# Cat/Dog success stories



## Ravena (May 19, 2013)

Hi all,
Our 9mo girl is much better with the cats and no longer chases (and the cats are far more used to her) but she still obsesses over the more confident cat and will herd/nose prod him if he walks through the lounge. We always try to praise her for calm, gentle behavior around the cats, but she does get punished for snapping, which she does now and then (play-snaps, never connects enough to make the cat notice). We use an xpen at night and for when we are out of the house, but she is extremely well behaved in-house, have never had an issue with destructive behavior, and I would like to be able to graduate her to being out of her xpen during the day, so she has more space to roam while I am at work/out. 

Anyone got any success stories with dogs that 'bothered' their cats? She has been living with them since she was 9 weeks, so its not an intro issue anymore. She will lie on the couch with the cat no problem, but if he moves, its instant prey mode. 

With dogs with a high prey drive, is there really any way of being confident that smaller pets will be safe? They have an upstairs which is gated off from the dog, so they can escape.


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

I didn't leave my Sting alone with the cat inside the house until he was a year-old and a half. At night, he slept in his crate also until he was a year-old so he couldn't be tempted to chase the cat. When he behaved consistently for 6 months at night, then I started to leave him alone with the cat. Your gsd is 9 months old and as you stated will chase the cat if the cat runs. So I would not be comfortable about letting her loose in the house when I was gone. The cats have an escape route which mine also had, but the concern is, can they make it upstairs before your dog. A 9 month dog is at a difficult age, it may be better to wait until she is a bit older.


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## Sookie (Aug 28, 2013)

I agree with the post below, there is a huge difference between how my dog is now (13 months) with the cats and how she was at 9 months. I still won't leave her alone with them if I go out (then she gets the run of the living room just like she does at night) but when we are all home she mixes with them no problem now - even when the youngest cat goes kitty-crazy and zooms around in front of her she does not try to chase but just perks up all interested and watches him. The upstairs is cat-only at all times (gated off) so regardless the cats can always be dog-free if they choose. This was a dog who I thought would never be allowed off-leash with cats, but at around 11 months I would say there was a big change, as if all the "down - click - treat" work we did whenever the cats came near finally paid off


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## kristinloveschief (Sep 12, 2013)

We have a 5 month old puppy who chased our cat and when/if he catches her he will poke her with his nose and paw at her. My poor cat hates him! She starts hissing and growling when he even looks at her. I was wondering if he would grow out of this "chasing" behavior.


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## 3dognite (May 28, 2003)

kristinloveschief said:


> We have a 5 month old puppy who chased our cat and when/if he catches her he will poke her with his nose and paw at her. My poor cat hates him! She starts hissing and growling when he even looks at her. I was wondering if he would grow out of this "chasing" behavior.


He won't just "outgrow" it, usually if not corrected, they just get worse and more violent. My brother is a cat hater and his dogs ended up learning to kill neighborhood cats that came into their yard, which just makes me sick.

You have to be consistent about not tolerating that kind of chase and nosing behavior. ALWAYS.


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## Sookie (Aug 28, 2013)

kristinloveschief said:


> We have a 5 month old puppy who chased our cat and when/if he catches her he will poke her with his nose and paw at her. My poor cat hates him! She starts hissing and growling when he even looks at her. I was wondering if he would grow out of this "chasing" behavior.


I never let Sookie off leash around the cats until she stopped acting like she wanted to chase them because I didn't want her to ever be able to get into that habit and have the cats learn to hate her. It took 4-5 months (adopted her at around 6 months) of "down - click - treat" for me to let her off-leash around them. It may be harder for the pup to grow out of chasing when he has been able to do it, if that makes sense. So many people have different experiences and stories so I was determined to just play it really super safe - especially because Sookie was way more interested in and lungey towards my cats than other dogs


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## pyratemom (Jan 10, 2011)

I keep a cat safe room and also have a gated room for Raina which I am in most of the day as it is my home office where I work. Raina has crazy prey drive when it comes to the cats and I just don't trust her. She likes to chase anything that moves fast so the cats need a safe place. My heart dog, Pyrate, learned early on and never bothered the cats. He kept banging his head on the coffee table because he never realized he got taller and the cats didn't and when he was a puppy he would sleep under the coffee table with them. He would groom them (not to the cat's liking I'm sure) and watch over them like they were his kids.


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

Zeus just turned one and went through a wooden fence chasing after a cat. I guess I will never own a cat again ;(


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## kristinloveschief (Sep 12, 2013)

We don't let him do it! She had a cat room with a gate and little cat door. What usually happens is she comes out because he's being quiet or he's asleep so she comes out of her room. He sees her at that point and goes after her but we grab him and tell him no.


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## kristinloveschief (Sep 12, 2013)

*she has a cat room


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

My rule with my cats is the dogs don't initiate any contact with the cats period! I have had up to 17 cats in and outdoor cats (animal rescue) BullMastiff/Pit mix, Boxer/Pitt mix Boxers and GSD doggies in the household and over 12 years of cats and dogs living together ,sleeping together and they are around each other 24/7. GSD does grumble about his food though so no eating together...bridge to far! 

I have never had a single cat dog conflict, No herding, no looking for the cats and no hard stares!

Once the dogs "Know" the cats are "off limits" the dynamics change and I know longer have to do anything. The cats chose if they want to interact with the dogs and most of them do. In the morning when Rocky goes outside the cats come running across the yard and head butts him well try to he's kinda tall for them, if he's in the house and laying down the cats go over to him and head butt him.

Then he can sniff if he wants so don't like being sniff and they'llleave others don't care and turn around and head butt him.

So yes they can live together but only if you enforce a strict ,the cats "are not to be screwed with rule!" Anything short of that ..good luck!

But to break it down simply, would let your GSD behave "that" way with a child?

Just my 2 cents as a multi do ,multi cat household for many many years.


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