Cat chasing

This forum is all about training and behavior. Everything from potty training to working titles!

Postby juniper8204 » July 6th, 2006, 11:45 am

My five month old puppy, Doodle, LOVES chasing and tackling my three cats. Two of them usually are able to jump out of his way when they see him coming, but my third one, Nyes, will just lay there and let him pounce on him. It doesn't help that Nyes teases him when he knows Doodle can't get him like when he's in his kennel or when he's on leash in the house. I'm afraid that Doodle will hurt him unintentionally as he gets bigger. I correct him when he chases him and I make him lay down beside me when he pounces on him, but the dog has gotten really good at sneaking off when I'm not looking. Having a smart dog has its advantages and disadvantages I suppose. Any suggestions for curbing this behavior are more than welcome!! I'm to my wit's end! :rant:

Jen

P.S. I guess it would help to mention that he has a high prey drive. When we are out on walks, the slightes movement of ANYTHING, be it a bird, squirrel, or even an ant on the sidewalk, will send him into a frenzy.
Jen
Mommy to Mindy Lou and Moose

Pits are addicting!!! If I foster any more, my husband will have my head!
User avatar
juniper8204
Hyper Adolescent Bully
 
Posts: 366
Location: Fayetteville, NC

Postby mnp13 » July 6th, 2006, 12:24 pm

do your cats have claws?

With all of the dogs that have been through my house, they are taught from day one that the cats are above them. Period, end of story. Any aggression towards the cats gets the dog punished, regardless of who started it. My Maine Coon cat often starts it.

It's a balance though, you don't want the dog to grow up afraid of the cats, because eventually it will decide to get rid of the cats due to fear. You want to instill respect for the cats, just like respect for children.

that said, I met a Malimute at the last pull who had lost an eye to a cat, so you do have to be sure to supervise things.
Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.
User avatar
mnp13
Evil Overlord
 
Posts: 17234
Location: Rochester, NY

Postby SpiritFngrz » July 6th, 2006, 12:38 pm

I just keep my cat and my dog separated. Satin doesn't have a wicked high prey drive, but she does have a prey drive. My Siamese will try to attack dogs, and I think it's more difficult to teach a cat not to do that so I just don't take my chances. The cat would start something nasty and I'd be left with one less cat.
User avatar
SpiritFngrz
I live here
 
Posts: 2711
Location: Central Mass.

Postby pitbullmamaliz » July 6th, 2006, 1:45 pm

I keep Inara separated as well. I have three cats, none with front claws. But I have a baby gate up so they (generally) stay on one side, Inara on the other. If I take the baby gate down to let Inara roam, she's pretty good at re-focusing on me if I see her looking at a cat. She just desperately wants to play with them but they're not so keen on it!
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

http://www.pitbullzen.com
http://inaradog.wordpress.com
User avatar
pitbullmamaliz
Working out in the buff causes chafing
 
Posts: 15438
Location: Cleveland, OH

Postby juniper8204 » July 6th, 2006, 3:33 pm

All three of my cats only have their back claws. He doesn't seem to want to hurt them; he just wants to play with them. It's just that their ideas on how to play are completely different. I never leave them alone together. If Doodle cannot be withing eyesight, he is in his kennel. The baby gate is a good idea...I might try that. Thanks for the feedback.

Jen
Jen
Mommy to Mindy Lou and Moose

Pits are addicting!!! If I foster any more, my husband will have my head!
User avatar
juniper8204
Hyper Adolescent Bully
 
Posts: 366
Location: Fayetteville, NC

Postby SpiritFngrz » July 6th, 2006, 4:29 pm

Liz your cats don't jump over the baby gate? Mine see it as a small obstacle. Even Satin jumps over it like a cow jumping over the moon. :bounce:
User avatar
SpiritFngrz
I live here
 
Posts: 2711
Location: Central Mass.

Postby lipshipsattitude » July 6th, 2006, 5:53 pm

I have to keep Rory seperated from my mom's cats. When she is there we put a baby gate up and they know to stay out of her way. We have tried and tried since she was a puppy to get them to co-exist. We always reprimand Rory when she tries to get up on the gate, making her come back to the couch and stay. She has a super high prey drive and the few times the cats had the cajohnes to jump over the gate she would sit and watch them but as soon as they ran she takes off after them.....always to be reprimanded. She has gotten scratched a gazillion times but it dosnt phase her at all, she never tries to bite or mouth them but I dont wanna take the chance of letting them go to see what happens. When she was tiny I tried putting her in a kennel and letting the cats roam free but I wasnt able to keep this up since aI myself dont own a cat.
When we were at a friends house who had a cat that wasnt scared of dogs Rory ran up to it expecting it to run, which it didnt and she came to a screeching ahlt when she realized it wasnt running, you could tell she was very confused. I thought ooh maybe this will help her curiosity but she started barking at it and did the puppy play jump like tryingto engage it in play which made the cat jump the fence.
I've come to the resolution that I just need to keep her away but its a pain sometimes.
lipshipsattitude
Hyper Adolescent Bully
 
Posts: 254

Postby pitbullmamaliz » July 6th, 2006, 10:40 pm

SpiritFngrz wrote:Liz your cats don't jump over the baby gate? Mine see it as a small obstacle. Even Satin jumps over it like a cow jumping over the moon. :bounce:


Occasionally one of the feline children will jump over, but they really detest Inara so that's very rare. If it does happen, Inara goes running when she hears them land and they end up jumping right back over. And Inara could easily clear the baby gate, but a few months back she jumped over it and I hollered - more out of surprise than anger, and she hasn't done it since. :| I'm okay with that! Makes me feel like I have SOME modicum of control over her! :wink:

And Juniper, the baby gate is a god-send. We got it to aid in housetraining, and now I can't imagine not having it! Best $10 I ever spent at K-Mart!
"Remember - every time your dog gets somewhere on a tight leash *a fairy dies and it's all your fault.* Think of the fairies." http://www.positivepetzine.com"

http://www.pitbullzen.com
http://inaradog.wordpress.com
User avatar
pitbullmamaliz
Working out in the buff causes chafing
 
Posts: 15438
Location: Cleveland, OH

Postby katiek0417 » July 7th, 2006, 6:33 am

Have you tried a squirt bottle....or loud noise. I don't like using those things, but I'm trying to think of things that would be a shock (like getting hamburger nose).

Both my dogs have wicked-high prey drive....they both chase my cats (actually, Gravy never makes an appearance)....but my cats make it very clear that they are in charge (and they have the claws to back them up). Both my girls have gotten nose scratches. Now, all it takes is a swat of the paw (no claws). Usually one swat is enough to send my dogs going the other way....
"Rumor has it, compulsion is evil."

Katrina
Sacha CGC - Dumb Lab
Nisha CGC, PDC, PSA TC, PSA 1 - Crazy Malinois
Drusilla SLUT- Pet
Nemo - Dual-Purpose Narcotics
Cy TC, PSA 1, PSA 2, 2009 PSA Level 3 National Champion
Axo - Psycho Puppy
Rocky - RIP My Baby Boy
User avatar
katiek0417
pointy ear hoarder
 
Posts: 6280
Location: Glen Burnie, MD

Postby SpiritFngrz » July 7th, 2006, 9:52 am

Is anyone ever afraid that the dog with high prey drive is going to pick the cat up in its mouth and shake it around??? :choke:
User avatar
SpiritFngrz
I live here
 
Posts: 2711
Location: Central Mass.

Postby Maryellen » July 7th, 2006, 10:09 am

ask cheeky, she had an something happen w/ her cat and dog
Maryellen
I live here
 
Posts: 5971

Postby cheekymunkee » July 7th, 2006, 11:06 am

SpiritFngrz wrote:Is anyone ever afraid that the dog with high prey drive is going to pick the cat up in its mouth and shake it around??? :choke:


Yes, in fact it did happen to one of my cats. Justice has never wanted to hurt my cats, she only wants to play with them. I have a cat door so they can lounge in the back yard on the concrete (they never leave the yard, never climb over the fence, they stay in the yard). The cats will go outside with Munkee or Ollie because they will not chase them, they have also learned ( it took a while ) that if you DO run, you are going to get chased if Justice is around.

I was outside with Justice, no cats were outside, in fact before she is let out I do a scan of the yard & retrieve whoever is out there, if anyone. Justice was running around & I had to go in for a second. I was in the bathroom & I heard a scream. I ran out in time to see my oldest cat Lil Man fly threw the air & be caught in Justice's mouth. She was tossing him around like a football. I have NO idea what made that old cat decide to go outside, always before ( and still ) they stick their heads out to see who is outside before they go, and he wasn't even a cat who LIKED to be outside, he would rather be on top of the fridge than outside. Anyway, I was finally able to catch Justice & get Lil Man from her. He was still alive, not bleeding, she had not intentionally hurt him, she had not bitten him. I rushed him to the e-vet but he was too badly hurt & I had him put to sleep. Justice's face had some pretty nasty scratches from him and she still has a few scars from it. Cat claws did not stop her "fun".

I tried covering up my cat door but my cats are "rescues" who came up to my door. They started life out of doors & have no desire to become solely indoor kitties & have torn my house to shreds protesting the confinement.

What I am trying to say is, even IF your dog is not trying to hurt your cat, in their excitement of "catching the prey" your cat can get hurt very badly. Please put a stop to it A.S.A.P.
There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.

Debby
User avatar
cheekymunkee
I Have Your Grass
 
Posts: 28540
Location: Dallas

Postby mnp13 » July 7th, 2006, 11:28 am

Debby, I've read that story a few times and it makes me cry every one of them

:cry:
Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.
User avatar
mnp13
Evil Overlord
 
Posts: 17234
Location: Rochester, NY

Postby Sue » July 7th, 2006, 11:33 am

Rory killed our kitten in play :( One of our cats now likes to torture Rory and hold his own very well for a 7 lb cat... but they are never left alone. They also feed off one another if all 3 dogs are together. Thankfully, all it takes is a sharp "HEY!" and they back down if they are getting too excited.
Sue
Bull Meister
 
Posts: 1389

Postby cheekymunkee » July 7th, 2006, 11:33 am

It was awful Michelle, Lil Man was my favorite. I will never forget what I saw & how happy Justice was that she was actually getting to play with a cat. She was not trying to hurt him, she never meant to at all, she was just playing.
There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.

Debby
User avatar
cheekymunkee
I Have Your Grass
 
Posts: 28540
Location: Dallas

Postby SpiritFngrz » July 7th, 2006, 12:15 pm

Oh Debby I am so sorry about Lil Man. :cry:
That is exactly why Cleo and Satin won't be together. I don't know what Satin actually wants to do to the cat, whether it be play or kill, but I'm not going to find out. I think the cat would try to attack because she's like that and the dog would see that as a threat to fight, and of course the cat won't win.
Rest in peace Lil Man :cry:
User avatar
SpiritFngrz
I live here
 
Posts: 2711
Location: Central Mass.

Postby mnp13 » July 7th, 2006, 12:19 pm

I know Merlin would lose, but the damage to the dog would be hideous as well...

I don't watch as closely as I probably should, but they are never out when I'm not in the house.
Michelle

Inside me is a thin woman trying to get out. I usually shut the bitch up with a martini.
User avatar
mnp13
Evil Overlord
 
Posts: 17234
Location: Rochester, NY

Postby lipshipsattitude » July 7th, 2006, 4:44 pm

Ok so after reading some of the aove posts I wanna try to water bottel thing but coincidently Rory has a huge fear of hoses, water bottles,a nythign with water running. Is it torture or a good lesson?
lipshipsattitude
Hyper Adolescent Bully
 
Posts: 254

Postby katiek0417 » July 7th, 2006, 5:06 pm

lipshipsattitude wrote:Ok so after reading some of the aove posts I wanna try to water bottel thing but coincidently Rory has a huge fear of hoses, water bottles,a nythign with water running. Is it torture or a good lesson?


If she already has a fear of water, I'd stay away from it.

What about a can with pennies?
"Rumor has it, compulsion is evil."

Katrina
Sacha CGC - Dumb Lab
Nisha CGC, PDC, PSA TC, PSA 1 - Crazy Malinois
Drusilla SLUT- Pet
Nemo - Dual-Purpose Narcotics
Cy TC, PSA 1, PSA 2, 2009 PSA Level 3 National Champion
Axo - Psycho Puppy
Rocky - RIP My Baby Boy
User avatar
katiek0417
pointy ear hoarder
 
Posts: 6280
Location: Glen Burnie, MD

Postby katiek0417 » July 7th, 2006, 5:07 pm

SpiritFngrz wrote:Is anyone ever afraid that the dog with high prey drive is going to pick the cat up in its mouth and shake it around??? :choke:


Like Michelle,

I never leave my dogs out when I'm not around or not able to keep my eye on them....

While both my girls have high prey drive, they are also both very sensitive. Corrections make them behave, and they view claws as corrections....
"Rumor has it, compulsion is evil."

Katrina
Sacha CGC - Dumb Lab
Nisha CGC, PDC, PSA TC, PSA 1 - Crazy Malinois
Drusilla SLUT- Pet
Nemo - Dual-Purpose Narcotics
Cy TC, PSA 1, PSA 2, 2009 PSA Level 3 National Champion
Axo - Psycho Puppy
Rocky - RIP My Baby Boy
User avatar
katiek0417
pointy ear hoarder
 
Posts: 6280
Location: Glen Burnie, MD

Next

Return to Training & Behavior

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Majestic-12 [Bot]

cron