In this article you will learn how to train your dog to stop chasing cats. Only practical and useful tips and tricks from experienced experts.
It is believed that cats and dogs hate each other, but this is not so: animals can peacefully live together and can even become best friends. It may be difficult to teach animals to each other's presence, especially if the cat and the dog are already grown-up and have not seen each other before, but with due diligence you will be able to wean the dog to chase the cat and you will feel calmer at home.
How to Get a Dog and a Cat Get Along
Choose the right place. It’s better to introduce animals at home. If you bring a dog or a cat to a pet shelter, such an introduction can frighten animals, especially a cat. Therefore, it’s recommended that animals be introduced at home.
Choose an animal that can get along with your dog. If you want to have a cat in a house where only a dog has always lived (or vice versa), most likely, the dog will chase the cat, and the cat will defend itself, including attacking the dog. If you already have a dog, ask the shelter staff if they have an animal that can live with other animals. If you can find an animal that is used to living with other cats or dogs, it will be easier for you to make friends with your pet.
Try to make acquaintance peaceful. Although any familiarity is a stress for pets, you should try to create a quieter atmosphere for the welfare of both animals. Be prepared to use treats and other incentive methods, as well as a few simple commands.
Introduce the animals. It is extremely important to control this process. Keep the dog on a short leash. If he decides to chase after the cat, distract both of them with treats. Ask someone else to stay indoors so that it's easier for you to handle the two animals.
Let the animals sniff each other. Do not keep pets in different parts of the room - they need to sniff each other. You must be an intermediary who can intervene if the animals begin to show aggression.
Praise the cat and the dog. If both behave well, praise pets, stroke them and give them a few more treats.
Perhaps in the first few weeks you will need to continue to praise animals when they behave well in the presence of the other.
Take a treat in each hand. Let the dog sniff one hand. He will be pleased once he realizes that there is a delicacy, but do not let the dog get a treat.
Say "Leave it". It’s important to ignore the behavior of the dog until he does what you need. Continue saying "leave it" until the dog sits in front of you.
Praise the dog with a treat. When the dog stops reaching for a treat, praise him and give him a treat from another hand. Do not give a delicacy from the hand that you showed the dog, otherwise he will decide that he can get it.
Repeat the exercise. It is important to train the dog regularly. Repeat the exercise until the dog learns to sit down on command without a treat.
Use the command "leave it" around the cat. When the dog remembers the "leave it" command, try to use it when the cat is around the dog. Be careful and watch the animals, because the dog probably masters the command only towards the treat. And he can ignore the command if there is an animal nearby, which the dog perceives as a prey. Be patient and continue training the dog until he learns to leave the cat on command.
Buy a training clicker. A clicker is a small plastic device with a retractable metal tab that is used in dog training. You hold the clicker in your hand and quickly press the button. The device clicks and the dog begins to associate the sound with the desired behavior.
Accustom the dog to the clicker. You need to click only if the dog did everything right, and you need to do it right away. The dog should associate good behavior (in this case - a calm attitude towards the cat) with the sound of the clicker.
Reward the dog immediately. After clicking, you need to give the dog a treat. It’s extremely important to do this as quickly as possible so that the dog will remember the connection between good behavior and a click and between a click and a treat.
Simulate a cat’s movement. Gradually, complicate the process of training and add an imitation of a cat’s movement. This allows the dog to get used to more realistic scenarios.
Appreciate the progress. The dog does not retrain in one day, but gradually he will remember how to behave (not to chase a cat). It is important to reward the dog even for minor success, since, stopping the dog's instinctive behavior, you break this behavior into separate tasks and work with each of them. If the dog chases the cat and stops at your command, click the clicker and give him a treat. Over time, the dog will stop chasing cats.
Keep the dog on a leash. If the dog chases after cats in the street, it's better to take him outside on a leash. If you want to release him from a leash, it is better to do it somewhere there will be no cats (for example, in a park for dogs or in a place away from residences). Remember you should let the dog down only when cats are not active. Cats are most often active early in the morning and at night, as they hunt.
Make sure the dog cannot run out of the yard. If you live in a private house and you have your own yard, either fence it or keep the dog on a leash when he walks around the yard. So the dog is not able to chase after neighbor cats.
Do not let cats enter your yard. If a neighbor's cat often comes to your yard, you should consider how to avoid this. You can drive a cat away every time it comes, or arrange the water sprayers with motion sensors around the yard. The sensors trigger the movement and water the cat with water, that will scare it away.
Why dogs chase cats. As a rule, a dog runs after a cat because he wants to play with it (maybe it seems to be a dog) or maybe because a cat’s movements make the natural predator instincts work. In either case, the dog’s owner has to interfere to prevent the animals from harming each other. Even if the dog just wants to play, it can play too aggressively - bite or even drive the cat somewhere. If the dog runs after the cat, because it considers it prey, this is a very dangerous situation, since the dog can kill the cat, and the cat can seriously injure the dog.
Always watch the animals. It will take a long time for training and habituation. Even when a cat and a dog get used to each other, they should not be left alone for at least a month. It’s important that animals do not harm each other, once they are alone.
Isolate the dog if he chases the cat. If the dog does not obey and chases the cat, isolate it for a while. Isolation should not harm the dog. You just take the dog out of the situation and let him understand that he behaved badly.
Make the cat unattractive for the dog. If all your efforts did not lead to the result, try to make the cat less attractive to the dog. Use this method only as a last resort, and in any case do not harm the dog. Experts recommend associating chasing a cat with something unpleasant: for example, with a sharp sound or a citrus spray, that can be splashed on the dog. Sometimes it's enough to squirt the dog with cold water. Eventually, the dog will remember the connection between the chasing and an unpleasant spray (safe for dogs) and stop running after the cat.
Try working with a dog trainer or behaviorist. If nothing helps, you may need the help of a specialist. Choosing a one is a serious task; make sure he got the necessary education. Training will take some time, but a specialist will be able to understand what makes a dog run after cats, and choose proper techniques in training.
Do not let the dog eat from a cat’s bowl or use its tray. This will cause stress in the cat, and she will show aggression towards the dog.