Can You Switch Off Prey Drive?

[Kirty]

My Great Dane is becoming increasingly interested in my cats. Unfortunately, as her confidence grows, so too does her prey drive. She has been raised around the cats, and didn't use to show much interest. Now she watches them through the window VERY keenly, and when I bring her inside she gets a bit too rough with them. I am now shutting the cats away when she is inside. She is almost 12 months old.

Is it possible to train this out of a dog? Or is it going to be a management issue.

[Nekhbet]

you can control prey drive. If my working Mal can do it anyone can supervised interaction and a good trainer who will help with showing the dog no prey satisfaction comes from cats is the way to go

[Cosmolo]

Yes you can teach the dog that the cats are not a prey object. But you need to do it asap before she gets too many rewards (internal not from you) for being predatory towards the cats.

[bedazzledx2]

I would be managing the situation. You may well be able to train it until a disaster happens and her prey drive is rewarded and you have a dead cat. When you are not around to supervise separate them for everyone's safety.

My Great Dane is becoming increasingly interested in my cats. Unfortunately, as her confidence grows, so too does her prey drive. She has been raised around the cats, and didn't use to show much interest. Now she watches them through the window VERY keenly, and when I bring her inside she gets a bit too rough with them. I am now shutting the cats away when she is inside. She is almost 12 months old.

Is it possible to train this out of a dog? Or is it going to be a management issue.

[Kirty]

They are NEVER alone together (dogs are only inside when we are home), but she is a big dog and my foster kittens are tiny - one quick snap and she'd kill them.

Tam, I think its time for another visit! LOL!

[dianed]

Yes you can. I had the same problem when I got 2 kittens in March. I already had an older cat which my young dog accepted but when I introduced the new ones she just wanted to chase and mouth them. First off it was sight only thru the glass door, her outside them in or vice versa. At night the kittens where locked away in another room. I put my dog on a lead and tied her to the chair base inside so she could see the kittens but not touch, I used to sit with her while they played around her, this probably took 3 weeks.

We,ve now progressed to sleeping on the couch together and them playing with her bushy tail, but every so often she will nudge them, so she,s sent back to her bed. They are now nearly 6 months old and can get out of her way, in all this time I cant understand how they have never tried to swipe her. She tries to play games with them but she is just to big and rough.

Its my dogs job? to keep the foxes and roos away from the garden so shes very prey driven. Persistence and patience I,m afraid and the word no many times over. Hope this helps you.....

[voloclydes]

my cat won't be chased he attacks back.... claws are a very nasty weapon, if the cat will use them. my friend also has a very nasty cat that will stand and fight... not only that he will attack the dog till it is terrified.

we have used our jrt to chase feral cats who have entered the house via the dogiie door. they know our cats from stray ones.... we did nothing really special.... to encourage it. i do believe however if pushed ours would kill a stray. up to date we have only allowed them to pin down to check that is was a feral and we disposed of the dead cat discreetly.

some how ours have come to learn good cats from bad.

[dianed]

my cat won't be chased he attacks back.... claws are a very nasty weapon, if the cat will use them. my friend also has a very nasty cat that will stand and fight... not only that he will attack the dog till it is terrified.

we have used our jrt to chase feral cats who have entered the house via the dogiie door. they know our cats from stray ones.... we did nothing really special.... to encourage it. i do believe however if pushed ours would kill a stray. up to date we have only allowed them to pin down to check that is was a feral and we disposed of the dead cat discreetly.

some how ours have come to learn good cats from bad.

We are very surprised out two haven't had a go at the dog, just one scratch and that would be the end of it I am sure. Maybe one day

[voloclydes]

yeah it often is one scratch and your out.

my friends cat is an attack cat (insert very nasty). she has a dog but burglars need to very scared of the cat. he's been known to attack her on the middle of the night loo run. :)

the dally hates going to her house, he has to be rescued constantly. he seems to have attracted the cats hatred, the jrt's do not get the same welcome.

[sas]

My Great Dane is becoming increasingly interested in my cats. Unfortunately, as her confidence grows, so too does her prey drive. She has been raised around the cats, and didn't use to show much interest. Now she watches them through the window VERY keenly, and when I bring her inside she gets a bit too rough with them. I am now shutting the cats away when she is inside. She is almost 12 months old.

Is it possible to train this out of a dog? Or is it going to be a management issue.

She's a Great Dane and it's in their genes, there are some of course that have rubbish drive.

I would reccomend learning to control the drive, K9 Pro (K9 Force) does distance courses on it.

[Kirty]

It just surprised me that it has suddenly gotten so bad. Especially seeing as she has been raised around them. Will get onto Cosmo again.

[Steve K9Pro]

K9: You cant or at least shouldnt try and switch off prey drive, it is an instinct that is part of the dogs genotype...

You can however communicate that your cats are not a trigger for prey drive, this may be escapating if your not doing anything with the dogs drive, leaving it unguided is a recipe for problem behaviour...

[Whipitgood]

I have whippets that love chasing small furries. My guys are inside and outside dogs, treated as part of the family. So are the cats. I have 3 whippets that have grown up around cats since birth and 2 that have been introduced to them at a later age. They have always been taught not to chase them and are usually good. However, i have had 2 cats that are very friendly with the dogs, playing together and one cat that wont let the dogs anywhere near him and will lash out if the dogs so much as glance at him.

Both cats that were too trusting of the dogs and despite the dogs being trained not to chase them - were killed by my whippets. I was horrified because they would sleep together on the bed and would play quite happily together. The cat that stands up for himself is still alive and they stay well away.

Unfortunately, a running cat has proved to be too much for the dogs on both occassions and instinct took over. The first time i only witnessed the end so am not sure what triggered it (they were all asleep together on my bed and i think the aircon blew the door closed, startled the cat and the dogs reacted). The second time i did see it and it simply started off as a game, then chase, then they caught him and before i knew it they got too rough, the cat naturally reacted, so they got stuck in some more and that was the end.

My point is - never trust that they will be OK together, I would never have suspected my beloved dogs would kill my beloved cats. They always got on so well together. I was devastated and learnt my lesson the hard way. It turns out it was one of the bitches who has been around cats since birth - who was the instigator in the 2nd incident and when there is a pack of dogs i think it turns into a bit of a frenzy.

[Adnil444]

I have whippets that love chasing small furries. My guys are inside and outside dogs, treated as part of the family. So are the cats. I have 3 whippets that have grown up around cats since birth and 2 that have been introduced to them at a later age. They have always been taught not to chase them and are usually good. However, i have had 2 cats that are very friendly with the dogs, playing together and one cat that wont let the dogs anywhere near him and will lash out if the dogs so much as glance at him.

Both cats that were too trusting of the dogs and despite the dogs being trained not to chase them - were killed by my whippets. I was horrified because they would sleep together on the bed and would play quite happily together. The cat that stands up for himself is still alive and they stay well away.

Unfortunately, a running cat has proved to be too much for the dogs on both occassions and instinct took over. The first time i only witnessed the end so am not sure what triggered it (they were all asleep together on my bed and i think the aircon blew the door closed, startled the cat and the dogs reacted). The second time i did see it and it simply started off as a game, then chase, then they caught him and before i knew it they got too rough, the cat naturally reacted, so they got stuck in some more and that was the end.

My point is - never trust that they will be OK together, I would never have suspected my beloved dogs would kill my beloved cats. They always got on so well together. I was devastated and learnt my lesson the hard way. It turns out it was one of the bitches who has been around cats since birth - who was the instigator in the 2nd incident and when there is a pack of dogs i think it turns into a bit of a frenzy.

Hi Whipitgood, what a horrible thing to have witnessed. It's hard to imagine that living and growing up together that this can happen. I've had Great Danes in the past, one had a high prey drive and the other 3 didn't and they all got on well with our cat - she was there first and was the boss. My new dog that I rescued (RottiexDobe) also has a high prey drive and she can't be trusted with small furry animals - the cats next door fascinate her, however, thankfully they don't come into my backyard, but sometimes they will be in my frontyard, but my dogs are only out front on lead (either to go for a walk or to get in the car). It does worry me though, that if the cats went into my backyard and my girl went for them. I'm hoping the cats do have some sense and will stay away.

I hope your other cat is ok. It's hard to stop something that is naturally in them. Where I take my dogs for their morning walk, they were both offlead, however now I keep my girl on lead as there have been a few rabbits and she chased a feral cat. I don't like her chasing other animals and I certainly don't want her to catch another animal either, cause I'm pretty sure she would kill it if given the chance. She is now on lead for her morning walks.

[Kirty]

Wow, that is very scary. Thankfully, the animals do not interact unless we are there. Cats are inside, dogs are outside. Dogs come inside when we are home. I don't trust any of my dogs with the cats, but Phoebe is definitely the scariest.

[whippets]

Yes you can. I have rehabilitated my ex-racer greys to not want to kill small animals. I can also recall my whippets from rabbits.

[geo]

Wow, interesting read, sad to here about the cats...... I guess though a lot of dog owners can't really trust their 2 dogs not to fight occasionally, and this can end in some serious harm, so i wouldn't ever trust my 2 with other animals.

The older one has a lot of drive, and the pup is learning a few bad habits, but i have alot more control over him, we have a lot of dingos out the back and the older bitch just wants to chase them (she has caught up with a few and just rounds them up makes them scared and walks away..?), the dingos have managed to tear up a few domestic dogs in the area so this is not a good thing.

has anyone tried e-collars 'cause i'd like to know some educated opinions from people who've used them, i hear they can have great results, i've read a lot about them and would purchase one but there is no-one near where we are NT who is experienced enough to help train me.

[Robbi]

I have nothing to offer as at the moment I am having cat worries as well but I have tried to make plenty of hiding places and high spots around the house for the cat. My Whippet has always been a bit of a worry with the cat but now I have Abbie(Bull Arab X)I find myself constantly making sure that they are not using the cat as entertainment-they will both snuffle at him when he is rolling on the ground and Abbie rubs her nose on him, I am not sure what this is about and stop her when she does this, there is no mouthing but still I am not sure?

I had a Staghound that had been bunny hunting many times and she was great with our farm cats but would rip a feral one apart if she had the chance, our cats knew instinctively never to run thankfully but it was always a concern trying to switch off the prey drive at home.

ETA-Sorry to hijack the thread

Edited May 15, 2010 by Robbi