Cat Training your Dog

By Renee McCartin

 Yes, you can have Sighthounds AND cats (or small dogs), it just takes a bit of work and a whole lot of patience! AND common sense.

A note before you go any further. No dog is 100% cat safe. Things happen, cats act strange one day causes dog to attack, cat is sick, same thing, you just never know.
Know your dog, watch out for your cat and know that accidents can still happen unless you keep them separated. This article should not give you false hope of no problems ever happening, but hopefully will help guide you in properly bringing in a new dog and having some harmony at home.

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    If you are getting a Rescue, ask them to cat test the dog in question before ever bringing him home.  This isn't always fool proof, but it weeds out most of the untrainables who have nothing more on their mind than a cat sandwich.  Have patience, there may not be one available right now, but don't endanger your small four legged kids at home by bringing in an animal that could be dangerous to them.

    If getting a puppy, I strongly recommend getting one from a Breeder who has cats.  This allows early socialization with Felines, and will help teach the pup that cats aren't to be chased and they have pointy things on their feet. Yes, you can get a puppy from a Breeder without cats or small dogs, and have them grow up fine, but if you've never dealt with training a puppy to ignore cats/small dogs, it stacks the odds in your favor to find a Breeder who has the same situation as you do.

In the early 90's, I did Greyhound rescue, fostered over 30 dogs, and in that time I found there were basically four levels of prey drive.

1. None. My Foundation Bitch's daughter Nakita is one of these. She had absolutely, positively, NO prey drive. She would've been a failure as a hunting dog  and would lay out in the yard with the barncats, sun bathing, occasionally watching her yardmate chase the deer across the property.

2. Some interest, but not much. A "Oh, what's that? Oh, it's just the cat. Oh look, a bone."

3. More interest, very alert.  A dog like this may takes a little time to lose attention with the cat, but it's just more than likely interest than anything. They eventually 'calm' down, and only become interested again if the cat is doing the Kitty 400 around the house.

4. The Din Din Level! I've found these dogs just about impossible to rehab. They usually will sight a cat/small dog, and are on their top toes, ears up/out, may salivate, tremble, and will pay attention to nothing else but the cat if it's in sight. A dog like this will attempt to chase the cat if the feline flees its sight. I would never, ever bring a dog like this into a home with small dogs or cats.

This is how I integrate dogs into my household. It's not the only way, it's not the fool proof way, but it's the way that I learned with the Greyhounds, and the way I recommend to my puppy buyers

The first three are workable. What you need is
a. a muzzle. I prefer the racing muzzle, not wire muzzles. (You can forgo this with a puppy)
b. a 6 ft leash
c. multiple babygates
d. a safe haven or three for the cat
e. patience (And a LOT of it)
f. crate
g. goodies, and lots of them.

Adult Dogs:
If possible, attempt to cat test your prospective dog BEFORE you decide to finalize the home arrangements.

Pick a room, any room. This is the cat(s) safe haven. In other words, no dogs are allowed in here. Put food, the cat box, etc in the room. I try to have multiple cat safe rooms, including the computer room (where we spend most of our time), where if the cat is afraid of the dog, or apprehensive, he can still get people time without dealing with the dog. 

Block the room(s) with babygates. An important note about babygates. Put them so the cat can go UNDER the gate. If the cat is running and the dog is in hot pursuit, it's much safer for the cat to scoot under the gate, then jump on top and be face level with the dog. Yes, it's more inconvenient for us humans when stepping over the gate, but in the long run, you may appreciate it.

The day you plan on bringing your new dog into the household, set your cat up, safely enclosed in a crate, in a room. Let the dog in the room, but don't pay undue attention to the cat. Just sit and watch, call the dog to you, make sure you have  those goodies always available so when he turns his attention to you, and ignores the cat, he gets a great snack, and lots of praise, and I do mean LOTS OF PRAISE.

For the first week, I do it this way, or vice versa (dog in crate, cat loose). If the dog ever shows interest in whatever the cat does, I call the dog's name, and when he turns his attention away, lots of praise, lots of goodies. This allows the dog and cat to get used to each other, slowly, but safely. If the dog is in the crate, pick up the cat, and sit in front of the crate, petting the cat, talking to the dog. Yes, they don't understand words, but you're helping him realize the cat is yours, not a toy.

Week two or three(or even four, take it slow, do not rush things). Set up whichever room you are occupying with baby gates put up as explained above and then muzzle the dog, and leash him/her. If the dog is a third level prospect, I'd tie the leash to your waist as you're moving around the house, always gating the dog in the same room as you.  If he shows undue attention to the cat, do something to catch his attention (Depending on intensity of stare, anything from his name, to a whistle, to a sharp tug on the leash). Remember to always praise, and to always give treats. You're teaching the dog it pays big time to ignore the cat. When the dog starts to ignore the cat more and more(I'd say week 3-4) as your smaller companion moves around the house, you can drop the leash (keep it on, allowing you easier access to the dog if he lunges at the cat), and leave the muzzle on.

If at anytime, the dog chases the cat, and calls off the cat easily, lots and lots of praise, and let him win the jackpot (the best, tastiest goodies in the house!). If, on the other hand, you have to catch that leash,  let him meet god. God in my house usually involves a lot of screaming, yelling, noise making. (Pots being slammed, crates being slammed, etc), and then crate time. 

Keep working at it, but always make sure there's an escape route for the cats. Remember, this will not happen over night with most dogs, and it make take you a month to two months or more to get them 'cat safe'.  If you have small children in the house, make sure the cat is safely locked away if the dog is loose, and if the dog is up and the cat is loose, make sure there's a clip on the crate door to keep little ones from accidentally opening the crate.

Hints:
1) Feed the dog in the crate. If you have nosey cats like mine who think they have to eat with their 'big sibs', it keeps accidents from happening over food.
2) Never, EVER leave a dog that is a level 3 or above alone, uncrated, with a cat. I have a Greyhound who borders between 2 & 3, and she is never left loose with the cats. She is either crated, or in the bedroom with the door locked.
3) It is in the cats best interest to not leave multiple dogs loose unsupervised. For the safety of all involved, if I'm not home, the dogs are outside in their yard, or in their own room. I have a few I trust unsupervised with the cats, ALONE, but never together.
4) Never carry a cat/small animal around in your arms with  a  gamey unmuzzled dog. Accident waiting to happen.
5)No matter what, I would never trust a Sighthound outside with a cat. Yes, some such as Nakita are safe, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. If your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat, you can not expect your dog to know any different and many many household pets end up dead at the jaws of a dog who in the house, would snuggle with them but outside the prey drive kicked in.
 

Puppies
If your puppy has grown up with cats, it knows to respect those claws and should fit into your household easily. Again, follow the above hints. Even my Obie, who's nursemaid when he was sick at 4.5 wks old was Mama Cleo, our calico, would probably have killed a cat if he had found it outdoors.

Do not allow your puppy to chase or mawl the cat. You should use basically the same technique listed above, call his name, and deliver lots of praise, and goodies/toys when he comes. If you have to, use the long leash, for a quick reprimand if he won't listen. Hopefully, you'll have one cat who won't take a snotty puppy well, and a quick one-two punch across the nose will stop any further investigation.

Final words: Don't let your guard down, just because he ignores him as soon as he walked through the door doesn't mean he's totally cat/small animal safe. Watch how he evolves over the first week, using crate, leash, and diligence at all times. Patience, do not push, do not take shortcuts, or it could result in a dead cat/small dog.

And Remember: A responsible & Ethical rescue group or Breeder will understand if the dog doesn't work out because of prey drive issues, and will WILLINGLY take the dog back at any time, no questions asked. Just make sure you do the introduction responsibly and slowly, giving both parties involved the best chance to get along harmoniously.

More photos of my dogs with my cats
Cleo & Obie
Cleo & Obie Pt 2