# Dog chasing cats



## wmsff (Jun 10, 2010)

Hello all.

I have a problem with my dog chasing the indoor cats. I am asking here because I am afraid I may create a problem on the pet forum.

My dog is a German shepherd with australian shep and heeler-for me a perfect breed as she will protect both the kids and the animals. She has not attempted to chase the chickens or goats and listens well in or outside. The problem is she will sometimes chase the cats. We have three indoor cats and one loved playing with our last dog but when Misty tries to play the cat is never in the mood! The other two cats tolerate the dog.

On occasion Misty will be watching a cat; the way a heeler does. And when the cat runs so does she. Usually we catch her before she jumps up or runs with the command "no cat". But we don't always catch her.

She is a sensitive dog in that she will cower and sometimes pee when yelled at, especially by my husband. 

We have her on an underground fence and she does well on that. I was thinking of the "electric chicken" someone mentioned a while ago as a way to stop the dog from going after the chickens, but was afraid she would then be afraid to even be in the house - my cats are strictly indoors.

Any suggestions are appreciated.


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## brody (Feb 19, 2009)

set her and the nervou kitty up when you have loads of time to work on this issue - it will probably only take two or three sessions for her to understand that cat chasing doesn't get her what she wants ... (a play session)

I would not use shock inside the house ...

pick a part of the house you can close off so kitty can't run - give kitty something to be up on - a chair, counter, something above the dog's eye level
take dog in on leash, let her see cat, reward her however you reward her (treat, toy, pats, praise) let cat get whatever cat likes - ignored, food, pats - whatever 
(this is easier to do with two people - each person takes responsibility for one of the animals)

repeat this a few times - it doesn't help the dog nearly as much as it helps the cat realize the dog is not a predator 

For a couple of days the dog can wear a light drag lead in the house - she starts to make "collie eye" at the cat you step on the leash and ask her to do something she can do - BEFORE she chases the cat. She responds - you reward .. what the leash does is set you all up for success .. it can be done away with quite quickly usually but there is no rush .. I still throw a drag lead on some of my pack if I know my control will be tested (I have fairly well trained dogs who run quite high levels of agility)

The key here is for the dog and cat to both think there is value in ignoring each other ... dogs are notorious for buying into any attention is good attention  your job is to make the attention positive for behaving around the cats with good enough timing that poor behaviour doesn't have a chance to be rehearsed ...

what to do if she chases the cat? pick up the leash and walk her away from the cat .. ("oh dear..bad choice" if you really think you have to say something) then put a foot on the leash so she cantgo right back to cat chasing and ignore her for a minute or two -or crate her IF she is crate trained and not worried about being kenneled


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

Brody that is a great idea.
I have 3 cats and 4 dogs. My cats are mean they will stand up to my dogs when they get close to their face and box their jaws.
Then the dogs look at me for help or if it's okay to chase...LOL I just give a stern look and tell them "NO" now go lay down. Of course they walk away in discuss, but they know I will not allow them to hurt my kitties...LOL

I had a cat that always ran from the dogs, which created chasing. I would tell them "No" and make them lay down. The kitty would sneak out of hiding, while the dog was watching, while I was watching...LOL he would look at me to see if I was going to get on to him. I just said with a stern voice....Noooo....and the kitty just walked by in front of him, and the chasing stopped once the cat felt safe to not run.

I guess I have a really intimidating NO.....LMAO


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

You seem to already know that these breeds will be prone to this type of behavior.

If the behavior is becoming aggressive, then I would be tempted to use the Ecollar(shock collar). *BUT*(<--big BUT) you may send very mixed signals to YOUR dog because you use an underground fence. For her, the electric=barrier to not be crossed. For that particular reason, I would avoid the E-collar until all other sources have been exhausted.

We have an Australian Shepherd/St.Bernard. She was raised in the house with the cats, but this has always been a reoccuring issue in our house. She too is a very sensitive dog and a firm "NO" or "is that yours?" will stop the behavior. She never attempts to catch the cat, simply stare it down and run after it. At the same time I've seen the cat corner her(12lb orange tabby versus a 60lb pup) and make her cringe. I just figured it was the Australian Shep coming out in her, luckily she displays more Bernard and lounges around. The behavior would be multiplied if she was crossed with other herding/working breeds. 

I think the long leash suggestion is a* great *idea. (Just don't leave it on when you're not home, it can lead to distasters). Consistency will help. Say no, and grab that leash. Just know that this may be a behavior that is going to be a constant thing to watch. It may not be something to solve in a couple sessions and no worries after that.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Am reminded again of our neighbors aussie shep - she was a good sweetie that just HAD to chase us kids down and give our heels a nip if we forgot ourselves and started running about. I remember seeing a worried look in her eyes when she took off after one of us, then the tail wag when we "complied". Nature is strong in these guys. You might never overcome the impulse to chase, but what happens after that is definitely trainable.


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## Wolf Flower (Dec 21, 2005)

wmsff said:


> The problem is she will sometimes chase the cats. We have three indoor cats and one loved playing with our last dog but when Misty tries to play the cat is never in the mood! The other two cats tolerate the dog.
> 
> On occasion Misty will be watching a cat; the way a heeler does. And when the cat runs so does she. Usually we catch her before she jumps up or runs with the command "no cat". But we don't always catch her.
> 
> She is a sensitive dog in that she will cower and sometimes pee when yelled at, especially by my husband.


How old is she? Does she like toys?

This is what I do with my pup. When she starts obsessing over the cat, I re-direct her attention to a toy, throw or play tug with it, and praise her for attention toward the toy. This usually gives the cat enough time to get to higher ground and the puppy will have forgotten all about the cat (hopefully) and be engaged in postive play withe me.

Since your dog is very sensitive, I would NOT use an e-collar on her unless she is acting aggressively toward the cats. A stern reprimand, then redirection to a toy, helps her understand that while cats are not to be toyed with, there is another option for play that is much more rewarding. If she keeps going back to the kitty, put her in her crate for a time-out.

Some dogs are easier to cat-break than others--some will be cat-obsessed no matter what you do. If several months go by without any progress, you can start thinking about using more aversive methods (e-collar) to break the obsessive cycle. But please consult a trainer or behaviorist before you consider doing this--improper use of an e-collar can cause neurosis, especially with a sensitive dog.


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## wmsff (Jun 10, 2010)

Thanks everyone. I think I will try the long lead. 

She does only chase the two who run. The other was the one who played with our last dog and he will stand up to Misty and scratch. It's funny, yesterday Misty went after Sparkle, who was hiding behind a pillar then ran up the stairs, and after I yelled "no cat, go lay down", Frodo walked up within 6 inches of Misty's face and layed down! Obnoxious cat!


Wolf Flower, Misty is about 18 months and she loves chasing sticks. We have a rope and other toys but she only occasionally likes those. Treats are not such a big thing to her.


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