Cats & Dogs

[TysonsMom13]

Hi Everyone!

I have a 3 year old male boxer. I also have an 8 year old cat and a 4 year old cat (both female). Since we got Tyson (we've had him since he was 7 weeks old), I made the mistake of not allowing him near my cats. I know that was a HUGE mistake. I should have let them duke it out from the beginning but was always afraid the cats would get hurt becuase they are de-clawed (in the front).

Anyway - I'm feeling the effects....I think. My 4 year old cat, Scraps, is waking us up at 3:30 am to be fed, jumping on the baby gate (Tyson sleeps in our bed with us), laying in front of it to egg him on, etc....but it's getting VERY bad.

I THINK it's getting worse becuase the cats are not getting enough attention and cannot eat on the floor, cannot play, are forced onto the counters or under the bed becuase of Tyson.....don't get me wrong....they are out all the time but are forced to be on the counter or under my bed. Scraps goes on top of the counters becuase she is agile and can, Oreo can't.

If anyone has any suggestions of how I can get these guys to get along once and for all, I'm ready and willing to try anything. I cannot live like this anymore and it's really having an impact on my job becuase I'm forever tired. If I can get them to the point where Scraps can sit with me comfortably without Tyson charging us, I think it can improve. The other one is of course the same thing but doesn't make any noise.

It's both Scraps and Tyson that I think are the problem. The funny thing is....they are both VERY playful so I think if given the chance they could probably get along and even play together a little bit......with supervision. By the way - nobody is being given up. I love them all way too much to do that and it wouldn't be fair to them so that's not an option.

Okay - sorry for the long post - please help.

Thanks,
Kimberly

 

[gmacleod]

Two quick facts in situations like this:
1. The cats will not feel safe enough to rejoin the family as long as the dog is capable of chasing them.
2. The dog won't stop trying to chase unless you make him stop trying to chase. In short, restrain the dog. Until he's trained to safely be loose around the cats, he shouldn't be loose. It's not a question of "fair" or who was there first, whose life is a misery, or who teases whom. It's just simple fact - the dog isn't safe around the cats until it's trained. You can't train unless you first control. So leash or otherwise restrain the dog - then you can work on getting them to get along.

You've got two desensitising exercises to go through here. One is desensitising the dog to the cats. The other is desensitising the cats to the dog. The latter is going to be the harder, since they're fearful.

What would be a good idea straight away is to make some areas of your house dog-free zones. Use baby gates or whatever is necessary. And these should not be areas secluded away from the hub of the household either - it's no use encouraging the cat to hide upstairs or in the basement What's needed is an area where the cats are completely safe from the dog (and importantly, where they think they're completely safe from the dog) and that is closely in touch with the general household. This is for (a) avoiding turning them into hermits, and (b) giving them a place where they can safely observe the dog without fear.

If no such place exists in your house, then you might consider crating the dog in your living room in the evenings, and encouraging the cats to come out and rejoin the family then. It has something of the same effect - they're safe, they'll be able to realise they're safe - and each can observe the other without incident.

If you can work your way up to the point that each largely ignores the other, then you can start training with a leash. The dog must be restrained and absolutely unable to chase. Does Tyson have a 'leave it' command? If not, it would be a superb thing to teach him before trying to teach him to leave cats There's a short article about how to train that command here: http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/view_the-leave-it-command.htm

What you need to do is start using this command in relation to the cats. It's just a general principle that you reward the dog for NOT paying attention to them, and for taking his attention off them when asked. Obviously, it needs to be backed up in the early stages with that leash - because if they run, he'll chase. And if chases, you will *never* get his attention. Prey drive is stronger than commands. Thus, the chasing has to be prevented in the first place with that leash.

Probably the best you can hope for, since they've been hiding for 3 years, is that the cats and dog ignore each other. And that's pretty good! It enables you to have a harmonious household.

Should it happen that the cats get brave enough to go up to the dog though, it's a good idea to tell him to "leave" and REWARD him profusely for doing so. Doesn't matter what the cat does, it's the dog who really needs to be ignoring.

All of the above is likely to take you 3-6 months, btw. Overcoming fear (cats) and overcoming prey drive (dog) isn't that easy, and it's not a process that should be rushed. But in most cases - particularly if the dog has never caught and killed a cat - it can be done. And it's worth that investment in time for creating a more harmonious household.

 

[TysonsMom13]

Thank you so much for your help GMacleod! We will definitely try this!