How to stop puppy from chasing cats?

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How to stop puppy from chasing cats?

Posted : 1/9/2007 11:56:13 AM

Sophie is an 11 month old Beagle mix who has lived with us since she was 11 weeks old. Although we tried to introduce her to the cats carefully, all she has ever wanted is to chase and play with them. We keep her gated in the kitchen, and whenever a cat walks by she runs up to the gate and whines pitifully, trying to climb over it and get to the cat. Well, recently, she managed to jump over, and had a great time terrorizing the cat until we managed to catch her. Obviously, we can't allow this, but how can we teach her that cats are not toys? They can hold their own, but it must be terrifying to be pounced on by a dog three times their size.

Cita

Posted : 1/9/2007 12:35:55 PM

I'd suggest using the forum search engine - there are tons of great ideas on these boards!

Recently I had to teach my 2-year-old pup how to respectfully interact with cats. What worked best for me was:

Distraction with treats (dog looks at the cat, dog starts to think about fixating/chasing but is still calm, you distract dog before she starts getting super excited, give her a treat for being quiet, and repeat times a zillion)
Keeping the dog on leash at ALL TIMES around the cats (the cats learn to trust that the dog isn't going to eat them up, and the dog starts to get the idea that she can only get so close to the cats)
Keeping the dog in a crate/carrier sort of thing around the cats so the dog learns that the cats have the run of the house and so are to be respected, while simultaneously allowing the cats to approach/figure out the dog without feeling threatened. The dog also gets to smell the cats, though from a distance, which was super rewarding for my little dog.

Whatever you do, it's going to take a lot of patience! Good luck!