Dog Cat Relations help

[Rodsrsr]

Originally Posted by varmint

Okay,

We have the opposite problem. Our cat is a badass 23pound Maine coon. He has never hesitated to claw the **** out of anything. We’ve come home to find the neighbor’s dog cornered and cowering on the back deck because the cat had him trapped. He will smack the crap out of our five year old heeler when the play gets too rough.

Six months ago we got a new puppy. And the cat will not stand up to it. The puppy torments our big guy. He’s taken to hiding in the linen closet. I know just one good slash will sort things out. But he won’t do it. What’s going on?

We've gone through this several times and the key is you can NEVER...EVER let the dog chase the cat. When this is off the table the dog will either end up getting along with the cat or just be indifferent. My two large very Alpha German Shepard's pretty much ignored them. It takes time to get them to this point and the smarter, younger and more well trained the dog is, the faster it will go. Our dogs will go after squirrels, raccoons and pretty much anything, but a cat, even a feral cat they leave alone.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by varmint

Six months ago we got a new puppy. And the cat will not stand up to it. The puppy torments our big guy. He’s taken to hiding in the linen closet. I know just one good slash will sort things out. But he won’t do it. What’s going on?

My 18lb Bengal when younger would go out in blizzards, fight raccoons, or lay down on the sidewalk in front of a guy with two dobermans. doangiveafuk.

But he was so gentle to my out-of-control puppy. He'd get mouthed and just let out a tiny little "meeew". He really deserves half the credit for training the wild one. They are best friends now according to the cat. He also is a wimp to another cat, probably girl, on the block half his size who sits on the sidewalk and screeches at him. It's a cat thing which I'll never understand.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by Rodsrsr

We've gone through this several times and the key is you can NEVER...EVER let the dog chase the cat.

This. Dogs need to be re-programmed consistently.

Ceasar Milan (the Dog Whisperer) would probably say:
1). Establish alpha over the dog first. You're the boss and it's your rules. You decide if he can chase the cat or not. They need that scatterbrain chaotic puppy energy to be worn off first with exercise before they are even capable of learning. So wear him out until he can't take more.

2). Then on a leash introduce him to cat, and show him how to interact gently. Start slow in steps. Let puppy know that the cat has been accepted as a memeber of "your pack" and you make the rules. Give them both attention but the cat more. Do not let his puppy mind revert back to chaos and wander into bad thoughts again. There will be small hints of this. Do not reward unwanted behavior or the dog will do again and again. Just ignore him when he is being wrong and brush him aside. Correct him every single time or it's all useless. They don't understand context or intuition at that stage of life. I had to grab my dog's cheek and talk low and slow close to his face like his parent would to get his attention. Still do sometimes. You need to keep it within the smaller circle. Always.

3). Once he understands that being gentle is the proper way of behaving towards kitty, he will continue doing it that way. Hopefully.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by varmint

Okay,

We have the opposite problem. Our cat is a badass 23pound Maine coon. He has never hesitated to claw the **** out of anything. We’ve come home to find the neighbor’s dog cornered and cowering on the back deck because the cat had him trapped. He will smack the crap out of our five year old heeler when the play gets too rough.

Six months ago we got a new puppy. And the cat will not stand up to it. The puppy torments our big guy. He’s taken to hiding in the linen closet. I know just one good slash will sort things out. But he won’t do it. What’s going on?

Some animals seem to get that certain other animals are "babies" and give them way more latitude than they'd give adult animals.

[pavulon]

Thunderdome. 2 pets enter....

[stealthn]

Muzzle, next

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by stealthn

Muzzle, next

Muzzle him then let a Tom cat maul him.

[svandamme]

Originally Posted by masraum

Some animals seem to get that certain other animals are "babies" and give them way more latitude than they'd give adult animals.

+1


Cat does not cower from puppy, he's just not interested enough and just wants to sleep..

And one day, the cat will decide that the puppy is now a big dog
And then take him to school


They do it with kittens as well... kitten can get away with badgering and playtacks for a long time.. then one day.
gloves come off and it's off to the College of Whoop Ass.

[Steve Carlton]

I remember when my older boy Gromit had enough of the two young pups antics. Fast barking and mowed them down like a steamroller, both at once. They got the message!

[varmint]

all fine theories but the cat has dealt with a puppy before. we got our heeler mix chaos at 8 weeks four years ago. and the cat immediately schooled him. they are good buddies now.

[varmint]

Butthole