[Debbo]

Hi All

I have a gorgeous, friendly happy puppy, but.... she can't leave the cats (I have 2) alone.

She doesn't want to hurt them, she just wants to play and to be fair to the cats they are trying but Luna is too boisterous. Sometimes Toxic (cat) will play with Luna, Toxic will sit on a bench & tease Luna with her tail, we have seen Toxic choose to move close to Luna many times to play.

We have tried treating to stop Luna from initially hitting the cats - and we then worked on stopping Luna deliberately hitting the cats so that she could get a treat.... sigh!

The main issues are the times when the cats come through the cat flap - BECAUSE I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM FOR AGES!!!! and when Luna sees them going up the garden and chases them, Toxic sometimes stands still and faces up to Luna but Scrunch runs and hurtles through the hedge.

I know we can get through this as Luna is a bright and friendly puppy we jsut need her to relax a bit where the cats are concerned.

Oh by the way Luna is a 20 week old cocker spaniel.

Any ideas gratefully received

Debbo

 

[Dawnben]

This worked for us. You have to put in the time but its worth it.
<> DIAMONDS in the RUFF - Cat Chasing <>

 

[seebrown]

Ditto on Dawnben's link. The other thing that's really worked for me is training the CAT along with the dog. If the dog just wants to play/chase and won't hurt the cat, a cat that just ignores the dog and goes about its business really takes the fun out of it for the dog. You need to treat them all for being around each other calmly every day, and eventually there will be more calm behavior (although the dog will probably still try to initiate play). Also be sure the cats have plenty of high places to get out of reach of the dog if they want.

 

[seebrown]

Also, if you really want to manage the situation, it wouldn't hurt to keep the dog on a leash for a few weeks as you are training to help stop the chasing. I've done this with outdoor cats and my dog and it speeds the training along. It is more work though.