I have 6 month old lab mix Baylee. He was abandoned outside right before Christmas. I also have six cats. I have a decision to make now the no kill shelter that we had him on a waiting list for now has room. I would have to surrender him this Saturday. I have gotten attached to him. I can see this is going to be a whole of training work! He was hyper as heck and still is quite active but at least everyone can take a nap now and he will lay down in his pen and nap himself now.

Most of the time he is fine with the cats I have worked at aclimating him from the 1st day he came I put mat in his crate that had been slept on by the cats. I read if smells are familiar that it eases the transition. The cats can be near him while on a leash and he generally does not bother them. The puppy is never free to roam the house he is either on leash or in a large fenced pen. Some of my cats have gotten to be at ease enough at this point to sleep near the pen. They get annoyed because he can be noisy he loves to toss and knock around a two litter bottle that we give him to play with. He makes it crackle and pop. He loves the noise. I find it annoying too but it keeps him busy and happy. I am worried about keeping him because sometimes he chases or charges without reason. I think it's an interest in play. He is not barking or snarling. Is there any way to tell if he will eventually be good around my cats?

I have one cat that is disabled and cannot run away easily if he were to be chased. I don't want to allow any chasing period actually. I don't allow my cats to fight or bother one another. I have considered just always keeping the dog in another room when we are not home. That would be lonely though. Right he stays in our garage (which gets some heat) when we are not home and at bedtime. There's a crate for him to sleep in. I'd like to eventually have him sleep in the house but he is ok with the current arrangement. There's no crying or anything. I've tried to leave him in his pen and he gets antsy and wants to go to his crate in the garage. How long did it take for your Lab to get used to the cat. How do you discourage any lunging or chasing? Tell me your story. The picture is of the snow loving Baylee.

We've always had dogs and cats together with no problem. Even our newest foster, now permanent, who had no experience with cats gets along fine now. You have already done much right. Next is to relax a little. All the animals will pick up on your tension and it makes the situation worse. :-) Then make sure Bayley knows the command "leave it". If he starts to chase a cat use the command. If he stops praise him. If he doesn't crate him for a short period of time. Let him out and resume training. Just be consistent. He will learn.

Puppies have a lot of energy and the drive to play is STRONG (and sometimes outstrips the thinking part of their brain!) He is not trying to be mean or to hurt your cats- he's just curious and wants a playmate. You will need to make sure YOU give Bayley enough playtime so that he can relax with the cats. Playing ball, tug of war, fetch, etc. when the cats are NOT around will help get his energy out. Anything so he associates you with play and not the cats.

Our boy Zeke, who started out not knowing what a cat WAS, and would chase him just to find out, now can be found snuggled up together with kitty at night! It can work!

If I was in your situation I would have my dog assessed by a prof. trainer. One that is reccommended by a rescue perhaps. You can get some idea of your dog's prey drive. All of my labradors (7), and 3 of my 4 GSDs learned to be good with cats. IMO training and consistent boundries are what makes the difference.

Baylee is cute as can be, and he is certainly young enough to work with. Even my lab that had intense ball drive and was food aggressive ended up being good with cats.

We had a kinda opposite problem...our Lab was being terrorized by our super-playful kitten. Charlie the kitten just wanted to play w/ Brady (the Lab) and would chase his tail, pounce on him...just generally drive him nuts! Brady would get up and leave, it got to the point where Brady was almost never in the same room with us because of the kitten being around. He'd hide out upstairs. Eventually we started doing positive reinforcement with Brady.....basically we would just keep little peices of treats around and anytime the cat would try to play with Brady, we'd give him a treat for staying calm and not getting nervous. Eventually he started to realize that the kitten being around meant he got treats...so now he stays nearby even when Charlie's around. In fact, I've caught them playing together a few times, and Brady definitely has chilled out a little and realized that the cat's not necessarily a bad thing for him!!

We have 3 cats(they are9,8&7)They were not thrilled(they still arn't lol) with Vida.Vida thrives on chasing them pouncing on them and rolling them :(

She is puppy classes and now knows "leave it" We tell her to Leav it and No kitties when she chases them.IF she doesn't listen she goes for a 5 minute crate quiet time.Now when they pass she looks at them and most of the time does not chase them.....until she does her but tuck silly run in the evening then she goes hog wild and chases them until she gets caught and put in her crate!

I think with consistancy everything will work out!Baylee is so cute!

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v1980/202/1/751300005/n751300005_5621947_3511.jpg

I have a 14 yr old cat who rules the roost here. She loves dogs, no fear once so ever will evaluate every dog that enters the house then walk up depending on the dog energy. If its a pup, she knows not to run and stands her ground. But obviously all cats are not alike.
You need to build your kitties confidence by reassuring them and giving your pup a consistent command and necessary boundaries. Puppies basically want to play with anything and everything that moves, and the cats are fitting that protocol right now. You need to give a command, a time out and redirect his attention to a toy or treat stuffed kong. It can be done especially with a 6 mo old pup. ;)
I've had one cat aggressive foster (a hound mix), and even she learned to leave the cat alone after awhile. As other posters metnioned it simply takes patience, time and consistency.

Here my kitty Oreo and foster pup Fischer:
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn22/Chelsey_32_photos/ConklinClan/Fischer%20Cruz/18Sept2008030.jpg

I am having this same problem with my 13 month old Lab. Most of the time he really just wants to play. You can see it in his body language: bowing, barking, jumping around. I have 6 cats, three are mellow and three are more anxious around him. The smart ones don't run, just move real slowly. One of them will sleep on the bed with our dog occasionally. But I get scared when he pounces at the cats---he weighs at least 85 lbs. I'm afraid he will accidentally kill one of them. Sometimes I feel bad for them, they were here first. I hope things improve over time. He doesn't understand "leave it"; maybe I'm not teaching it right.

sounds like you're on the way anyway.(meaning, the dog is getting better and will continue with your help to get even better!)

He's still here probably to stay but does not have free access to the cats. I do see my cats as being here first since they are smaller and can be hurt by the dog they have the highest priority. So far I know I will restrict his freedom any time he lunges or chases the cats. That might be what you could do for the person with the 85 lb dog. A dog that big could easily kill the cats even accidentally why allow that to happen? Wouldn't you be absolutely distraught if something happens to one of your cats?
Leave it has done little for me so far it's been better suited to inamimate objects but barely.
My catch phrase has been "nice to the kitty" every time he has an interaction with them and to encourage him to lay down or at least sit. He gets it. Heck he understands "I've got the goodies". If he's slow to obey a command all I have to do is utter that phrase and he's doing what he's supposed to. Most of the time rewards are praise so treats are a big deal. We practice feeding the cats in front of the dog he gets fed after them as a treat. We have training sessions with treats occasionally. My cat have been taught to sit. So the dog practices his obedience training and the cats sit or sit up. The cat gets a treat first then the dog. He's learning not to go after the treat he knows he will get one too. Supposedly if you go for that pack dog stuff the animals fed first are dominant. I don't know if I buy into it but I am trying it. Hopefully he will see them as part of his family and learns to share.

Somehow we still have to advance to no pen and perhaps a long leash. Since he wants to play with them I want to figure out how to teach him to play nice.

Right now we have 4 dogs and 2 cats in the house.

Some people may not agree with what I do, but so far no problem.

I set the pack order, I'm alpha, next are the cats, then the dogs.

I stage training times. I eat, then I give some to the cat in my lap, after the cat is finished, then we work our way down the dog order.

If the cat wants to drink out of the water bowl, he gets first claim.
If the cat wants to sit on the sofa, he gets first dubs.

As a rule I do this the first week or two, and the big kids get the idea.... cats rule.

Of course what works in one home may not work in another.

Or you could just do what my kid brother did... he let his little 5 lb kitty nail his Akita puppy, five across the nose.
Eleven years later, that dog still won't mess with a cat.
(true story, but don't suggest doing it)

My cat is the ruler here. All dogs better bow down to the king, or get a smack down. No claws of course, but Buster my cat came first before the dogs. What cracks me up, I have Busters food dish on a stand that is higher up, and while he eats, he'll throw a mouthful down to the peasants, Shelby and Cody who wagging there butts waiting. :rolleyes: I keep telling the dogs not to stoop to that level, but food is involved, stomach over rules there brain.

Glad to hear Baylee is still with your family. Just keep working with him and over time he will be able to leave them alone, without you having to tell him or at least play nicely with him if that is what you choose to do. Keep us posted on his progress...

It takes lot of time and patience. I do think cats and dogs can live together. I grew up with cats and dogs under the same roof.

I have my own cat and dog now. Our first lab Kellsie was best friends with our cat Sabrina. When Kellsie died of cancer, our cat was heartbroken. The cat had stayed with Kellsie on her dog bed the entire time she was sick. The night before Kellsie crossed over the rainbow bridge our cat knew. She did not leave Kellsie all night long. Not for a minute.

After Kellsie was gone our poor kitty was depressed and did not eat. She grieved with us, she was part of the family and she missed her best friend with all of her heart. I honestly can say she is different to this day because she still misses her yellow friend.

Well we now have a new lab Thunder, and let's just say our cat did not become fast friends with him. When the new boy arrived Sabrina hated him. She stalked him, swatted him, drew blood. Being a young pup, he did not "get it!" He wanted to play and she was going to be his playmate even if she did not like it. I thought I ruined my cat's life. I cried, I felt terrible, the dog would not leave her alone. I wanted to send him back to the breeder. My husband kept saying "give it time!" Thunder wanted to make friends with Sabrina, but she did not want anything to do with him.

I eventually hired a trainer to come out to the house. Thunder needed basic obedience training, but the cat issue was going to be part of the training too.

She taught us to put Thunder on the leash with his prong collar. We had to "set him up" so he could learn how to treat the cat. When the cat would approach we would walk back and forth by her with Thunder on the leash. If Thunder lunged, jumped, or even looked at her, he got a correctional "pop" with the prong. We had to do this over and over, 2 or 3 times a day until he could go by the cat without even looking at her. I can tell you it was exhausting!

Then we graduated to having them sit together. The cat would be on my lap and the dog would be close by, in a sit/stay or down/stay. He had to sit looking at the cat without lunging or moving towards her. My husband would give him a correction if he lunged or did anything inappropriate. He had to learn the cat was "his" boss and he could not terrorize her.

I NEVER thought this would work. I NEVER thought they could be in the same room without Thunder having a leash on.

I do have to tell you it has been almost a year, but they roam freely around the house together. It is not "true love" and they are not "best of friends" but they live in harmony for the most part.

Thunder is high energy so he gets into the zone where he wants to play and rough house with the cat, she will put him right in place. She doesn't use her claws anymore, but he knows she is boss, and we his pack leaders inforce this.

It is not an easy fix and you do have to be assertive and take charge, your dog and your cats can read you and know how you are feeling. I was feeling so bad about my cat and feeling sad, that I was putting negative energy forward and that was making things worse. Once I decided "this dog is NOT going to terrorize my cat" I started to see progress.

I am glad you still have your pup. Keep working hard, you sound like you really want to make it work and keep him with you. From experience it takes time, patience and the desire to be successful!

We've been lucky that all our labs and cats get along. When I did have labs as pups, as soon as they started to chase the cats we'd say a firm NO! Just learning that stopped it. My labs I have now were from Breeders who had cats so they were used to them. My cats will wash the dogs, sleep on the dog beds. We leave them alone together in the house when we leave and have no problem or concerns doing that.

Keno was full grown when we got her (14 months) and she was very good with 2 litters of barn kittens in the house. So we had no problems with her with the adult cats nor the litter box.

I applied the same idea as 4lablady. If the dog looked like she was going to chase or go after the cat a loud NO was issued. The dog means Sidney. She is my only dog that I do not trust with a new cat. Luke and Kya are ok. Luke could care less and Kya thinks every new animal in the house is strictly there for her to play with. I recently adopted a cat from the shelter, Bob. I assigned a cat only, safe room and used a baby gate so only the cat could go in the room. Bob seemed to know that was his room. He spent alot of time in there until he was comfortable. He would venture out and if he ever felt the need, he would run into his room. The dogs knew they weren't allowed. I always use the "be nice to the kitty" phrase too. I would pet Bob and say "nice kitty" and let the dogs sniff him while he was on my lap. My new foster puppy was very good when meeting the kitty too. But, oh when the kitty runs, that's really fun. :) Didn't take Bob long though to figure out the puppy is a fun toy too.
In short, just be consistant and give it time, they will be best buds before you know it.

I'm a First time post-er...ever in my life.
We are having issues with our 6yr old cat Daisy and our 1yr old Lab mix Java Bean.
Similar to the stories I've read in this post, Daisy is non-social (we don't get many visitors and are quiet people) and our dog is very much a grown puppy, meaning 90lbs of playful excitement.

Even when Java was 8wks, Daisy was literally petrified of this tiny puppy. She would run in any direction to get away from this furry brown thing that was so interested in her. Daisy would spend literally days under the bed hiding.
We ended up putting a baby gate up just so Daisy could have a few rooms to feel safe. Periodically we would take the gate down so they could "mingle" because Daisy was pretty much living back there fulltime. Unfortunately Java was the only one interested in mingling. Daisy hid under the bed and growled at the dog.

And now a year later......still in the same predicament.

We had went to puppy classes, have taught her a number of things (sit, leave it, down, off, roll over). Understandably Java is still so interested in the cat. On rare occasions Daisy will think the dog is outside and will hop over the gate, then a mad (chasing) race begins around the dining table, through the kitchen, and back again..... it's so stressful. Makes me think of the comic strip Marmaduke. : ) And its like Java doesn't hear us telling her NO, or Leave it.
I truly don't believe she wants to do any harm to the cat, she just wants to figure out what she is and get a good wiff of her.

Anyone have any ideas how I can calm both the uptight cat and the playful puppy? Without feeling bad about it?
Because I truly hate having the cat in a separate room all the time and don't want to hollar at the dog anymore.

jworth,

Welcome to the boards!

If you post in the "Welcome Wagon" forum, I'm sure you'll get some replies.

Best,

Anlina

We were lucky I guess. Wrigley came home with us at around 12 weeks of age and he had no problem with her at all. But he was originally an abandoned pup and we took him in so I think he was just happy to have a home and not cause any trouble(with the cat at least) Magic our cat was used to dogs, due to us having Murray the pug at the same time we got Magic. And we dogwatch my dads lab and Magic was used to that. For some reason, none of our dogs have ever had a problem with her. Maybe because technically she is Top dog or Top cat I should say.

We got our pup at 10 weeks old. We have two cats (11yrs old and 18 months old), we have left them to get to know our pup in their own way. Our cats have the upstairs of our house, while Oscar (our pup) has the downstairs.

Our kitten is great, and does not run when Oscar bounces around him..giving them a good relationship. It has been 5 weeks now, and Oscar will walk up to the kitten and smell his backside, the kitten in turn will cheek rub Oscar's nose!! They are still a little nervous out in the garden together, but I am seeing progress.

Our older cat, often runs when Oscar approaches, therefore causing all the wrong reactions..I just tell Oscar NO and hope it will work eventually..sometimes he stands his ground to Oscar, and I say well done to our cat and give him loads of attention. Our cat now will come downstairs when Oscar is asleep and will occasionally sleep on a chair right next to Oscar!

Good luck with it all..and remember there are lots of us going through this at the minute so you are not alone!

Most of the cats have grown more comfortable with the dog. One cat in particular really tries to greet nose to nose with the dog and will sleep near his pen. She tried to jump in his pen to defend him when my husband and I were holding him down to remove a tick off of him. He doesn't want allow such things. The dog will still randomly lunge not in a vicious snarling way but you can tell he is aiming to grab the cat. Tails are a especially tempting. One of my long hair cats wags his tail back and forth while he's thinking. Baylee tried to get his tail but got hair that just slip out of his mouth. Most of the time he just wants play though. I am debating on how to move to the next step or if I should just continue to keep him in his pen and not rush things. Baylee is not trustworthy around any object everything is for licking, chewing or otherwise putting in his mouth. This is another reason he is not free to roam. We'll be pursuing obedience training in the next two weeks now that his shots are done.
I have taught Baylee to ring a cow bell to ask to be let in an out. However, when I tried to switch to a larger bell so I could hear him better from outside he stole it. He now runs around the yard with a bell (on a strap) in his mouth joyously ringing it. I will ask one neighbors if they can hear it and make him stop if it annoys them. He leaves the other smaller bell on the door alone except when he wants in.

it is nice to hear that it is possible to work! Tucker is coming home this Friday and we have a maine coon cat he is really lovable and thinks he is a dog so i am praying that they get along!!;)

Here's a few pics that prove that dogs and cats CAN get along! ;) One when our yellow boy was pretty much a pup- with his best friend. And one within the last year with our current cat. :rolleyes:

(as to claws in the nose- that's what it took to convince our lab girl to stop chasing the kitty! She ignores him completely now!)

I have 3 cats and when Coco came to live with us he was 8 months old and never been around cats. There were some trying days to say the least. Its been just over a year and he still like to try to chase them but they put him in his place pretty quick. For the longest time they cats who have free roam of the house would stay in the basement and I would put a gate up so the dog couldn't go down.

If I was in your situation I would have my dog assessed by a prof. trainer. One that is reccommended by a rescue perhaps. You can get some idea of your dog's prey drive. All of my labradors (7), and 3 of my 4 GSDs learned to be good with cats. IMO training and consistent boundries are what makes the difference.

Baylee is cute as can be, and he is certainly young enough to work with. Even my lab that had intense ball drive and was food aggressive ended up being good with cats.

I have 5 cats and 2 Labs and I agree. Dogs chase cats because its fun, you need to do other fun things with your dogs. I take mine out, or to the park and by the time we come into the house they both are out like a light.

Tiring your dog out will give your cats a chance to see the Lab when its not bothering them. They become less afraid and over time will stop running, which stops the chasing. I supervise all meetings between them just like I would with children and animals.

It can be done.

Molly used to try and pick Moglie up when he was little. Now look....

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g156/HomeDepotGurl/IMG_1847-1.jpg

It takes reinforcement and patience. Show your dog chasing cats isnt the funnest thing in the world.

I'm a First time post-er...ever in my life.
We are having issues with our 6yr old cat Daisy and our 1yr old Lab mix Java Bean.
Similar to the stories I've read in this post, Daisy is non-social (we don't get many visitors and are quiet people) and our dog is very much a grown puppy, meaning 90lbs of playful excitement.

Even when Java was 8wks, Daisy was literally petrified of this tiny puppy. She would run in any direction to get away from this furry brown thing that was so interested in her. Daisy would spend literally days under the bed hiding.
We ended up putting a baby gate up just so Daisy could have a few rooms to feel safe. Periodically we would take the gate down so they could "mingle" because Daisy was pretty much living back there fulltime. Unfortunately Java was the only one interested in mingling. Daisy hid under the bed and growled at the dog.

And now a year later......still in the same predicament.

We had went to puppy classes, have taught her a number of things (sit, leave it, down, off, roll over). Understandably Java is still so interested in the cat. On rare occasions Daisy will think the dog is outside and will hop over the gate, then a mad (chasing) race begins around the dining table, through the kitchen, and back again..... it's so stressful. Makes me think of the comic strip Marmaduke. : ) And its like Java doesn't hear us telling her NO, or Leave it.
I truly don't believe she wants to do any harm to the cat, she just wants to figure out what she is and get a good wiff of her.

Anyone have any ideas how I can calm both the uptight cat and the playful puppy? Without feeling bad about it?
Because I truly hate having the cat in a separate room all the time and don't want to hollar at the dog anymore.

You cant blame the cat. And I'll be honest, if ANY TIME your cat has a confrontation with your dog is during a "mad chase" that cat is NEVER going to get over there fear.

I have a long haired maine coon who HATED DALE, and was petrified of him from day 1. I dont recommend this for all people but Ill tell you what I did.

I am personally not for keeping animals scared of eachother separated all the time.

Dale never wouldve hurt her, he chased her because she absolutely freaked at the sight of him and ran.

So every night, or every other night, I would leash Dale, sit him down, and hand his leash over to my grandpa.

Then I would go and get Yoda, make sure I had her back nails in my hand so I didnt get scratched, and I would sit on the couch near Dale.

If you try this and your cat is really scared, start by sitting away from him, maybe on another piece of furniture the first time.

The first time you do this, dont do it for long. Let the cat go and hold the dog so the dog does NOT chase her when she runs, and she will run, thats fine. Do it again and again, once a night and hold the cat a little longer each time. Sit closer to the dog gradually.

Youll get to the point eventually where maybe the dog (who is still leashed) can sniff the cat.

Let the cat go and again HOLD THE DOG.

This will get your dog used to NOT chasing the cat and it will get the cat used to NOT being chased.


It took months with Yoda and Dale, but it worked. Be patient, and dont push. You have to introduce them to eachother in a controlled environment.


Yoda was so bad she peed at the sight of Dale so it can be done!

Edit to add, I left out the most important part.....When you are doing this make sure to verbally praise your dog for sitting, being calm, IE not barking, etc. Barking/whinning is bad cause itll freak the cat out. Have someone reward him while you are holding the cat. Its important the dog is calm.

Use the word EASY in a praising tone. I used to do the "Easy....good boy....EASY" This will come in handy down the road with future confrontations because that is the word you will use anytime he is near the cat. "EASY"

'No' doesnt work. We use NO for too many commands.

Baylee is still penned around the cats but ocassionally is allow to walk around with a six foot leash dragging so I can grab him I follow him around. The cats are not fond of this and look scared. I was surprised that one of the cats who really is scared of him was on table above him when he was exploring she looked at me made a sing songie noisse and reached down to touch his back with her paw. His head was underneath the table he was very absorbed and didn't even notice. I think we will hook him up to a cinder block each night in our living while we watch TV and allow them to start getting used to each other without a fence in between them.