and two kitties, the thing I noticed about the boxers is unless they are raised from pups to be around cats, there will always be a kind of miscommunication between them, they do like to chase anything pretty much, but will mainly go for the cats because they recognize them as something close as to what they are, but of course the cats arent really up for this, the best thing to do is maybe try and ge tthem used to each other, like when its feeding time, put the bowls on opposite sides of the room, and just let them bond that way, it takes awhile to get them used to each other, soon the cats will start fighting back and maybe that will get the dog to kind of understand that the cats arent going to just let themselves become chase toys or chew toys, try getting the dog used to its own toys, buy a chew bone, play with a rope with the pup and train them not to chase the cats so much by stoppjing them and saying with a stern voice "NO!" good luck!
2007-01-19 00:12:57 · answer #2 · answered by Summer 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
when i lived at the farm we had cats and chickens running lose around the yard. anytime we had a new dog at the house we would keep rolled up newspaper (held with a couple peices of tape around it) if we saw them even looking at the cat or chickens we would throw it and him them. the idea was that they wouldnt associate it with people and they would think even when we werent close by the cats/chickens were not to be messed with. success rate was 100%
water pistols work nicely too but like others will say training to obey even a simple sit command can save you alot of trouble in these situations
2007-01-19 00:36:32 · answer #3 · answered by Eric J 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋