Hi all, I'm from the Horse Forum, but I need some advice on our new doggie.
We got a dog yesterday. He's a 1 yr old, lab/pittie/jack russell. He's a little shy and can be a bit skitish, but is a nice calm boy with no bite in him.
We brought him home yesterday, and kept our three cats in the basement (their safe zone) and let the dog explore the house without being bothered by the cats.
Today, we put the dog in his makeshift room and put a baby gate up so that he could see and smell the cats, but not get to close to them. He doesn't seem to care much about the cats, just lays on his mat and chews his toys while the cats peer curiously at him. In fact he seems to be more afraid of them then they are of him.
They all are seeming to tolerate each other slowly. Except for one cat. If Bowie (dog) is close to the gate, Felix (cat) will stare at him intently, and kind of bait him. Bowie has snapped at him twice. He didn't lunge or try to jump the gate, he just snapped.
We would instantly tell him 'NO!' in a firm voice and remove the cat.
I honestly don't think he's being aggressive, just defensive because he's fearful. His tail is between his legs while this happens, and his hackles are not raised.
Our issue is because Bowie has had an abusive puppyhood and is pretty fearful, I don't want him to associate the cat with negativity. We obviously want to set the boundaries and let him know that the cats share the household and he cannot bother or chase them. Even though I'd NEVER hit him, a simple firm 'NO!' makes him cower with his tail between his legs.
Also, I'm worried that he won't get along with Felix ever. I know it's too early to tell, as we only just got him, but I still worry. His last foster had cats and he said he was fine with them. What would cause him to snap at Felix?
Am I approaching this right? Should I separate this particular cat from him and put the cat in another room? MOST importantly, am I overreacting.
For everything else that he gets scared of, we just ignore him. The dishwasher, the dryer, any sound of something dropping on the ground. We ignore his fearful antics and praise and treat him for relaxing and not reacting to things around him. But for this cat issue, I don't feel I can just let him snap and/or growl at the cat. Or should I just let him be?
So far we've fed him in his room on his side of the gate, and the other kitties on the other side. He eats his food, seems to have no food aggression and like I mentioned earlier, ignores the cats for the most part and seems to be more afraid of them then they are of him.
glad to have you join...
Linear Mode
