How To Make My Puppy Respect My Cat?

[Tiger_bluez]

Hi again

My puppy Zoya was doing great in her first class and I am definitely a proud Mama. She is so smart and lovely. She is not overly hyper. She is happy just sitting down on my feet and chewing her bone.

the problem is I have a almost 4 years old Cat; Mocha. At the moment Mocha is the boss. Zoya was really scared of him but i noticed she gains her more courage now. When Mocha hisses or try to smack her with his sharp claw, Zoya would back off but soon she thinks that Mocha wanna play with her.

at the moment I think her intention is just wanna play with Mocha, but in the future I am worried that she will see him as his prey. I try to make sure that Mocha is in higher pack and she is at the bottom. I feed Mocha before I feed Zoya.

what else I should do to make Zoya respect Mocha?

n.b: What is the best flea treatment for a puppy? she has none at the moment but summer is coming so I wanna be prepared.

cheers

Edited September 10, 2007 by Tiger_bluez

[The Spotted Devil]

As a cat lover with a very active Dally puppy in the house....I can only tell you what I have done. My lad is desperate to play with the cats - he play bows and yips and does everything possible to encourage them. He is also around 25kg at 9 months of age so could easily injure them without even meaning to. Firstly I've worked on a good, solid "Leave" command (generally works for anything he is doing) - he's by no means perfect with this in terms of the cats but we are making progress. You must be 100% consistent and persistent!!! I always ask him to "Leave" followed by an enthusiastic "Good Boy!" when he does so (even as little as losing eye contact with the cat at first). Secondly, I never ever leave puppy unsupervised with the cats. Ever. One of them will give him a hard time (I don't encourage this as eye injuries can occur) but the other will make a dash across the room, which doesn't help. He has to learn they are not to be chased no matter what. If I cannot reinforce his behaviour (positively or otherwise) I don't have them in the same room. Thirdly, I always have a water spray bottle on hand for emergencies as sometimes the little rascal just can't help himself. Also make sure pup has enough toys to play with (and interaction with you) so they are more interesting (or at least as interesting ) than the cat.

It's hard work with some pups, especially if they are very active. We are getting there - I can sit at the computer with 2 cats snoring on my lap and Zig curled up in his bed on the floor nearby. I also identify times that aren't good for interactions.....especially for the half hour prior to the evening meal....pup is getting excited and the cats are restlessly prowling, waiting for their dinner :D and keep them separated.

Good luck

Edited September 10, 2007 by The Spotted Devil

[Tiger_bluez]

thanks for the advise. I am watching my puppy like a hawk. When i can't supervise her usually i put her in her crate. at the moment she still learning 'sit' 'come' and drop. I try to make her stop doing something when I say NO. so far still no success yet.

I know she means no harm and just wanna play. But I am worried it will affecting my cat personality and give him stress.

Since I have the puppy, his personality slightly change. He becomes a picky eater. doesn't wanna touch his normal food anymore. I give him mince and sardine. He is happy for awhile but seem to get fussy again. He doesn't seem happy. Usually he is a bossy cat and always want my attention.

I am not quite sure it's because his vaccination (happen after he got his vaccination) or because the new pup.

everytime I wanna pet him, Zoya (the puppy) gets very jelaous and starts jumping on Mocha.

I really want them to get along well. Mocha seems fine when Zoya in her good behaviour means no jumping toward him. I feed them at the same time and their bowls are near each other. Zoya leaves him alone when he is eating but soon he finish his food, Zoya will come and clean his bowl.

I am going to get a water pistol thing so I can use to spray Zoya off the cat.

cheers

[The Spotted Devil]

Yes, it's difficult to be patient....I know! One thing I forgot to mention - I make the kitchen (which has a separate breakfast bar area that we don't use) completely out of bounds to the puppy - if I was organised I would get a baby gate but I'm not so I just have to be vigilant. In the kitchen are the cats' favourite things - scratching tower, heaps of toys, fun cardboard boxes, they are always fed in there plus the litter tray. The girls can escape to that room whenever they please and laze in the sun safe from marauding puppy paws. Zig sleeps in the laundry (in his crate) - before I get him up in the morning I have some good fun with the cats - lots of cuddles and playtime. In the evening, Zig is in bed by 8pm and then we bring all the cat toys into the lounge room so we have some good interactive sessions. They are Burmese so love this time dearly.

I would feed your puppy and cat completely separately - even if puppy behaves it can be quite stressful for a cat. Spend lots of time with your cat when puppy is sleeping and Mocha will soon get used to the 'intruder'. My dearly departed dog and cat grew old together and were the best of mates - I'm hoping the same will happen with the current felines and puppy. I've been at this since the day Zig arrived home.....that is 7 months ago!!! Be patient

This was taken on Zig's first day....if only he had remained in awe of the cats :D

ETA: When you are trying to teach puppy not to do something you have to give him a better reason other than you saying so! At least to start with anyway....try keeping a few tiny treats on you so you are prepared. Ask him to "Leave" (try not to get angry or raise your voice - just firmly and calmly ask him) - keep persisting and the second he stops tell him "Good Boy!!!" and reward him with a tiny treat. He'll get the message much more quickly (and remember!) if you combine positive reinforcement with negative reinforcement

Edited September 10, 2007 by The Spotted Devil

[Gayle.]

My dog doesn't see our three cats as prey, he sees them as "play!" And he loves to play with them, especially our Burmese male. The two of them run around like a pair of hoons. He's also in love with our Maine Coon female, he loves to lick her ears and she lets him. She used to hiss at him but now she just lays there.

Cats have some definite advantages over the dogs....they are faster, sharper and can jump a lot higher.

[Tiger_bluez]

Patient... I really need it. She is so cheeky and loves to steal my stuff and drag it to my bed. I am waiting for a moment that I will be able to have a family pic together with my cat and my puppy.

btw...

how's to determine if my pup is in the right weight and not underweight?

a moment ago I saw her try to hump my housemate's dog. Is it ok? what I should do if it happens again?

and why my puppy eating grass?

is it ok to give her bones everyday?

cheers

Zoya 8 1/2 weeks old

[Zelahi]

Hello tiger_bluez,

we are having the same problem here with Freja she loves chasing the cats around, cleaning them and playing with them. She does get a little rough so we have been using the command "leave it" when she is about to chase after one or "watch" which is where we have her look at us to distract her from the cats. It is taking along time about she is getting better everyday.

We did this with our other dog Charlie and he now doesn't chase them but loves cuddyling with them.