Dear Critter Corner: I recently adopted a young dog and it chases the cat all over the house. I am worried for my cat’s safety. I love my new dog but do not want to return it. What can I do?
When fighting against natural prey-drive, the obedience of the dog is the key to success. Taking a few steps back, conditioning both animals to the scent of the other using positive reinforcement and rewards will help them get into a calm state of mind prior to an intro. Try rubbing a blanket on your cat and letting your dog interact with it. Reward with any interest and calm behavior around the blanket. Then repeat for your cat.
A few key commands to teach your dog before introducing to your cat are “sit”, “stay” and “place”. The place command is the most unique here. Use a slightly raised surface, a small cot or large dog bed will work, and coax your on-leash dog onto it. Once they touch it mark and reward with a treat, then move them off it with the leash and repeat. Start adding the “place” command once they are getting the hang of the game. Then add in the “sit” and “stay” commands on top to complete the trifecta.
Once your dog has mastered these three commands, we can begin to visually introduce the cat. Always have the dog on leash during any initial interactions, the cat must be allowed to free roam. Have a barrier separating the two and making sure the cat has an escape route the dog cannot follow for a worst-case scenario. Whenever the dog looks at the cat, utilizing the place command we taught it, reward with a treat. Go slow with any introduction and do not feel the need to rush ahead. Keep the initial interactions short and end on a positive.