BC herding my cat...help!

[Abbydoodle]

Not sure how to either stop this or prevent it from happening, but my 12 week old puppy keeps trying to herd my 7 year old cat who doesn't appreciate it AT ALL. Anytime the cat tries to go to the door the dog will block it off or corner him. I also have a baby gate set up in the hallway with a hole cut out so the cat can get through... problem is that Abby can get through as well! I'm not saying that I expect them to totally get along but it would be nice for them to at least tolerate each other. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

[smileyzookie]

Our dog was a year old when we rescued her, so what we did probably wouldnt work for such a small puppy. Basically we left a collar/leash on for a week, at all times. Unless we couldnt supervise we didnt want her to choke or anything. If our BC Riven would make any moves toward herding the cat, we'd tug gently up on the leash very quickly making a "eh eh" noise. With Riven thats all it takes, just once - three times calm and assertive correcting and she understands. BC's are smart, and likely yours is too. The catch was that we had to watch her and correct the action as right as she was about to do it. You can see the warning signs coming if you observe. But like I said that was a year old dog vs 12 week.

 

Other people should be along quickly to answer better for puppies Im sure. Good luck.

[Abbydoodle]

Thanks for writing back, hopefully with time they'll at least be able to tolerate each other. I tried giving treats to both at the same time and they were both pretty calm then. It's just when Abby's tail goes down and she begins her stalking mode, I don't know how to distract her.

[smileyzookie]

tap her, or make a noise like "eh eh" or "shhhhhhht" at her.. snap your fingers even. When you see her look at the cat and you know she's gonna do something snap her out of it then, not when she starts goin after the cat. Good luck!

[nes]

We have the same war, except my cats LOVE it! Which is actually worse... I've got 3 little balls of fur tearing around my house!!

 

One thing that might help is redirecting her to herd something more appropriate. Can your situation afford a small gaggle or flock? or is there a program locally that will alow you to borrow some sheep for him?

 

That will probably help your pup get it out of her system a bit before she starts herding you too! But BCs are BCs.

 

One thing that I've found work is teaching your dog to "be gentle" (although this needs to start from a young age) buy getting them to ease up on whatever they are doing, and then just tell them to "be gentle" until it gets their attention away from the cats and she realises they aren't that much fun

 

Nes.

[karrie]

Around here Molly , the cat, handled that problem. She just turns around and swats anytime that nose of a pup gets too close. Course, Molly is very BC savy when attempts are made to herd her she stops or slows down thn turns and attacks with a good swat. She misses Sam but it only took one real pop to insure he didn't want that again. Later it became a game of chase and it is hard to figure where one ends and the other begins. Mo is now Sam 's play kitty. But even Mo will tell Sam off.

 

My previous cat Nosey trained a puppy. Jake was a huge lab/collie mix ( at 4 months the vet said just saddle him up). Nosey was problably 5 or so at the time we got Jake. She let him rule the house as a pup till he got to be a certain age and then she started training. He was just about to learn to jump on the couch for the first time. Nosey popped him so hard without her claws poor Jake's head did a complete circle. After that when he decided to chase or follow her,all she did was turn around and you would see a puppy put on brakes and start back peddling.Abby could just be waiting for her perfect moment. In the meantime, the eht or a clap of hands may help. You don't want pup to get into the habit or harass the kitty to much.

 

I do have a question thou why a babygate with a hole, won't Abby jump the babygate? Molly used to jump them and annoying puppy or child was left on the other side.

[Abbydoodle]

Well to answer you on the babygate thing, Abby is the puppy and the cat is Powder. I've actually taken down the gate since Abby can go through. I just figured if I could make the cats life a bit easier through this transition I would try anything. The puppy just can't seem to stop herding the cat, anything I do doesn't phase her at all. I almost wish the cat would just bop her one, maybe she would get the hint. I know most of you don't like the whole water pistol thing, but would that work? If she started going after the cat I could squirt her and then hide the pistol behind my back so she wouldn't know it was me. I just don't know what else to do, my cat is miserable and I feel like he is blaming me! LOL

[smileyzookie]

Hey Im completely for the water bottle! I use it very effectively if needed. Although she just see's it if she's doing anything wrong and immediately lays down like I've beatten her lol. If you feel comfortable using, please do.

[Lunar]

I think it'd be so much easier to train a puppy.... we got the cat after Zeeke, and Zeeke is NOT a BC, not a herding dog, but he is obnoxious and constantly chases the cat around, smacks him with a paw, bites at him, etc. And when I mean constantly, I mean Zeeke can't take his eyes off the cat, WILL NOT leave him alone. So I don't think I'd classify your puppy's behavior as herding... more just obnoxious play.

 

For puppies what I'd do is remove him every time he goes to harass the cat. Short time-outs. Having fun, having fun... harass the cat, no more fun. Pups tend to learn quickly from that. Or the water bottle.

 

How does the cat react? Does he have a place up high to go? Our cat lived on the top of bookcases for months.

[juliepoudrier]

Your pup is not too young to learn the meaning of the word "No!" Every time (and I mean every time) she goes after the cat, tell her no and stop her. This may be helped by having a little drag line on her so you can snag it and stop the action and can be accompanied by spray from the water pistol (that action is mainly to help get the pup's attention anyway, not so much as punishment). Say your correction (no, Ahhht, ah ah) like you MEAN it. There's no reason the pup should think the correction didn't come from you. You are master of all things and it's your job to protect the cat and the pup should certainly know that *you* are displeased when it bothers the cat. All dogs and puppies need to learn to take a correction and it's not that hard to teach pups that there are some things that are completely off limits, including the cat.

 

I would put a gate back up but without the hole. Small baby gates are easy enough for a cat to jump and Abby certainly shouldn't be able to jump it at 12 weeks. Make sure the cat always has a place it can go to be away from the pup.

 

Border collies are smart, and once Abby realizes that bothering the cat makes *you* unhappy, she will cease to do so. And that should make the cat happy. As long as you continue to allow her to harrass the cat or expect the cat to make the corrections (that's not the cat's job, it's YOUR job) you'll have an unhappy cat.

 

[edited to add, this post was interrupted by a long phone call and I see that Natalie has suggested "time outs" as well--I think that can work as long as you also use your correction word before picking the pup up and crating it or whatever....]

 

J.

[Meg's mum]

I'm for the obnoxious play theory, and in our house, the cat taunts and chases our BC as much as the other way around. Sox(kitty) is half of Meg's size and only three months older but that doesn't seem to phase her. She's a master rodent killer after all.

 

We watch and listen for the scurry of little feet and react when they get over-zealous with "soft, soft, soft" and "hey!! don't eat your sister!!"

 

We did do the following:

Sox has HER places, times and things. We give her her own space that Meg can't get to. Her food and litter box are up on shelves, and she has ledges everywhere to hang out. She has HER toys, HER time with us, and HER privileges. She waits till Meg's asleep and then comes and cuddles under my covers with me at night...oh such lovely little tiny claws.

 

I also wouldn't bet your house that a 12 week BC can't jump/climb a baby gate. That is how I ended up on these boards back in January when Meg was 9 weeks old.

 

It would be nice if there were proximity collars with a voice actuation of a lions roar when the dog came near.

[Abbydoodle]

Well I feel like I'm forever saying "Abby NO!" I just don't think it's working anymore. How many times can someone do the NO and the Ah ah thing before they actually pay attention? Just now the cat came in the house and Abby just zones in on him. It's like she is in some kind of trance. Any use of "NO" doesn't seem to phase her. Well I'll take all of your suggestions and try them, certainly can't hurt.

[smileyzookie]

Dogs are very sensitive to body language and the tone of your voice. Like, I could be wrong here but, reading your statements, I feel like you are frustrated, and its likely you're feeling that and passing that energy to Abby. When you say no! mean it, and expect it to be followed, be calm but assertive. Think of someone you admire who is strong in life, mine is my mom. When she said no, she meant no! Then try to get that feeling and energy. You need to get to Abby before she zones in on the cat. Thats the key. I cant stress that enough, as soon as she looks at that cat snap, say no! If she doesnt listen, tap her on the shoulder or on the butt, yank up on the collar (dont hurt her), clap, something to get her attention to pop her out of zoning in on the cat before she's completely gone.

[Kim @ Flying H Farms]

Well, Rose (BC) starting herding Tigger (BFLAC)big fat lazy ...cat!! Tigger is a total indoor kitty because all claws are removed. Well, sometimes Tig likes to duck out the door..especially when you're running REALLY late..no problem..yell for Rose and she herds Tigger back in..problem solved! They play really well together. To hear them (which some folks have heard them over the phone)you would think they are trying to kill each other..but it's all in fun. When Tigger is fed up..he jumps to the top of the fridge and sits there till Rose gets tired of waiting. I would let them play..teach your puppy "no bite" so she won't sink her puppy teeth in too much on the kitty. The long leash idea is great too. Good Luck!!!

[Abbydoodle]

well i tried the water pistol thing... nothin.. she didn't even flinch. Guess it's just going to have to run its course. Yah I do get frustrated.. I've never had a puppy before, always had cats. I guess I underestimated how much work they are. Don't get me wrong here, I love Abby but sometimes I feel helpless, like I don't have a clue what I'm doing half the time. She went swimming for the first time today and really took to the water. I just have to keep at it and hopefully she'll listen to me better when I do say "NO". Thanks for all your insight Zookie, it helps to know that there are other people out there who have had the same issues as me.

[karrie]

Abbydoodle try a loud clap of your hands, if that doesn't get her attention, roll a newspaper and slap your thigh ( or make it make racket) or take a fly swatter and swoosh it. Another one that mite get her attention is a soda can with a few pennies in it and shake it when she is misbehaving. The point of any of the above is just to get her attention. Hope one of those gets her attention on you. If it gets her attention, slip that No in with it. For Sam he know Clap when outside means time to go in.