eskimoroll Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hello all, I am a new member ... thanks for letting me on the boards! I got a BC puppy, Laika, at six weeks (two weeks ago). She is wonderful, she hardly barks, plays and chews mostly on toys, and has started to control her instinct to 'mouth' humans. My concern is in regards to her playing with my cat. I also have a ten month old cat, and after a few days they have become almost inseparable...to say the least. They play constantly but I am concerned that the playing is getting a little too rough. The cat winds up yelping sometimes, as does Laika. They chase each other around, but wind up nipping each other's legs, tail, etc... Despite their occasional squeals of pain, both seems to instigate the playing equally ( i would even venture to say the cat is the one who starts most play sessions). I don't mind the chasing each other around, the jumping on themselves, etc...it is more the nipping/biting which has me in a quandary. I know it is normal and expected to some extent, but is there a threshold of which I should be weary? I have started to separate them (temporarily - until they calm down) when the squeals start to increase. At that point it takes Laika a good 10 minutes for her to calm down and stop whining. Should I be concerned? (My cat is gentle, but she does pop her nails out when she is on the wrong end of a nip) Also, I am worried that Laika might associate playing 'rough' as a sort of normal thing to do with other animals. My tendency at this point is to let them rough-house some, them separate them - without scolding them or showing any frustration, just neutrally. Any suggestions or insight would be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest amylobdell24 Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 My puppy did that at 9 weeks too. He just had to be taught an appropriate way to play. He wasn't being mean or trying to hurt another animal, just didn't know how to properly play. At a puppy class we went to, the instructor just would keep an eye on him & when he got too rough, would say "nope - time-out!" and either just hold him in her arms so he couldn't play with the other puppies for a minute or two, or put him in a crate just for 1-2 minutes (if you leave them in there too long, they forget why they're there!), and then let him back down to play. He learned really quickly that rough play ended the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted August 20, 2009 Report Share Posted August 20, 2009 If you watch puppies play (and the cat plays the role of puppy here), it often looks very rough and tumble, but you may want to step in and intervene if you think it's going too far, as you mentioned. And never leave them unattended to play, but I figure you know that, already. I will say that 6 weeks is pretty young to leave the litter, though I know some here don't have a problem with it. I would see about enrolling him in a puppy class (he might have to wait to get vaccines first) so that he can get some socializing and learn some doggy play skills, too. Oh, and my 53 lb dog is good buddies with one of our cats. He (the dog) yelps on occasion, and the cat hisses, but I know they're fine with each other. You'll get a feel for what's acceptable and what's not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eskimoroll Posted August 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2009 Thanks for the suggestions, the time-out seems to be taking effect!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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