[t.mason2114]

I have a 45lb mixed breed dog and a cat. They have always been separated as the dog was not allowed upstairs and the cat never came down stairs because of the dog. a few months ago we moved to a new apartment where they are on the same floor. we have them separated by a baby gate where the dog is located in the front of the house and the cat in the back. Over the last couple of weeks the gate has been coming right up to the gate and the dog has been reacting very aggressively and cat has been swiping through the gate at him. I think that this aggressive behavior by the dog has been transferring to other parts of his life as we have been receiving some concerning negative reviews from his dog daycare. In addition we also welcomed a baby into our lives about 3 months ago so we aren't able to give the dog as much attention as before. Does anyone have any tips on how I can get the dog and cat to get along. Thank you.

 

[LMMB]

I have a 45lb mixed breed dog and a cat. They have always been separated as the dog was not allowed upstairs and the cat never came down stairs because of the dog. a few months ago we moved to a new apartment where they are on the same floor. we have them separated by a baby gate where the dog is located in the front of the house and the cat in the back. Over the last couple of weeks the gate has been coming right up to the gate and the dog has been reacting very aggressively and cat has been swiping through the gate at him. I think that this aggressive behavior by the dog has been transferring to other parts of his life as we have been receiving some concerning negative reviews from his dog daycare. In addition we also welcomed a baby into our lives about 3 months ago so we aren't able to give the dog as much attention as before. Does anyone have any tips on how I can get the dog and cat to get along. Thank you.

Hi, welcome to the forum.

The dog isn’t taking his behaviour towards the cat, to dog daycare. That’s a separate issue. It does, however, complicate matters even further.

How old are the dog and the cat?
How long have you had them?
Any idea of what breeds your dog is crossed with?
How often is the dog walked and played with?
How much mental stimulation does he have? (Training, puzzles, etc?)
How much time - realistically - do you have that you can commit to sorting this out? Per day/week.
How often, and for how long, is the dog in daycare? Is it someone’s home, or a specially purposed building?
Have you tried to integrate them before now, or have they been left to live separate lives under the same roof?

I appreciate that’s a lot of questions, but the more information we have, the better we’d be able to help you. Dogs and cats share a natural predator to prey relationship, so ideally, introductions should have been made long before now.

That’s not to say the situation is beyond hope, but recovering it will depend on commitment. You’re going to have to undo the negative associations they have with each other and build a more positive one.

For now, you’re going to need a solid, physical barrier between them. They shouldn’t be able to even see each other, much less take take a swipe at each other. You’ll need to give them a minimum of 3 days of this in order for cortisol levels to come down. If possible, during this time, I’d recommend you do not take the dog to daycare - that’s ramping up his stress levels even more.

 

[Curls]

It sounds like your dog has a lot going on:
-New house
-New baby
-New exposure to cat
-Less attention from his family
And your dog is expressing his inability to cope with these changes via:
-Barrier aggression
-Increasing behavioral issues at daycare

Personally, I would reach out to a certified trainer or behaviorist for help with this. The stakes are so very high to be accepting advice from random internet people. You have a baby that will soon be crawling. At some point your cat is quite likely to go over the barrier for a little exploration around the house. You do not want a situation where a frustrated dog faces off with either one of these vulnerable creatures. CCPDT or IAABC are the two certifications I would look for. Any schmo can hang out a shingle as an animal trainer. Sadly, many do. For a situation involving this kind of escalating behavioral change I would want to be working with someone who has proper credentials.

Additionally, the general recommendation any time a new behavior problem develops is to rule out medical causes. Yes, your dog has plenty of other reasons to feel unsettled and unhappy. However, sometimes stress will cause a previously dormant medical problem to surface. Dogs can be remarkably stoical about things like arthritis or abdominal pain right up until the point where they just can't cope any more.