# Puppy chasing cat & riling other dogs



## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i got help from people on facebook.


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## 2719 (Feb 8, 2011)

What did they recommend?


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## spoospirit (Mar 10, 2009)

_I have found by my own experience in my home and the many posts regarding this topic that spoos do have a strong prey drive and cats seem to be a favorite target.

I still have to remind my dogs that cats are off limits. I'm so wired for this, that if I see a cat and then see a dog move, I'm up. I grab the dog and give a strong 'leave it!' They are made to sit there until the cat passes. 

I don't always catch them in time. The cats have rooms in the house that are gated off for them so that they at least have a safe place to go.

I know that my spoos would not hurt my cats. Unlike my spoos, my GRD killed one of my cats a couple of years ago. I caught her again with another cat deliberately pouncing on its abdomen in an attempt to kill it. I came very close to having her put down.

We rarely have cat chasing events in the house anymore, but I know that I always have to be vigilant. 

The cats, oddly enough, don't seem to take this chase game seriously. Both of my cats will walk up to the spoos and rub on them. One of them even slept with one of my spoos.

I would love to hear what others have done in this situation._


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## 2719 (Feb 8, 2011)

spoospirit said:


> _i both of my cats will walk up to the spoos and rub on them. one of them even slept with one of my spoos.i would love to hear what others have done in this situation._


scandalous!


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## faerie (Mar 27, 2010)

i do stay on top of it to the best of my ability, but it just takes one time.

seelie is not being vicious. he's a baby puppy. he's chasing something and it's fun.

temperance is the same way. so is lily (she's a cairn terrier with a high prey drive)

however, as a trio they are now a pack. and as a pack the prey drive increases. 

my thinkikng is that i need to train seelie to stop it ASAP, because his playfulness is egging on the other dogs energy and kicking in the prey drive. 

i've gotten feedback for different methods from my facebook posting:
spray bottle or tin can to rattle
tethering seelie to me
redirecting energy
time out in crate
alpha roll (that was met w/ opposition)
visiting sophia yin's website

now, i can say i trust my dogs to not hurt my cat. and i do. but not as a pack. i don't trust them. and i love my dogs. they are all good sweet dogs. but they are dogs.


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## 4Paws (Dec 11, 2010)

Poor kitties! I got a call on my birthday when I turned 7, during a family vacation, from the housesitter who informed me that our dogs had killed my sweet silver persian cat Smokey. He was the only cat to ever follow me around, and I had only had him for a month or two. 

As for spoos, I have no idea. Polo is a mini but he thinks cats are his friends and he always goes to greet them with a tail wag. My mom's cat hates him and will follow him at a distance, stalk him even. I try to get him to leave cats alone, only because he is so darn curious, he will get his nose cut. 

As for prey drive.. Polo has none! A good, firm LEAVE IT is my best suggestion. It's tough bringing a puppy home that gets everyone in a spin, but it's still a puppy. He will learn self-control eventually.. i hope. Best of luck!


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## royaltygirl (Apr 30, 2011)

"leave it" seems to work with olivia but that is only when we are home. There is evidence of tussles when we are gone. Once we drove into the driveway and saw Olivia(large spoo) through the window standing on the dining room table in pursuit of the cat. Oliver the cat can escape to the laundry room and jump on the counter/fridge to get away fast. I sometimes think he asks for it!


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

I allowed my parent's b*tchy siamese/balinese female to teach bonzai what happens when you pester a cat. Bonzai has never been scratched seriously, but has certainly experienced the power of the claw. 

My parent's full grown Silky usually starts the fights with Barbie... but she can finish them.


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

I have two cats. The whippet loves them. Bonnie has been more trying. Luckily, the cats have sharp claws and have whacked her a couple of times. That seemed to do the trick. I wish your kitty would whack your pup a couple of times. Here is what my whippet thinks of kitties. I doubt Bonnie will ever be the same:


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