# My Dog is finally getting along with a Cat!!!



## Argentin (Nov 14, 2015)

After being raised in a closed yard for 8 years, my German Sheperd has become very anti social and would try to attack any animal it saw.

One year later, he now plays with my sister's cat as if they've been friends forever.
I'm so glad I didn't give up on him, and I'm sure I'll be able to make him a dog friend as well


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Fantastic!


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## MineAreWorkingline (May 2, 2015)

Great video! Looks like they have become the best of friends and enjoy each other!


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## Jen H (Jul 26, 2016)

Awesome!


Question! How did you get him to this point? I have a 14 week old that chase my 1 yr old cat all the time. I hate having to lock up the cat in his cat room - as he gets along great with the other 3 dogs. My pup has high prey drive too. We have tried the intro numerous times...holding him in the sit position, but then kitty runs and chaos starts! Any tips?


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## Argentin (Nov 14, 2015)

Jen H said:


> Awesome!
> 
> 
> Question! How did you get him to this point? I have a 14 week old that chase my 1 yr old cat all the time. I hate having to lock up the cat in his cat room - as he gets along great with the other 3 dogs. My pup has high prey drive too. We have tried the intro numerous times...holding him in the sit position, but then kitty runs and chaos starts! Any tips?


My syster went into a holiday for 2 weeks, and I decided to move at her for that period of time, so I knew I had to get them to get along.
During the past year I've done a lot of training with him, teaching him to listen to me so it the process didn't take more then 3-4 days.

I basically let them meet real close, while keeping the dog calm and making sure he wouldn't bite.
His natural was to smell the cat, so I've let him do it, making sure he wouldn't bite her.

I've done this for a couple of days until he started realizing it wasn't a threat for him anymore. He pretty much started ignoring the cat after a while, and then I've trusted him enough to take the leash of, and let them free around each other while keeping a constant eye over them.

The whole idea is to let the dog know it's ok to be around animals, but not violent.
And now, 2 months after they've started being friends, they actually play together and feel comfortable around each other.

Now I've actually started the process of making him friends with a small dog, I hope I'll be able to post some pictures soon


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## Jen H (Jul 26, 2016)

Argentin said:


> My syster went into a holiday for 2 weeks, and I decided to move at her for that period of time, so I knew I had to get them to get along.
> During the past year I've done a lot of training with him, teaching him to listen to me so it the process didn't take more then 3-4 days.
> 
> I basically let them meet real close, while keeping the dog calm and making sure he wouldn't bite.
> ...


 It has only been about a little over a month. Each day it does get better. Jinx (my cat) perches on the dining table and Zulu (my GSD puppy) will want to jump up to see him. A couple of swats (no claws) and Zulu gets down. BUT - that is with me and an husband within arms reach of the pup. We have been giving Jinx a treat and Zulu a treat at the same time and praising - seems to help. But, man oh man - is Jinx runs across the room the chase is on...hence the restraint! My other 3 dogs do not mind the cat and do play with him. With Zulu having a high prey drive we are taking it very slow. Thank you so much for your insight!!!!!!


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## Argentin (Nov 14, 2015)

Jen H said:


> It has only been about a little over a month. Each day it does get better. Jinx (my cat) perches on the dining table and Zulu (my GSD puppy) will want to jump up to see him. A couple of swats (no claws) and Zulu gets down. BUT - that is with me and an husband within arms reach of the pup. We have been giving Jinx a treat and Zulu a treat at the same time and praising - seems to help. But, man oh man - is Jinx runs across the room the chase is on...hence the restraint! My other 3 dogs do not mind the cat and do play with him. With Zulu having a high prey drive we are taking it very slow. Thank you so much for your insight!!!!!!


I'm really happy to hear you guys are making progress, but restraining your dog will only delay the training.
You have to let them free so he can start chasing the cat.
Each and every single time he starts chasing, you must put a stop to it immediately while being totally firm and let the dog know you're not playing.
Only by stopping it time and time again will your dog learn it's not ok to do it.

You'll probably do this very intensely for 2-3 days, but if you're firm and don't budge from this training, he will soon learn to stop it.
That's pretty much how you stop any unwanted behavior


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## islanddog (Jun 27, 2016)

@Argentin Kudo's to you, what an absolutely beautiful story. That video is really cute, he's mirroring your cats play style--really cute, and making himself small (lying down to be 'cat-sized'). Sounds like you've done some really good work with this dog, (name?). Congrats. I LOVE cats, and dogs, and love to see them getting along. 
@Jen H
It's important to stop the chase before it begins. You need to become an expert at recognizing 'the look', that is the stare (however brief) that happens before the dog gives chase. Cat chasing can be incredibly dangerous (sometimes deadly) for cats, so take it seriously. It would be good to start a separate thread, as all dogs, (and cats) are different.


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## CatChandler (Jul 25, 2016)

Argentin said:


> I'm really happy to hear you guys are making progress, but restraining your dog will only delay the training.
> You have to let them free so he can start chasing the cat.
> Each and every single time he starts chasing, you must put a stop to it immediately while being totally firm and let the dog know you're not playing.
> Only by stopping it time and time again will your dog learn it's not ok to do it.
> ...


That's a really good way to get a cat killed.

What works for one person will not work for everyone. How are you supposed to stop a dog if he's not on lead? If he wasn't paying attention to voice commands when he's on lead, why would he pay attention when he's not? Islanddog is right, you need to stop the dog from fixating on the cat, and that's done before the dog makes any movement whatsoever.


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