puppy chasing cat

i can appreciate your frustration, we adopted our cats from our shelter, a year later decided it was time for a dog, went back & found our shep/rott mix
she chased the cats constantly, i was losing my mind.  we got her into a basic obedience course, which taught us to be patient & consistent, we started leaving the leash on her in the house & when she chased the cats, just grabbed the leash to get her to focus on us & told her ahn-ahn-ahn, the trainer recommended that vs. no, she told us no is over-used & puppies tend to ignore it.  over time, about 6 months, Peanut stopped, but sometimes if the cats chase each other, she'll join in.
we are now going through it again with our 2nd rescue dog, Draico.
time and patience, consistent commands, lots of praise for correct behavior & LOVE! - good luck - AJ

What AJ said.

Three months is young and exuberant, and I've seen very few three month old pups that have a good leave it. We won't even START training them until they hit five months, and that's assuming the maturity level is there, otherwise we wait til six months.

I do feel your pain -- I have two cats, and while one adores my dog, the other one took up residence in my armoire for the first few months because he got tired of being perpetually chased.

Provide your cats with a place they can feel safe (a cat napper on the window sill, a piece of cat furniture out of reach of the pup), give them lots of extra love and tell them to be patient.

Continue to work on your leave it command, with lots of praise and rewards for each win, and in time, your pup will learn this. Your cats may also in time decide they enjoy the game. My big cat, who initially hated being chased, now hides on the dining room chair to pounce on the dog's tail as it wags, then the chase is on! And it's not always the dog chasing the cat...

As long as the cats aren't being harmed, stop it when you can and just keep working on your obedience, and in time it will get better (the cats will also get more dog savvy, which will help -- my big cat learned a few months into it that if he lay down every time Jess went to chase him, she couldn't chase him...she'd roll him onto his back and nose poke him with her big snout, but he just wouldn't move, so she'd lose interest).

If there's any danger to the cats, though, or you see anything that makes you nervous, separate them when they're unsupervised until the dog gets older and calmer.

But really, as tough as it is, it does get better. In time, everyone learns to get along...

Jan

Thanks for the advice,  sometimes I feel like pulling my hair out.  I have a baby gate at the top of the stairs with a hole cut out just big enough for the cat to get through..  that seems to be working.   And I'm also going to be installing a cat door so he can have an escape hatch downstairs as well.   I just get so nervous when the dog just won't let the cat go anywhere without trying to jump right on his back and pinning him down.  Is this a sign of dominance?   By the way,  the puppy is a border collie if that makes a difference.  I already know about the herding instinct,  I just hope it doesn't progress into her hurting the cat.

Ah, yes, the joys of having a herding dog... : )

Any dog CAN hurt a cat, but usually if a pup is raised with cats, he learns the concept of the cats being part of the family. Be sure you regularly pick up the cats and cuddle them in front of the dog -- have "petting time" with all the pets together if you can -- so the dog gets the idea that they are all part of your "pack." Also, if you have a command for "gentle" or "nice," that's a good one for playing with the cats.

You definitely want to keep an eye on it, but don't worry over much unless the dog does something that goes beyond play, or the cat shows signs of overly rough play (not just hissing but howling or sounding like he's being hurt).

Border collies need insane amounts of exercise, which may also be part of the problem. A tired dog will chase the cats less, so get your pup as much exercise as you can.

You might want to look into agility classes for your pup, too -- not only will it burn off some extra energy and give your dog a job so he doesn't have to perpetually herd the cats, but it also will strengthen his obedience in a way that he will find fun (because BCs LOVE games, and learn best when everything is taught as part of a game). Out here, they do "baby agility" classes (non competitive, just learning the obstacles and having fun) starting at three or four months, and the more serious version starting at about 6 or seven months. Worth looking into, if there's a place by you that does it.

It sounds like you've done well with giving your cats an "escape" when they need it. It also sounds like your herding dog has an excess of energy (sort of the definition of a BC), and some of this may just have to be exercised out or grown out of.

Watch the cats and see how they deal with it, too. My dog has been chasing her cats for years, but after the first few months, everyonen sort of learned the limits. If Jess pushes too hard, she gets yowled at, and that backs her off. I use "leave it" liberally, but on days when Jess gets less exercise, there's more chasing. In fact, last week, my cats offered to chip in to send Jess to daycare for a day to tire her out! : )

And try not to tear your hair out -- it's all part of being a puppy owner in a multi-pet household -- crazy, but at least he'll outgrow it in time.

Jan

I agree with Jan, I used "nice" whenever the dogs & cats got close.  The dogs caught on.  During petting sessions, when the dogs settled on their side & the cats came to sniff, I just kept petting the dog to associate pleasure with the cat.  I'd pet the cats on my lap as the dogs sat beside us, then pat the dogs as the cats got into the dogs face. 
When the cats had enough, they hiss, dogs back away.  Somedays, Draico wants to chase more than others, then I know he has too much energy & take him to the park.  
I do have "kitty condos" & window perches as escapes, cats also like the couch tops.  Good luck.

Hmmm... perhaps I should look into building something that the cat can climb and hang out without having the dog right in his face.  I can't remember what they are called though.   A perch maybe?

Is the cat de-clawed, if not when it has had enough of the pup it will teach it a lesson by bringing out the claws.
 
My dog learnt the hard way with the cat, she actually got her claw stuck in his nose and I had to pull it out. Now they will curl up on the bed or lounge together. The cat who is 8 kilo's has a 45 kilo dog bluffed. She will be a snot face to him if she wants it is funny to watch.

No the cat is not declawed,  he just seems to become very submissive when the puppy pins him down and looks desperate to get out of her grasp.  I've never seen a dog that is so insistent on getting to a cat like this one.

It does sound like your cat is very tolerant.  One of the first things my cat did when I brought Xerxes home was to slap him a few times.  He learned quickly that if she means business, he'll be in pain. 

All the advice you've been given is good.  Escape routes and safe zones for the cat.  "Easy" or "Gentle" or "Leave it" for the dog.  Get rid of the excess energy with play times and mind games.  The two will get used to one another, it just takes some time.