Barking at the cat

[njnovice]

The new boy is seven months old, and he's doing pretty well. The original owners never did much of anything with him: play, work, discipline. He's picking up stuff so quickly, although he can be a bit of a brat at times.

 

He was scared of the cat at first, but now he's decided he wants to play, play, play! He throws his toys at the cat, who looks disgusted and refuses to participate. So, Mick starts barking. It's play barking, and his posture is playful, but we want him to know he can't just bark at the cat for ten minutes at a time. So far, we've failed at making him understand this.

 

Any ideas, advice, etc.?

[Pat W.]

a squirt bottle is a wonderful thing for correction, or simple redirection works just as nicely. When he gets into his "Must play with cat" mode offer a toy to play with, tug with him a few moments or offer a stuffed kong or bone to chew on instead

[juliepoudrier]

Does he understand a correction? If not, teach a word like "No" or "get out of that" or even a sound like "Aahht!" and apply it when he's barking at the cat. Redirecting is also suitable especially when he's learning what behaviors you consider unacceptable, but eventually I expect my dogs to know that "no" MEANS no, and I prefer to teach it from a young age.

 

J.

[juliepoudrier]

dbl post

[njnovice]

a squirt bottle is a wonderful thing for correction, or simple redirection works just as nicely. When he gets into his "Must play with cat" mode offer a toy to play with, tug with him a few moments or offer a stuffed kong or bone to chew on instead

 

 

I was wondering about a squirt bottle! They've worked great with kittens.

 

Sometimes the redirection doesn't work, because he wants to have another furry friend, I think.

[Kayleegator]

My dog wants to play with our cats, too. The spray bottle (aka The God Gun) is helpful, along with the 'NO CAT!' command. If she loses it and chases a cat down the hallway (to where their cat door is) I crate her for a time-out. The situation is gradually getting better, but hasn't gone away, as the cats move around, they get into her food, and one of them teases her. At least now she knows she's not supposed to mess with them, and they are not afraid of her. She's learning that hissing is an unfriendly noise. The spray bottle hisses, too. Keep it around!

[Ruger's Dad]

The squirt bottle is a really good idea. When you spray the cat they get startled and this will give your dog a good chance to chase the cat away. Giving the cats a time out in the crate for bothering your dog with their presence is kind of difficult though. They don't kennel up as easy as a dog.

[OurBoys]

Does he like squeaky toys? If so, when he's in that playful mood, squeak one to redirect his attention. If that fails, if he know 'leave it' or 'No', use it. If that doesn't work, use the squirt bottle. Last but not least, crate him. He'll eventually get it. It doesn't help when the cat teases him (our cat likes to sit within Casey's view when he's crated) but he'll get it.

[sunshian]

I found that "leave it" or a correction noise works great, then redirect....but nothing seems to be full proof. I find I'm having to correct on a regular basis (which is not really correcting!). Those cats are the ultimate temptation!

 

Just be careful...the cat might decide to do the correcting....ouch.

[njnovice]

He's been getting a bit better all week, and The Cat is brooking no nonesense from him! He still wants to play, and is still barking some, but not as much. I had them both eat their dinners in the kitchen last night to see what happened: they both ate, although Mick kept eying The Cat to see if he was up to anything interesting.

[njnovice]

Just be careful...the cat might decide to do the correcting....ouch.

 

 

I don't mind that, along as The Cat doesn't take out an eye or anything. Last night, TC swatted Mick's butt, sans claws.

[MaryP]

The squirt bottle is a really good idea. When you spray the cat they get startled and this will give your dog a good chance to chase the cat away. Giving the cats a time out in the crate for bothering your dog with their presence is kind of difficult though. They don't kennel up as easy as a dog.

 

That is the kind of dry sense of humor that my father would love. He's not exactly a cat person.

[Kayleegator]

The squirt bottle is a really good idea. When you spray the cat they get startled and this will give your dog a good chance to chase the cat away. Giving the cats a time out in the crate for bothering your dog with their presence is kind of difficult though. They don't kennel up as easy as a dog.

 

 

It's a really fine BC that has mastered the art of herding cats! My girl is doing her best, but they dislike each other as much as they dislike her, so they just won't bunch up...