FANG Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 (edited) Is there a way that I can teach my dog to consider my cat to be of a higher rank? I am concerned as she has nipped at him a few times and growled at him when I put him on her bed. Edited January 23, 2007 by FANG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 why did you put the cat on the dogs bed? The dog has every right to shove the cat off if the cats going to take over. leave them be. Give each animal its respective beds and they will sort the relationship out themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arya Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 I would no way try to do this. Let the dog be higher rank. Never leave them alone together when you are not around if the dog has nipped the cat - or the cat may get hurt or the dog may get a scratched eye (seen this as a vet nurse lots of times). If you are the highest rank, other humans next, the dog next, the cat next, the dog is more likely to accept the cat as he/she is and not try to nip. The cat won't care about rank issues - in the cat's mind it is the king/queen of all it surveys anyway LOL. But as Nekhbet said, never put the cat on the dog's bed. You can't make them be friends. If they are going to be big buddies they will come to it themselves. The reality is, however, that many dogs and cats that live together aren't really big buddies. For example, my dog and cat get along just fine. But the dog feels she is ahead in the pack. HOWEVER, interestingly enough, she never takes the cat's toys when they are lying around and sticks to her own. She does try to stir the cat up now and again but for the most part is peaceable with her and likes to sit next to her. Why doesn't she take the cat's toys? Cos I have told her not to and I am Alpha! Good luck with your pets ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FANG Posted January 21, 2007 Author Share Posted January 21, 2007 Thank you for your advice! I do not trust them alone together so I always ensure my dog is wearing a muzzle when I leave the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Can't you just separate them when you are out? It is not safe to leave a muzzle on your dog when unsupervised, especially for long periods of time and in this weather! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FANG Posted January 21, 2007 Author Share Posted January 21, 2007 Can't you just separate them when you are out? It is not safe to leave a muzzle on your dog when unsupervised, especially for long periods of time and in this weather! Why is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Most if not all muzzles restrict breathing to some extent - and today is 40 degrees where I am! I am worried about my dogs in the heat normally, muzzled they could easily overheat and die. And while a muzzle may prevent your dog from killing the cat, it won't solve the problem as the dog can still chase and harass and the cat can still attack. Same as with two new dogs, only have them together under supervision until you are sure they are OK. And some dogs can take the muzzle off anyway, or the muzzle could get stuck or tangled, and the dog could hurt itself. Certainly you can have the cat inside, dog outside, or the cat in a separate room? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FANG Posted January 21, 2007 Author Share Posted January 21, 2007 I don't think her muzzle restricts breathing and she is easily able to drink water through it. My dog is a Greyhound so she is very used to wearing a muzzle even though she doesn't like it. She is not able to take it off. I have never seen the dog chase the cat and the cat has plenty of hiding spots he can go to get away from the dog. The cat has also never attacked the dog. Of course, one can never know what will happen when one is not there, but I think that the most likely problem to occur would be the dog getting excited and carried away and biting the cat. I am concerned that if I leave her outside she will howl or bark and piss off the neighbours. If I put the cat in a separate room that would mean I'd need to move his kitty litter, food and water every time I leave the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 (edited) You shouldn't leave a muzzle on a dog unattended incase anything happens to the dog. Your dog has every right to get cranky at the cat for being on its' bed. If they don't get along then seperate them.....cats and dogs aren't natures best friends after all. Big deal if you have to move everything for the cat. I don't see an animal problem here. Edited January 21, 2007 by sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 (edited) . Edited June 7, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybeece Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 (edited) Honestly, you really need to reconsider leaving them alone together Just because the dog is muzzled doesn't mean she can't still traumatise the cat and get more worked up about him. Also, just because the dog will have trouble hurting the cat, the opposite is not true. Cats can do an appauling amount of damage to a dog's face/eyes if they so desire. As for dominance issues, you can't force it to go one way or another, however you CAN teach the dog that aggression towards the cat is not acceptable. My dog used to go feral (lunging, barking, snapping) if he saw one of the cats eat so it was far more serious that a snap or 2. A few sessions with a check chain and verbal corrections sorted that out so he can comfortably watch her eat without a problem now. Regardless of the current interspecies peace, I would NEVER leave them unattended I think you're pushing your luck letting the cat go near the dog's bed as you're just setting her up to fail and repeat the same aggressive behaviour towards the cat. I'd say that if you feel it's necessary to muzzle the dog around her then they must not be unsupervised. Why not crate the dog while you're out or lock the cat in another room? It's not particularly difficult to do. And from what I've seen muzzles most certainly can restrict breathing, especially in this hot weather. Edited January 21, 2007 by jaybeece Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 muzzles can get caught, paws get caught in them etc. Plus even been head butted with a muzzle? trust me a dog with a muzzle can still cause injuries. Have the cats stuff already in another area off the house, like the laundry. When you go out, kitty gets locked in there with all its mod cons and dog is happy. Never push the cat onto the dog, it will just resent it more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytmate Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Greyhound muzzles do not restrict breathing at all. However unless the dog is confined to a kennel, they do risk catching it on something around the house. A wire muzzle is especially dangerous in this regard. I would keep the cat in a seperate area when you are out. You haven't had the dog very long and so she will need time to get used to the cat. If the dog is behaving herself inside while you are out, there is no reason to think that she would not be quiet and well-behaved if left outside. As long as you have a well-sheltered area you will be ok. Ask the neighbours to listen out for you and let you know if she doesn't settle down and get used to it after a couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FANG Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 Thank you for your advice everyone. Also thank you to Greytmate for clarifying that (as I thought) Greyhound muzzles don't restrict breathing. I was actually wondering what on earth the owner of a Greyhound was supposed to do when walking their dog on a hot day! I have had a look around the house and don't think I can see anything that her muzzle would get caught on. It occurred to me that locking the cat in my room is not particularly a good idea anyway as he might be inclined to harass my fish if he's left with them unsupervised for a long time. However, I could always lock the dog in my room with a bowl of water and leave the cat to the rest of the house. My house is very small so it's hard for me to permanently move the kitty litter to a different spot. The laundry doesn't even have its own room. I am pretty sure that if I did leave them alone together without muzzling the dog that nothing would happen. Most of the time they just ignore each other and I'm fairly certain she just sleeps while I'm gone (which isn't all that often or very long, by the way). The only times the dog has nipped the cat has been when I've been holding the cat on my lap and she's been sniffing him and then become a bit carried away. I will be sure to avoid interfering in future (unless it's to stop aggressive behaviour of course). Thanks again everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arya Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 A greyhound muzzle doesn't restrict breathing, fair enough. I'll tell you what, those soft black muzzles sure do though! They look like they would be the best option but I'd never leave one on a dog for more than a short time. Dogs overheat so easily. With yoru dog, don't forget the damage ol' kitty can do to your dog's eyes! Look, as a vet nurse I did see this fairly regularly. Even when just playing the cat's instinct is to go for the face and unfortunately, the eyes are vulnerable. As I said in my other post, my two get on great. But always be aware that dogs will be dogs and cats will be cats. Separation is the only truly safe solution. I'm not being critical of you at all. I think it's great you've got the two in the house together. But you just have to make provision for both when you are out, to be on the safe side and avoid vet bills for either pet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Why can't you simply block the room off (the one that has the kitty litter etc. in it) in such a way that the cat can escape to it (should it ever need to ..... and by the sounds of it, this has not been the case) but the dog can't follow? The animals, generally speaking, will sort themselves out. Make sure you are the dog's leader - as perceived by the dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytmate Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 The only times the dog has nipped the cat has been when I've been holding the cat on my lap and she's been sniffing him and then become a bit carried away. It is hard to give advice without seeing the behaviour first hand, and I could be wrong, but just taking your post on face value, the dog nipping the cat in this situation is a definate danger sign to me. Please seek advice if you can from an experienced person who can observe the behaviour first hand. As an interim safety measure I would never leave the cat and dog alone together. Always muzzle the dog when it has access to the areas of the house that the cat also has access to, never have them meet each other outside the house, and always completely separate when feeding so that they never have access to each others food, bowls or feeding areas. Have a water spray bottle handy to spray your dog's face should she get "carried away" in future. I may be wrong, but I could not just sit here and read that and not say something. In the mean time here is some fantastic general advice for all dog owners. NILIF Why can't you simply block the room off (the one that has the kitty litter etc. in it) in such a way that the cat can escape to it (should it ever need to ..... and by the sounds of it, this has not been the case) but the dog can't follow?The animals, generally speaking, will sort themselves out. Make sure you are the dog's leader - as perceived by the dog. This would be good advice for a dog that has not been bred or trained to chase a fluffy lure, or for a dog that is not faster than a cat. Unfortunately a greyhound does not fall into either of those categories. Some greyhounds have been known to sort out cats by killing them. I would hate to see that happen here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 This would be good advice for a dog that has not been bred or trained to chase a fluffy lure, or for a dog that is not faster than a cat. I'll bow to your greater experience with Greyhounds, GM :D. I could picture a GH catching a cat on a stretch with speed. Guess I don't conjure the same image in such a small house as the OP describes, where running starts might not be quite so easy. But I presume GH's are also bred and taught to reach top speed from standing starts, so I guess that figures ............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FANG Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 Arya, thank you for your posts, which came across as helpful, not critical. Erny, the cat's kitty litter is kept under the stairs. He is able to get under the stairs but the dog is not. This is one of the many hiding places that the cat has that the dog is unable to access. Greytmate, thank you so much for your posts. You have me worried now, though. I was extremely concerned the first time she nipped the cat (especially because she's a Greyhound) but when I talked to the Greyhound Adoption Program people, they seemed to think that it was just a sign that she wants to play with the cat. Two vets have since told me that she is asserting dominance over him. One lady from the adoption program was even extremely rude to me (to the point where I started crying after the phone call) when I was concerned for my cat's safety and wondering if I could keep the dog. She said "of course the cat is terrified - you just need to give them some time" (the cat is no longer terrified, so that's why I kept her). I have the dog on a 28 day trial until January 28. I'm really unsure what to do. Another problem I'm having is that after having her for two weeks, she had a really upset stomach. It proceeded and I rang the foster people from GAP and was told chicken would "bind her up", but that's what I had been feeding her. On the fifth day I took her to the vet and she's now on anti-biotics and a special diet. She came to me underweight and with dandruff and her coat is in poor condition. I am very upset because she is supposed to be vet checked! I have found the GAP to be quite unprofessional thus far. I don't know who to seek advice from! If it helps, I've had this dog for over 3 weeks now and she's only nipped the cat a couple of times. As I said, they mostly ignore each other. The first time she nipped him I said "no!" very harshly and she stopped immediately and had an "ohhh, okay" look on her face. They are fed separately without access to one another's food. I have read the NILIF link you sent me, which is very helpful and I will certainly put that into practice. Thank you again for your posts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greytmate Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Fang, GAP in Tasmania is very under-resourced and has just had a change of management, not that that is any excuse for rudeness. I would be happy to talk to you about your greyhound, and hopefully help you with some of your concerns. Please feel free to call me on 0417 725 684 and we can have a chat. I coordinate GAP in Queensland, but I am happy to help greyhound owners whatever state they are in. The dog was probably vet checked, but it sometimes it takes longer than the couple of months they have in foster care to get the dog into top condition. I can suggest some things to try to improve the dog's weight and coat, and would be interested in hearing about the diet that the vet has suggested. The fact that your cat is no longer terrified is a really good thing, and if it is just playfulness or dominance, rather than prey drive, it won't be too hard to stop the nipping. Good luck with the NILIF. It will provide a good grounding, so that you will be in the best position to work further with the dog and teach it that cats are not to be nipped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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