# Stop Chasing the Cat!!



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I'd leash her for a while - and when she so much as glances at the cat, call her to you, ask for something easy like a sit, and give her a treat, and then play areally fun, exciting game. Every time she chases the cat it is so much fun and so reinforcing that it makes it more and more likely that she will do it again - somehow you have to break the pattern and teach her an alternative behaviour. Leashing her gives you control to prevent her chasing, and to teach her an alternative behaviour that is even more reinforcing - food AND a fun game! I have to say that the call "Leave that cat ALONE!" is still heard regularly in this house, but the dogs do now usually listen to me and rather reluctantly comply!


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## Lplummer52 (Oct 26, 2013)

Great idea! I will try that today. Thanks. I never would have thought of the leash.


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## Chells_Aura (Dec 7, 2012)

Chell is really starting to learn a rock solid "Stay" all thanks to our velcro kitty Tiko who just keeps walking through the house. 

Luckily tho he's realized that she'll only chase him if he runs... so he walks very slowly and carefully, she still follows him but she's gentle about it and just licks him not knowing what to do with him if he's not running.

It's still a major work in progress tho... and her Leave-it is getting better every day!

But like fjm said... We give her lots of praise and attention/fun/food when the cats are around and she ignore them... and she slooowly seems to be getting that that is the proper behaviour!


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## BorderKelpie (Dec 3, 2011)

You can always try what I did (accidentally). The dogs completely ignore the cats now that we have a house-pig. lol

Tango (the pig) has NO trouble handling the dogs' attentions. 3

Seriously, though, leash that puppy to you at all times that she's not in her crate or pen. Every time she misbehaves and gets away with it makes it easier to misbehave again. You yelling (barking) at her only encourages her chasing as it sounds (to her) that you are excited and joining in the chase - even if you actually mean to chase her. Swatting her with a rolled newspare will just teach her to fear you and objects in your hands. Swatting or hitting is a primate thing - other species don't understand it and it can frighten them. It will eventually destroy the bond you are trying to build with her. 

Carry a tug or toss toy with you everywhere and a pocket full of yummy treats to distract her from the cat. You'll know you're on the right track when one day, she sees the cat and looks at you instead of it. 

Best wishes.


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## msminnamouse (Nov 4, 2010)

In situations like these, a triple pronged approach is helpful. As fjm advised, preventing her from practicing the undesired behavior is good (keeping her leashed will help your success) and teaching an incompatible behavior (your dog can't come to you when called and chase the cat at the same time) is a good plan of action but it'll be even more effective if you change your dog's emotional response to the cat first. It'll set her up for more successfully being able to comply with the operant conditioned behavior (recall, hand target, stay, holding eye contact with you, etc.) you've taught.

You'd want Madeline to have an calm emotional reaction to the cat instead of an excited one. A good way to teach this is to play the Look At That game. Here's a short video by Donna Hill showing how: 




It might also help to teach a solid "Leave it" (you can apply this towards her behavior towards the cat): 




Kikopup has more than just that one video regarding "Leave it". Here's her video index for the others. Free Video List | Dogmantics Dog Training

The beauty of keeping these things positive is that Madeline will be more likely to comply. Chasing the cat is rewarding, but if you make listening to you even more rewarding, then it's no contest.


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## Lplummer52 (Oct 26, 2013)

Thanks so much. Those videos are great. I'll try leashing her inside later today. We just got back from a long walk where I used the treats to distract her from picking everything up off the ground and it worked very well. She's zonked right now.


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## Suddenly (Aug 8, 2013)

Tali is our 5 lb cat.
View attachment 103082


When we brought Brandon home 3 months ago at 4yrs and was never around cats this is what I did.
View attachment 103090


I walked him on a leash for 7 days. 
Also when he shows interest in Tali I try to get his attention and distract him.







Hope this helps!
Sysan


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## Lplummer52 (Oct 26, 2013)

I can't see your attachments. I'll try to see them on Petguide.


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## Lplummer52 (Oct 26, 2013)

Okay, so this is the first night I've got the leash on inside and the cat is soooo happy! She knows just what is going on and knows that if Lena is on the leash, she won't be chased. I told Lena today that Scrunchie is #1 in this house and that she is #2. She needs to learn this. This leash thing seems to be working. She actually laid down when the cat was walking across the room. She's eaten enough treats to kill a horse! Dang. I watched that video that Msminnamouse sent and I think I counted over 50 treats in one training session! I've been doing this and now she won't do anything without a treat. There must be a better way. I'm giving her teeny tiny bits, but this is going to take a toll, right? I'm using chicken dogs with no nitrate or preservatives crisped up in the microwave. The cat just walked by and she didn't even attempt to chase! Wooohooo!!! I'm glad I found this Forum.


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## Maggie B (Jul 8, 2013)

We were having the same issue with our pup and our two cats, one thing our trainer recommended was to have our dog in a down stay near the cats while they ate. We would do this and give the dog her meal afterwards. It helped the dog to respect the cats and the cats to get more comfortable with the dog. Our trainer also said that cats seem to enjoy watching their dog siblings be trained . 


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## Lplummer52 (Oct 26, 2013)

How old is Mila? Madeline is 3 months old, so hasn't learned down stay yet. She will sit for a treat, but ONLY for a treat. Leashing her inside seems to work at least for the poor cat!


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## Maggie B (Jul 8, 2013)

Mila is 9 months. We started with the down stay pretty early on, but she definitely didn't have it yet at 3 months. If you can get Madeline to sit or lay with you or on your lap near the cat while she eats, that may help, that's what we did at first. I'm glad leashing is helping the cat, we did a bit of that around the cats too. She is pretty good around them now, although she still gets excited and chases once in a while. 


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## Suddenly (Aug 8, 2013)

Here is Brandon and Tali. When they are both near me I kiss each of them so they can see that they are both getting love so they feel good. I feel Beandon and Tali respect each other! Just takes patience.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Another thing I do is include the cats in turn taking games. I started these when the Poppy first joined us as a puppy, to avoid any fighting over treats - both dogs sit, and I hand out treats one at a time, saying "This one is for...Sophy!". Tilly-cat watched for a while, decided that the dogs really were getting good stuff for something as simple as parking their bums on the floor, and came and sat beside them. Sophy was a bit disgruntled at first at the idea of sharing with a cat, but quickly realised there were plenty of treats to go round. Pippin-cat prefers to join in from the safety of a chair, but also gets his turn.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

We've had cats and dogs together in the past, without incident, but I can't recall how we accomplished that. For sure, though, we didn't tolerate cat-chasing, and the dogs respected it. With Luke the Lab, there hasn't been a cat, except when we visit our daughter for a few days at a time a couple of times a year, and we haven't been particularly successful at stopping that behavior, probably because there isn't time for consistency. 

So, when my son's family left their tiny, tiny kitten with us for a few days (they didn't want to board her), I was exceedingly careful to keep Luke away. He could have done much damage just by stepping on her, to say nothing of chasing and (horrible thought) catching her. One evening, we were watching television and somehow ended up with both animals in the room with us. Luke was fascinated, followed the kitten around very carefully, and eventually settled down to give it a bath. The kitten was soggy from head to toe, but absolutely unharmed. Very, very sweet.


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## Lplummer52 (Oct 26, 2013)

Wow, that is very, very sweet. Madeline is NOT sweet. Thanks to fjm, I have things under control. Leashing her to me is working great! Thanks soooo much for that advice. I thought it was kinda goofy when I read it, but I would try anything and it has worked like a charm. She actually lays down and watches the cat walk by. And the cat it testing this constantly and walks by verrry slowly to see if she is safe. Anyway, this is a really good thing to control a high energy puppy. It as made all the difference in our lives! Thanks again, fjm!!!


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## The Opera Poodle (Dec 19, 2012)

Wow. This is a new one on me. All the dog/cat relationships we have had over the years, the cat always trained the dog not to chase them. 


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