Dog vs Cat

[Michelle Motorola]

Hello!!!

Ive had my puppy for 3 weeks now and it my dog and cat are still fighting constantly!

The breeder told me to let them be, but because im scared of one of them getting hurt i have been giving Chloe (dog) a time out or putting the cat in a room for a bit if it gets to out of hand. Should i really just let them be, even if they are playing a little rough. So far no injuries but ive heard a couple of yelps, BTW my cat is declawed.

If there are any suggestions as to what to do to make them get along well in the future id love them!

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

I totally disagree with the advice your breeder has give you.  Your puppy needs to learn that kitty is a part of your family and Chloe needs to be respectful of him.  Keep the puppy on a leash by your side at all times when kitty is around and work on the leave it command whenever she gets too focused on kitty.  I am sure others will have some good advice too.  I have foster dogs come in and out and most are good with the kitty but the one now has to be constantly reminded not to chase the cat.

[Michelle Motorola]

thats good advice, i give my time outs by leashing her to my side and she sits and stays until i say. But should she be allowed to play with the cat at all, or should i stop it completly

[Colleen, Jake & Baxter]

I was away most of the day or would have answered sooner:)  I was right and you are getting lots of good advice.  I would not let them play together at all and I would invest in a cat tree.  My home is decorated with them :)  This gives kitty a safe place where he can observe and still be part of the family.  I usually only allow interaction between the two when I am home and only if the kitty initiates it.  Once the game of chase starts it is very hard to break and Chole will only be getting larger so it's good to nip in the bud now.  As I mentioned my foster doodle is constantly going after the kitty who she thinks is an indoor squirrel.  Thankfully she is not doing it in an aggressive way but I still do not trust her. 

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Sounds like good advice. It will take time.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

They have to learn that they are both part of the same family.  As your cat  is declawed it has very little means of protecting itself.  I suggest you get on one of those high scratching posts that the cat can climb up onto and be safe while still in the same room as your puppy. Keep your puppy under a watchful eye and on a leash at all times when they are together.  Keeping them separate is not a good idea but they both need to be safe whilst together.  The puppy will soon learn that the cat is not for chasing with constant reminders.  I have always kept cats and dogs together and after a short time they get used to being together and sometimes even become friends.  Using the crate is also a good way to start as the puppy can be safely in it's crate and the cat will get used to it being in the home whilst being safe too. So my advice in a nutshell, in the same room but both safe for a while, then puppy on leash and cat able to climb if necessary.  Hope that all makes sense.

[Michelle Motorola]

Great! now i wish i would have posted this earlier but im sure its not to late its only been a couple of weeks, im sure she can learn a new routine quickly. My cat right now goes on the top of the couch when he doesnt want to be bothered so hes pretty safe up there, thank you very much i will start leashing her while the cat is up and around asap

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

 The top of the couch won't be safe for long, trust me on that!

[Michelle Motorola]

for sure!! he also has the fridge, dining room table, up top the cabinets and the basement to himself

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

We have two 19 year old cats.  The male cat actually taunts Hurley so their relationship is usually non-threatening to the cat.  Plus when Hurley first joined our family the male cat would chase him.   Because of the age of the cats and Hurley's puppy (5 months now) tendencies (we always have his leash and pronged collar on when in the house and not kenneled). When he attempted to 'play' with the cats we would tug on the leash 2 times, saying 'Hurley no, no, enough'. Now we usually only have to say 'Hurley, enough'.

He has learned to leave them alone and they are now to the point where they drink out of the same water 'basin'.  Not at the same time but sometimes lined up to do so. Hurley's food bowl is right next to the water bowl.  At his feed time it is not unusual to see one of the cats right next to him drinking.

 The male cat continues to walk right up to Hurley and hiss at him or lies down where Hurley likes to play.  Hurley has learned to watch him but not to react. It took about 4-6 weeks to get to this point and constantly watching the interaction to stay on top of it.   Since Hurley is a puppy there are times when he just wants to play.  He takes his toy close to where the cat is lying and plays with it but he never touches him.  

Now Hurley sleeps at the foot of the bed and the female cat sleeps on my pillow like she always has.  She will walk right by Hurley totally ignoring her and he leaves her alone.  The male cat has always slept on the cat bed and that has not changed.

The issue we continue to deal with is Hurley eating the cat's moist food.  The cat's dry and wet food is in another room so we watch Hurley closely when he heads to that room.   He is better about not touching their food after the 'no, no' and leash tugging reprimand he when starts to eat it, but he still has his moments when he thinks we are not watching him. Sometimes the male cat lies in front of the cat food area baring Hurley's way to the food.  Hurley walks gets the point and walks away.

 Hurley is a very mellow doodle so I don't know if any of that helps you out but I hope so.

[Michelle Motorola]

that does help me a bunch!! only one question, should i maybe look into getting a different collar for training purposes, she just wears the normal neck collar as of right now, but it seems that the collar your using really helps empahsize your point, my cat and dog both drink from the same water bowl even at the same time, so i really dont think they hate eachother, but im beginning to realize that they should not be playing together like they have been in the past, i will stop that immediatly by leashing her when the kittys up and running around. Also the cat taunts Chloe too!! little brats eh!

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

 Should you decide to get a pronged collar get one with rounded prongs and not sharp prongs.  I think it costs a bit more and is made in Germany, but is much better for the dog.  

I have to chuckle at the taunting.  That territorial type incentive......

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Are you certain they are fighting and not playing? There is no WAY my cat would have been drinking out of the same water bowl as Tara.  And if the cat is taunting Chloe it sounds like she is trying to stir things up. This is very different than the situation I had with Tara and Amber. There is a "Doodles That Love Their Cats" Group here on DK. You might consider joining it or at least looking through the posts to see how other people have dealt with this issue too.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/doodlesthatlovetheircats?commentI...