# Extremely Cat Reactive? How to stop this?



## Xyst Sin (Dec 8, 2013)

I just rescued a 9 year old male shepherd. He is fixed and in fair health. He is living with my boyfriend and I in his parents house until we move into our new house that will be ready mid April. We have 5 cats in the house. 1 hates dogs, hisses and spits any time one walks by, the other 4 just don't care. Most of the dogs in the house don't bother with the cats, minus one who stalks and follows like a hawk but never engages. My new male though, will sniff the calm ones, and then just stand there barking viciously, not really going after them though if they don't move. If they run though, he gives very mean chase. Is there a way to correct this at his age? Its a huge stress because the man of the house gets up at 3:15am for work in the morning and can't have any late night disturbances. My male sleeping at night in the crate but I work nights so usually don't go to sleep till about 2am, and obviously I can't leave him crated from 9pm when the head of the house goes to sleep till about 12pm when I usually wake up the next day.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

The Dog is "NEVER" allowed to chase the cat "EVER" lf you allow this to happen you will have a dead cat eventually!

I have lived with 5 dogs and up to 15 cats (animal rescue) for over 14 yr and in all that time not one dog has ever put a single paw forward toward a single cat!



I put a leash on my dog and have him in a down stay If he makes a move towards the cat he gets a down command and a stay again, if he breaks the stay..then his problem is gonna be with "me"!` 

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-behavior/132410-introducing-shepherd-cats.html

Cat-to-Dog Introductions | Little Big Cat


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

It's a work in progress. I thought my female was never going to stop chasing them and now she sleeps with them. I have one cat that doesn't like Midnite and he starts with him all the time which still gets Midnite going. They don't meet up often. Oddly I have come home and they are sleeping on the couch together. Midnite also gets chased by the cats. My one cat kicks Midnites butt. They all get along well enough that I trust them together and I do stay on top of Midnite and correct him when he barks at them. It's intimidating and they don't need that. We've been working on it for almost a year and it has gotten better. Good Luck.


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## Xyst Sin (Dec 8, 2013)

I'm not sure what to do, mostly cause of his age. He doesn't know "Leave it" or "No". Any time a cat moves, he tries to go for it. Usually I'm holding him back while telling him to leave it and when he finally calms down, I reward him. But the spray bottle doesn't work because he loves it and treats don't work as anything other than reward cause he really isn't interested otherwise. Its worst when he gets so excited that he starts barking and won't stop. This causes me a lot of anxiety because I'm technically homeless living with my bf's family for a little while till my parents finish the purchase on the house were moving into, and with him doing this late at night, theres a chance he could wake people up which gives me severe anxiety.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

If you have to pull and yank... your wasting your time. My moto is if what I'm doing isn't working..I need to try something else! For a dog to be safe with cats (and your other dog should not be stalking the cats either!) he must be taught to ignore the cats.

If the dog isn't trained or doesn't listen to you? That has to be done first. You need to have him trained to "Sit/Stay and Down! You have to be able to control your dog first. 

You have to start at the beginning to get the dog you want! and not the dog you have.

Is a dog trainer an option for you? If not take a look here. Short training sessions every day or every couple of hours if you need it done more quickly! First you need a solid "Stay" before you can get anywhere! 

Couple of links:
The Dog Trainer : How to Teach Your Dog to Stay :: Quick and Dirty Tips ?
How do I train my dog to sit, stay, and come?


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## Xyst Sin (Dec 8, 2013)

I've been putting him in sit-down whenever he tries to go for one. I still have to hold him back though and he doesn't do it on his own. I have to help push his butt down. He is 9 years old though, and does not respond to any form of positive reinforcement. He isn't interested in petting, treats, anything. Just the cats. Other than the cat chasing/barking he has been the most amazing dog I've ever had so far. :/


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Manage him and train him in the meantime and hope for an early mid April  or board him for the time being. Do not get a cat as long as he is alive.


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## Tratkins (Feb 15, 2014)

You have a month to get some good bonding and basic commands down with this new guy. We introduced a new rescue dog to a household with two cats and after some training, all was well and lived peacefully. Read the threads chip18 posted and it will give you lots of great ideas. Introduce and keep new dog on leash/drag line. Never once, not even one time allow him to persue the cat. It is much easier to teach what is ok upfront instead of letting him chase once and letting him "see how fun it is" and then try to break the habit. Always have treats on hand to break any "locking stares" he has with the cat. We use the command "Leave the kitty". When our dog is looking at the cat (he knows better now than to persue), we say "leave the kitty" and he heads straight my way for a treat. Then I will play with him or put him in a down for some petting. I am much more fun that that little kitty!


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