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You have a gundog - developed to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game. They have a very strong prey drive. It's difficult if these dogs aren't socialized with other animals from a very young age. You will have to do very slow and careful socialization, with reward for the dog for being calm around the cat, and no-reward marker for the dog when he's not. It is going to take a lot of time and patience, but it can be done. Good luck!
Is this your 4 month old Catahoula puppy that is cat aggressive?
First, the dog cannot have the run of the house. Keep puppy confined in a crate when you are not there
( or behind a tall, secure pet gate.) Puppy cannot have the opportunity to chase a cat. You have to make sure you don't do anything to reinforce that behavior.
When you're around , tether puppy to you with a leash. Any attempt to move toward, bark, growl, etc. at a cat must immediately be met with a stern NOOOOOOO- Leave it !! Your voice has to sound like you mean it. No screaming , but low and stern. Do not try to calm the dog. No, " It's OK, see the nice kitty ", petting the dog, etc. That reinforces in the dog's mind, that the cat is something to worry about.
Clicker training may work well with this puppy. You would use it to teach and reward the dog from turning away from the cat. Too long to go into here, but lots on the internet.
If you and anyone you live with works consistently with the dog, you may get to the point where puppy can be off leash in the house with cats when someone is home. However, I would never, ever, leave the dog alone with the cats . This young puppy is already demonstrating a strong prey drive, not just curiosity about cats. Even with a trained dog, the temptation to chase and kill may be too much. A tough minded breed like this, that will get in close enough to keep a feral hog at bay, is not going to think twice about killing a cat if allowed to make its own decisions.
Is this your 4 month old Catahoula puppy that is cat aggressive?
First, the dog cannot have the run of the house. Keep puppy confined in a crate when you are not there
( or behind a tall, secure pet gate.) Puppy cannot have the opportunity to chase a cat. You have to make sure you don't do anything to reinforce that behavior.
When you're around , tether puppy to you with a leash. Any attempt to move toward, bark, growl, etc. at a cat must immediately be met with a stern NOOOOOOO- Leave it !! Your voice has to sound like you mean it. No screaming , but low and stern. Do not try to calm the dog. No, " It's OK, see the nice kitty ", petting the dog, etc. That reinforces in the dog's mind, that the cat is something to worry about.
Clicker training may work well with this puppy. You would use it to teach and reward the dog from turning away from the cat. Too long to go into here, but lots on the internet.
If you and anyone you live with works consistently with the dog, you may get to the point where puppy can be off leash in the house with cats when someone is home. However, I would never, ever, leave the dog alone with the cats . This young puppy is already demonstrating a strong prey drive, not just curiosity about cats. Even with a trained dog, the temptation to chase and kill may be too much. A tough minded breed like this, that will get in close enough to keep a feral hog at bay, is not going to think twice about killing a cat if allowed to make its own decisions.
Sorry you have confused me with someone else...my Catahoula mix is 6 years old and she's adjusted to having cats around fine.
must immediately be met with a stern NOOOOOOO- Leave it !!
I prefer not to use the word "no" as a no-reward marker as it is too common in conversation and might confuse a dog - I actually make a buzzer sound with my voice - like they just got a question wrong on a game show You can use any word/sound you want as long as it's not something you commonly say and is specific to your dog (and doesn't even have to be that stern most of the time if you use positive training methods). Be sure the rest of the family is on-board too because if not, it will be tough.
Anyway, OP I know this poster wasn't talking about your dog but this still applies
Last edited by FriendOfWaffles; 04-01-2014 at 01:35 PM..
Has anyone had any success turning around a dog with SEVERE aggression towards cats.
Dog is a Flattie mix...about 2.5 years old.
"SEVERE aggression" - can you explain what you mean by that? How many cats has this dog killed?
If this is simply a matter of chasing and barking at cats, sure we can work on that. But I would not bring a cat around a dog that has killed multiple cats. That would be unethical.
Here is a basic protocol for integrating cats and dogs. Again this is for dogs that chase and bark at cats, not for dogs that have caught and killed cats:
Cat is provided a “safe zone” to which dog does not have access.
Exercise below is practiced daily until “safe zone” is no longer necessary.
1) Teach Dog Watch and Leave It. (See videos below).
2) With dog on-leash, release cat into dog area. (Hold end of leash, sit on it, or create a tether attached to a heavy piece of furniture.) Never ever yank on the leash!
3) Ignore “bad” behavior as much as possible. (Dog is restrained/confined and should not be able to do any real damage)
4) Reward with a treat for any steps in the right direction. Examples: Dog looks at cat and stays calm, Dog voluntarily sits or lays down in cat’s presence, Dog looks at you instead of cat, etc.
5) Begin to incorporate Watch and Leave It where appropriate.
6) When dog is generally relaxed in cat’s presence, begin to allow movement throughout the room with dog still on-leash. Reward appropriate behavior. Use Watch and Leave it to redirect unwanted behavior.
7) Final step would be leash attached and dragging behind dog – step on it if necessary. Continue to provide feedback – reward good behavior, redirect inappropriate behavior.
In the early stages try to catch any step in the right direction and reward that. For example if the dog is straining to get to the cat and then for an instant strains a little less - mark that moment with a reward! We can raise our criteria once the dog catches on to what kind of behavior earns him the reward. The dog has to have some success in order to learn what we're asking for and to feel motivated to repeat those good behaviors. Remember that rewards are determined by the DOG, not what the handler believes "should" be rewarding. The reward must be valuable enough to the dog that he is willing to choose it over the cat!
This protocol is taken from a Whole Dog Journal article on integrating cats and dogs:
1. Stimulus (cat) appears at sub-threshold distance, which is the distance at which the dog sees the cat and becomes alert but doesn’t start barking and lunging.
2. Owner begins feeding bits of high value treats to the dog as long as the cat is in view near threshold distance. (I like to use chicken for this as it is very high value for most dogs).
3. Cat disappears from view.
4. Owner stops feeding treats.
5. Repeat these four steps until when the cat appears, your dog looks at you with a big “Where’s my chicken?” grin on his face. We call this a “conditioned emotional response” or CER. When you have a consistent CER at your starting distance, you can decrease the distance slightly and repeat steps 1 through 4. Every time you obtain consistent CERs you can increase the intensity of the stimulus – bring the cat closer, have the cat move a little faster, introduce two cats . . .
I'm sorry - I did have you confused with someone else. However, my advice still stands , except for the breed comment.
It will be even tougher with an adult dog who has ingrained behavior at this point in time. But I'm sure you can make some progress.
And we always use " No" here. IMO dogs darn well better understand what " no " means. If they're boarded they're going to hear "No". They're going to hear it at the groomer's, at the vet's, at the dog park. If they go to advanced training for various types of competition, as ours do, they will hear " no". They will hear it if they try to jump on visitors laps and they reprimand them. Dogs aren't stupid, they understand what words mean in specific instances. You can, of course, come up with any word you like. Just understand that no one else is likely to use it, leaving your dog confused out of your home and when dealing people other than yourself. Simple, common, command words work well with animals.
This, I love the short videos for training tips vs reading something in a book - watching it done is way more helpful.
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You can use any word/sound you want as long as it's not something you commonly say and is specific to your dog (and doesn't even have to be that stern most of the time if you use positive training methods). Be sure the rest of the family is on-board too because if not, it will be tough.
