Help!

[bossesowner]

So Easter Monday I adopted a male Kelpie cross Staffy named Boss as my friend's shire had been on their backs about having too many dogs.I hate seeing dogs being shot (I'm from the Mallee in Victoria) or taken to the rspca so I decided I'd take him if no one else had after two weeks.He is 10 months old and by looking at him you wouldn't believe his dad was a pure bred staffy.He's extremely smart, I can walk him off a lead and he only runs 20m from me then comes back without being recalled all in all he is pretty darn perfect except for one thing. I've had a Ragdoll x Himalayan Cat for 2 years and she is approx 9 years old, I rescued her from the rspca in Bendigo.Boss just wants to play with her but he won't be calm around her so she takes off and he chases and scares the living crap out of her!It's only happened a couple of times but I just worry it's stressing my cat out. :-(I know I can't force them to get along but if anyone has any ideas I'd be grateful. My cat is pretty shy, if I have a friend around you won't see her.. it took her a few weeks to warm up to people that come around fairly regularly. I just don't know what to do. Boss will be more of an outside dog once the fence is fixed, and yes I know it wasn't the brightest idea getting a dog without proper fencing but I have been thinking of getting since before I got the cat. I am also planning on getting a playmate for boss in a few months for company for him while I'm at work and am wondering should I stick to kelpies or maybe get a different breed? I'd love a heeler but feel they are a lot more work as I had them growing up. I was also thinking maybe a whippet.. but most likely will be a rspca dog or rescue dog sort of like Boss.Sorry for getting a bit off topic. :-/I have attached a photo of my new boy too. 

Forgot to add I particularly want to have to have the cat and dog separated all the time either and would like the cat to be comfortable around the new addition.

Edited April 26, 2014 by bossesowner

[VizslaMomma]

Welcome :D

He is one beautiful dog with plenty of smarts & brains.

I would settle down training Boss before even considering adding another dog into the mix. Yes, it is great to conside a pal for him. But you would not want to add one & create a pack that will harrass the cat even more.

What's the current set up? Does your cat have a safe from Boss place or do you have a crate?

[Salukifan]

The first thing to do is to stop the chasing.

Dog on lead whenever they interact.

[bossesowner]

They are never alone together and Boss only starts trying to sniff her and play with her when he spots her.

She's pretty sly getting around unnoticed and has a lot of hiding spots.

Boss is outside on a 3m chain (only temporary til the fence is fixed) when I'm not home and the cat is an inside cat.

The cat does come out and try and investigate him while he's asleep lol but never goes the way she plans.

At night he sleeps on the bed (I know it's going to be a nightmare changing that habit) and she sleeps where ever, on the couch in my wardrobe.

Every now and then she'd sleep on my bed, I just let her do her own thing.

Last night I thought I'd had a mini break through. Boss was to my left sleeping when she jumped up to my right, I was patting her and had boss by the collar as he inched his way across. The cat hissed a couple of times but didn't take off but I knew if I let Boss go it would be on!

Was nice he didn't bark or sook like he usually does, I've sort of started getting on top of the barking at other dogs and cats, I just have to distract him for a millisecond and he'll stop. I'm starting obedience training hopefully next Sunday and agility training so hopefully that might help a bit..

[bossesowner]

And yes I agree about adding another dog to the mix, that's why it will be down the track but I like to plan somethings out a bit so I know what I'm looking for or doing. I think he probably harasses the cat because he came from a house with 2 sometimes three other dogs to play with. Also I do separate them for a few hours just so the cat doesn't stress out too much. She's currently in the laundry/hallway where her food and kitty litter is and I do still give her time and pats away from Boss.

Edited April 26, 2014 by bossesowner

[dancinbcs]

Baby gates in the house that allow the cat to pass through but not the dog, would provide safety for the cat and put an end to the chasing.

[bossesowner]

That's a fantastic idea! Thank you!! :)

[persephone]

..and why do you HAVE to change the sleeping on bed habit ? After all - it is something you have now taught him. ... if you wanted him to sleep elsewhere- that's where he should be now - secured ,so he cannot run around teh yard barking all night and learning BAD habits like chasing cats/possums/rats /fence fighting , etc ....

[melzawelza]

Keep him tethered or on lead while around the cat, use a crate, or the baby gate idea as mentioned.

You need to control his behaviour so he can't practice the very fun chasing behaviour.

Work on his obedience independent of the cat so that he listens to you eventually while around the cat off the leash.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Did you actually cat test the dog before taking him on?

He could end up hurting your cat. There are some good suggestions above but my rule is that my existing pets must come first.

Is your cat used to dogs?

Owning pets is a huge responsibility, chaining a dog up is not great - the fence should have been fixed first.

Sorry to sound harsh but the reality is that you really need to think things through thoroughly before jumping in and ending up in this situation.

[bossesowner]

I know it wasn't the brightest idea being unprepared and taking him in, I just didn't want to see him end up with a bullet for no good reason other than the previous owners having 1 dog too many in town.

And I hate having to use a chain, what I didn't count on was the owner of the house being away for two weeks to talk about the fence.

He won't care about having a dog, he's pretty cruisey but I need to talk to him about the fence before I go ahead with getting someone in to fix it as the neighbour's want the fence we share replaced. If they didn't want it replaced I would of got someone on to it right away. I am currently trying to round up a couple of baby gates to stop him chasing. He only chases her when im doing something like cooking tea. And its only happened 3 times, if I watch him like a hawk i know he gets excited when he sees her but he controls himself and will just have a little sook because he knows he cant go sniff and chase. Majority of the time he doesn't even notice the cat though and she'll stay out of his way wherever possibly.

[bossesowner]

He will be starting obedience next Sunday too.

[silentchild]

Agree with no chasing, it's a strict law in my house that cats always rule.

It may take some time, you say you've only just adopted the dog? I would be taking things very slowly - it may take months for them to start being comfortable around each other.

Baby gates are a good idea, I always use them when introducing new dogs or cats in the house.

Also make sure cat has a safe spot in the house where dog cannot access, and lots of places for cat to jump on or hide to escape from dog if being chased.

Edited April 27, 2014 by silentchild

[kelpiecuddles]

If it's mainly happening when you are dong something like cooking I would be implementing an 'on your bed' rule for when you can't easily supervise. My dogs beds are in a corner between the couch and wall and I have a simple piece of puppy fence across the front, they could easily push the fence over but they know that when the fence is there they must stay on heir beds. They sleep there at night and they are put there during quiet time in the day.

[bossesowner]

Thanks for the ideas, muchly appreciated guys. :)

Yes, only a week.. He's still a pup so he will be a handful (sort of) for a while yet.

The cat has plenty of hidy holes, half the time I can never find her lol she keeps finding new ones!

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Get a crate and put the dog in it and allow the cat some space but also be prepared for the fact that they may never get on - this is for inside the house.

You could get a dog run for the backyard.

You will be up for some expenditure if you are going to make this work.

Edited April 27, 2014 by Her Majesty Dogmad

[bossesowner]

Fence will be fixed in the next day or so, so shouldn't be too much of a problem when it's done as the cat doesn't go outside.

Will be investing in some baby gates too asap to help stop the chasing when they come across each other when I'm not looking.