# Girlfriend wants me to get rid of my GS....



## xterrabuzz (Apr 7, 2013)

We adopted Ava 11 weeks ago today from a local humane society. My gf's issue is she's being woke up at night due to the dog chasing the cat and they get quite rambunctious. She gave me an ultimatum today that it was Ava or her. We have been slowly working with her on various behaviors she may have picked up at the shelter. But she does chase the cat and it does get very loud. I was hoping to avoid kenneling her at night since she is in the kennel during the day. 
Live in a Iron River, Wis but work in Duluth, Minn about 40 miles away. So it is very difficult to find trainers to work with our schedule. What do some of you do stop bad behavior? She does not respond to my aggressive voice or a light tap on the nose when she engages in bad behavior. Do any of you kennel your GS at night? Any thoughts?


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

xterrabuzz said:


> We adopted Ava 11 weeks ago today from a local humane society. My gf's issue is she's being woke up at night due to the dog chasing the cat and they get quite rambunctious. She gave me an ultimatum today that it was Ava or her. We have been slowly working with her on various behaviors she may have picked up at the shelter. But she does chase the cat and it does get very loud. I was hoping to avoid kenneling her at night since she is in the kennel during the day.
> Live in a Iron River, Wis but work in Duluth, Minn about 40 miles away. So it is very difficult to find trainers to work with our schedule. What do some of you do stop bad behavior? She does not respond to my aggressive voice or a light tap on the nose when she engages in bad behavior. Do any of you kennel your GS at night? Any thoughts?


Can you put a gate up and keep the dog in the room? I'm thinking the cat will most likely stay out of the room if the dog is in there. Or shut the door with the dog in there? Your girlfriend every have any dogs before, rescue dogs? This is definitely not a reason to get rid of a dog. Dogs take time to train and get used to a routine and they really shouldn't be bounced around from place to place. I can honestly say if my boyfriend gave me an ultimatum between him and my dog, I would rather enjoy being single


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Put the cat up, instead of the dog? I put my cat in a spare bedroom at night, otherwise my shepherds would chase her around all night long. I would certainly give that a try. It works for me.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

**removed counterproductive**


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## Viperml (Mar 24, 2013)

**removed**


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## Sarah~ (Apr 30, 2012)

I would close the door with the dog in the bedroom and the cat in the rest of the house. Cats that I've had never did well being locked in a room, but the dogs would rather be with us at night.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

Something has to be done to keep the dog away from the cat. If you continue to let him chase the cat, he might kill it.
I got my dog at eight weeks thinking that we could make it work. So far, the only thing that has worked is having the cat sleep in the guest room at night.
You can't train him to stay away from the cat if he's allowed to run around unsupervised with it.
I'm sorry to hear about the girlfriend's ultimatum.


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

create her at night. Make sure that she gets plenty of exercise after you come home and before bed. Work with training her and get her mind worn out. 
That will have double good effects of keeping her quieter at night and making her less likely to chase the cat in general


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## Apoolutz (Jan 19, 2013)

**removed**


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

**removed**


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## Capone22 (Sep 16, 2012)

**removed** 


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Dainerra said:


> create her at night. Make sure that she gets plenty of exercise after you come home and before bed. Work with training her and get her mind worn out.
> That will have double good effects of keeping her quieter at night and making her less likely to chase the cat in general


*removed*.... Good advice!


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## Jack's Dad (Jun 7, 2011)

This is the OP's first post on this forum. I would suggest leaving the relationship alone and offering help on the cat/dog situation.

Not a good greeting to a new person IMO.


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## Cheyanna (Aug 18, 2012)

**removed** I would keep the dog in the room with you at night, if she will let you.


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## readaboutdogs (Jul 8, 2001)

I hope you work it out, if it were me, I'd leave him in my room with door shut.


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

Jack's Dad said:


> This is the OP's first post on this forum. I would suggest leaving the relationship alone and offering help on the cat/dog situation.
> 
> Not a good greeting to a new person IMO.


 
what a crumby spoiler post  :smirk:.

how many posts does he get before we are free to say whats on more than one mind apparently.


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## Jack's Dad (Jun 7, 2011)

x11 said:


> what a crumby spoiler post  :smirk:.
> 
> how many posts does he get before we are free to say whats on more than one mind apparently.


Apparently one.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

xterrabuzz said:


> We adopted Ava 11 weeks ago today from a local humane society. My gf's issue is she's being woke up at night due to the dog chasing the cat and they get quite rambunctious. She gave me an ultimatum today that it was Ava or her. We have been slowly working with her on various behaviors she may have picked up at the shelter. But she does chase the cat and it does get very loud. I was hoping to avoid kenneling her at night since she is in the kennel during the day.
> Live in a Iron River, Wis but work in Duluth, Minn about 40 miles away. So it is very difficult to find trainers to work with our schedule. What do some of you do stop bad behavior? She does not respond to my aggressive voice or a light tap on the nose when she engages in bad behavior. Do any of you kennel your GS at night? Any thoughts?


 How old is she?

Crate her at night. She obviously is not ready to have free rein. 

You could look into Doggie Day care during the day so she's not crated day and night.

You could shut the cat out of the room at night and keep Ava in. 

You could shut Ava in a larger room at night to sleep or during the day.

You could have a dog walker come in during the day to take her out and exercise her.


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## KB007 (Aug 27, 2003)

Dainerra said:


> create her at night. Make sure that she gets plenty of exercise after you come home and before bed. Work with training her and get her mind worn out.
> That will have double good effects of keeping her quieter at night and making her less likely to chase the cat in general


Could apply to puppy *removed* 

Seriously though, like this says its a simple management issue.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

when the dog is chasing the cat are they playing? is the cat running
back and forth like she wants to be chased as opposed to trying
to get away? i would either crate the dog at night or put the dog in
the bedroom with me and close the door.


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

Jack's Dad said:


> Apparently one.


gotcha, now that is sorted;

OP you need to get a good german made leather basket muzzle for the ......biped :laugh:


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## gsdlover91 (Jul 21, 2012)

llombardo said:


> Can you put a gate up and keep the dog in the room? I'm thinking the cat will most likely stay out of the room if the dog is in there. Or shut the door with the dog in there? Your girlfriend every have any dogs before, rescue dogs? This is definitely not a reason to get rid of a dog. Dogs take time to train and get used to a routine and they really shouldn't be bounced around from place to place. *removed*
> 
> Lmao, yeah, i would choose the same.
> 
> My dog has serious cat chasing issues. He sleeps in his kennel at night by choice - i leave it open, but I close my door at night so the cats cant get to him and he cant get to the cats.


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## curedba (Mar 31, 2013)

I would kennel her at night it is better that she be safe as well as the cat and that you and your GF get some sleep try to not have her kenneled so much in the day maybe hire someone to watch her in the day take her on long walks or bring her to doggy daycare to keep her busy while you cant be with her then kenneling her at night should not be a problem. 

*removed*


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

*removed*
Problem is, you don't get rid of the dog and you never deal with it again. Today its the dog, next year its the hockey jersey your ex gave you, then its god knows what.
Sit her down and tell her how much you love her, but under no circumstances is the pup leaving. You'll close the door/put the dog up/put a gate up etc and work on it. 
If it fails, I'd have some serious thoughts floating in my head... Good luck!


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## martinaa (Jan 5, 2012)

Enough sleep deprivation and any one of use would go over the edge eventually. Perhaps the girlfriend deserves a little slack.

For now, a closed door between the two hooligans is your answer. Crate door. Bedroom door. Any kind of door.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

martinaa said:


> Enough sleep deprivation and any one of use would go over the edge eventually. Perhaps the girlfriend deserves a little slack.
> 
> For now, a closed door between the two hooligans is your answer. Crate door. Bedroom door. Any kind of door.


Getting a rescue dog that one has no idea where it came from is comparable to getting a puppy. Everything is new and the dog/puppy are the ones that get the slack. Things like this are expected and solutions can be found and ultimatums are not needed.


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## Shaolin (Jun 16, 2012)

Crate the dog and have a very serious talk with your girlfriend. The pup being crated at night is fine as long as you do lots of play/fun time before you kennel her for the day. Don't worry about the dog being in the kennel for too long. At one point in time in his younger years, Finn was kenneled for 6-8 hours at night for sleep, lots of fun and play for an hour or two, then kenneled back up for another 4-5 hours until my MIL would wake up for the day.


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## Syaoransbear (Sep 25, 2008)

*removed*


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## MichaelE (Dec 15, 2012)

I was going to sort of dance around that subject but didn't want to PO the OP on his initial visit.

Some folks really need to read between the lines a little more, but I understand that not everyone will pick up on a problem like this.


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## martinaa (Jan 5, 2012)

Llombardo misunderstands. I wasn't siding with the girlfriend over the dog, I think the GF is just nuts from lack of sleep. She can probably still be saved. It's way too early to diagnose critical temperament problems or for all this talk about rehoming the GF based in the little bit of info here.


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## Seth08 (Jan 27, 2013)

I would just put the GSD in a crate at night it will sleep through the night in one and not chase any cats. Its a win win you get to keep the girl and the GSD cant chase a cat.


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## TommyB681 (Oct 19, 2012)

if i got that ultimatum.....pack your bags take walk. Theres a million ways to figure out how to separate the cat and dog. You need to get a handle on these sort of scenarios


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## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

*removed*

I hope you sort things out with her and the dog  Who's idea was it to get the dog? Was it a "lets get a dog together because it's not as much of a commitment as having a baby" or did you just really want a dog?


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I think we need to stay away from anaylzing relationship issues between two people based on one post by one party. Lets help him with the dog issue. If the dog is keeping her up at night and she is lossing sleep because of it, well that can put anybody on edge....as others have said!

I would really invest some time in the dog between the time you get home and the time you go to bed. When you are in bed she can be crated or possibly in your bedroom with the cat somewhere else...or you can take turns having one of the two animals in the bedroom. When you are working with her in the evenings keep the dog on lead and do obedience stuff whenever you see the cat and reward the dog for good behavior. 

I would keep the dog onl lead in the house at all times while working on the problem.

If this is a grown dog with established patterns it may never be safe between her and the cat...and the cat was ther first. I had a dog who I could not trust with the cat and wanted to keep them both and had to face the realit that when I was not there to supervise, they were separated.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I wouldn't let a puppy run around at night while I was asleep. Besides chasing the cat, there are too many dangerous things a puppy can find to get into .. and they usually do! As to the chasing-if the cat and puppy are playing that's one thing, but I still wouldn't let the puppy just chase the cat. Eventually, as the puppy grows, that can lead to a tragedy as he could inadvertently kill his friend if he gets too caught up in the moment. Giving his prey drive free reign on another household pet is not a good idea.

I also think some of what was said was from frustration and lack of sleep. Extreme response, but I can understand being exhausted. Hopefully an Option "C" can work.


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## Mooch (May 23, 2012)

jocoyn said:


> I think we need to stay away from anaylzing relationship issues between two people based on one post by one party.


Yeah I guess you're right but if that ultimatum wasn't part of the problem the OP would not have mentioned it. 
If it really was an ultimatum and not just something said in a bad mood it's a decision the OP will have to make.

OP Are you able to keep the dog outside in the backyard or perhaps build a bigger outside kennel for her? So she has a bit more space during the day when you're not home and you can then crate her at night.

I know owing a young dog can be hard, especially when you work full time and travel long distances to and from work. Mine do miss futon walks, especially in winter, I leave home in the dark and get back when it's dark  You might find with summer just around the corner walking her to tire her out etc will be a bit easier.
Does your GF walk her?


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## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

Crate or gate the dog off. Or do the same with the cat.

You're responsible for the care of this dog,

*removed*


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## TrentL (May 10, 2011)

Its too bad that the OP didn't just say "My dog chases my cat at night and keeps up my SO"

Because I bet this thread would be about 2 pages long of "Put the cat in a room or crate the dog"

And not 4 pages of psycho analyzing someone we don't know from the few words that one half of the couple typed 

That being said... my dog is in a kennel all day and at night he is crated... I do'nt need to crate him... he crates himself, he likes his crate, I don't see why you think this is cruel.

Make sure to get lots of play time in with your dog, walks and play, and some personal time in the morning and evening. But don't think that your being cruel to your dog because you don't crate him at night.

Have you ever thought about how cruel you are being to your cat? Forcing a night of being chased by something that if it catches the cat, one good shake of the head is a broken neck and death?


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I agree with Nancy,(and above post) keep the relationship out of it, and offer suggestions on how to combat the problem, 

With that being said, easy fix, crate the dog at nite or lock the cat in a separate room.

I really dont want to have to come back later and remove all posts dealing with the 'relationship' of the adults in the house.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

After thinking about it, I have deleted all postings that are "relationship" based, since the OP DID NOT come here looking for relationship advice, he is looking for dog/cat advice.

If one has nothing to suggest that is pertinent to the OPS question, please don't post


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

You have to work your dog during the day so he will be more content to sleep at night, then it wouldn't matter it he was in his crate or sleeping in his bed. All of my dogs go to bed at bedtime. I have 2 cats one is only 1-1/2yrs old the other is 13. Once in a while the 2 cats will go at it during the night but the dogs don't get involved. 
I have a very strict NO CHASING the cat rule. Your dog is the new one and he has to learn your rules and that its not a free for all.


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## Franksmom (Oct 13, 2010)

I crate my Cats at night. 
I have a tall crate made for cats they have their bed and litter boxes in them, top doors are open all day cats can go in and out of the crate to use the box get food or water. The bottom doors of the Crate stay closed, this keeps the dogs out of the litter boxes.
At night I go to the crates put the food in and call the cats, they jump in and I shut the doors till I let them out in the morning. 
I dont' let my Dogs chase my cats AT ALL. Too much prey drive, fun can turn in to a bad injury too easily.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

I have found that the more tired a dog is at night the better I sleep. I think the crate for the dog and a room for the cats is a great idea.


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## MichelleMc (Mar 3, 2013)

If you do not have a extra bedroom you can always put the cat in the bathroom. My cat sleeps in the bathroom. He has his box, bed and food in there. He goes in off and on during the day and stays in at night. This has allowed him to live semi peacefully with my gsd for 10 years. And they HATE each other.

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## gmcwife1 (Apr 5, 2012)

The pup sleeps in her crate at night but we also have baby gates up when she gets too frisky with the cat. So the cat always has a room to go into (or a bed to go under).


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## lily's master (Jul 16, 2012)

I didnt see where the OP ever responded back. I hope they figured out a solution for the puppy and everyone involved.


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## Kaity (Nov 18, 2009)

*removed* find a TRAINER.


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

Kaity said:


> ... *removed*quote]
> 
> or a girlfriend that is a great trainer
> 
> wouldn't that be great:laugh::laugh:


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## x11 (Jan 1, 2012)

so just wondering how this would play out if the GF could read this thread...yikes


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I've removed the "girlfriend" insults


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## EJQ (May 13, 2003)

Dah! Love me - Love my dog!
Seriously, maybe the solution would be to remove the source of the problem - the cat. Separate the two of them when bedtime arrives.


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## AngieW (Nov 13, 2012)

The dog and cat need to be separated when they cannot be supervised until you can trust them. Note that you might not ever be able to leave them alone together.

I would crate the dog at night or at least confine the dog to one room that the cat is not in.

During the day, I would probably try to do a doggie daycare at least 1x/week or have a dogwalker a few times each week. If you have a fenced yard, you may be able to have your GSD in the yard while you are at work when he is a little older.

Kylie stays in the yard when we need to leave the house now. When she was younger, she had to stay in the crate, but she is good in the backyard now. I feel much happier about her being in the backyard for a few hours than being stuck in the crate. 

As your GSD gets bigger and more used to her situation, you can probably either leave her in your yard or have her loose in the house (or at least a gated area of the house) while you are at work.


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## KYH (Apr 15, 2013)

We just got a pup and we have a serious issue with him chasing the cats as well. Part of the problem seems to be that he has never seen cats, and he misses interaction with other dogs. We put up a large gate in the living room so we can separate the house into 2 equal parts. The cats get one part of the house and the dog gets the other. At night, the dog sleeps in a crate right now (but I'm home all day so I feel okay with doing this). I would suggest doing something like this, so the cats don't hate the dog for the change in routine and the dog doesn't feel like its being caged. He will still have run of some of the house and the cats do too. We found an extra tall extra wide gate at toysrus that has been perfect and I think would be tough for an adult GS to jump over. Granted, my dog is still a puppy so he might prove me wrong one of these days. We did have an issue with the one cat jumping over the gate, but we were able to block off the top a little big with a second smaller stand alone gate nailed to the wall.

I understand your GFs concern. People need sleep to function, to work, to get time alone. I have a 3 year old special needs daughter that never sleeps plus a new puppy in the house. While the ultimatum is a bit harsh, I do think there is a compromise to be made somewhere in there. Sleep deprivation is no fun though! Especially when you aren't used to a new routine. I would sit down and explain that you are trying your best and making a plan to keep the animals apart at night and also socializing the new dog. It seems like a big change that everyone needs to get used to.

This is the gate we have, it fits a pretty wide doorway but that also depends on how your house is set up.

PROTECT Extending Metal Gate T&W by Munchkin - Munchkin - Babies "R" Us

for awhile when our cats were fighting, we were doubling up a similar gate so the entire opening was blocked off. It worked well for cats but I don't know if a full sized dog could knock it down
Protect Easy Install Safety Gate by Munchkin - Munchkin - Babies "R" Us

Good luck!


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

Absolutely nothing wrong with crating the pup or separating them at night. Maybe give your pup a big work or do some obedience exercises before bedtime to tire him so he's sleepy once he goes in his crate if you choose that option.


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