Dealing With A Cat-Aggressive Dog: Fighting Like Cats And Dogs
Can’t they just get along? When your dog doesn’t get along with cat
There may be times when your multiple pets don’t get along if you have a multi-pet household. This is to be expected to a certain degree, but if one of your pets becomes aggressive towards another, it can be dangerous – particularly in dogs. It is not necessary to get rid of your dog if it struggles with cat aggression – there are ways to desensitize your dog so you can have a happy household.
Having cats and dogs that don’t get along shouldn’t cause you stress or drastic measures. Create a peaceful home for each of your fur babies by focusing and taking action. Listed below are a few tips for making your multi-pet family happy. You might consider consulting an animal behaviorist for customized advice on how to resolve conflicts and prevent them from occurring in the first place if you try these methods but still cannot get everyone on the same page.
The Desensitization Process
Dogs with a natural prey drive will become excited when they see a cat – their first instinct is to chase it. In spite of the fact that many dogs would not intentionally harm another animal, injuries can occur when they become overexcited. Your cat could be harmed by what your dog considers play. Desensitizing a dog with these issues will prevent him from having that uncontrollable and excited reaction to the cat. After repeated exposure to an unpleasant stimulus, desensitization occurs. You can decrease your dog’s excitement by repeatedly exposing him to the cat calmly and carefully.
Practice, patience, and time are required for this. The way your dog reacts to your cat may begin to change with consistent efforts. You will know that your efforts were well worth it once they get along just fine. You can achieve a happy pet-dog relationship by following the suggestions below. In the same room with your pets, you might notice that your dog is calmer and friendlier, and your cat is less stressed and annoyed when you follow these surprisingly easy steps.
Here are the steps you need to take
Remember that this method may take some time to work – the key is to expose your dog to the cat in short bursts several times a day over a period of weeks until he becomes desensitized. For the procedure, follow these steps:
The first thing you should do is put your dog on a leash – ideally you should also equip him with a head collar so you can have better control over his head (and thus his attention). Purchase high-quality and durable leashes and collars when it comes to leashes and collars. When you are working on this desensitization method, you want these products to work well. The collar should also fit your dog comfortably, and the leash should be the right length so you can maintain good control over your canine companion.
Separate your dog and cat in different rooms and give the cat wet food to keep her interested in staying put. She may enjoy relaxing on a cat tree, playing with a fun toy, or napping in a comfortable cat bed.
3.) Walk slowly and calmly down the hallway towards your cat’s room, so as not to excite your dog. Your dog is more likely to feel the same way if you maintain a casual attitude.
When your dog sees the cat, slowly walk backward down the hallway away from it – you should always face the cat. You can also work on keeping your dog calm if you keep a calm attitude.
When you move backward down the hall, the pressure on the leash will turn your dog’s head so he follows you away from the cat. That’s all there is to it. You can gently redirect your dog to walk in the direction you want by using your own movements.
6) Walk back down the hall without giving any commands or corrections with the leash. Don’t say anything, even if you’re tempted. You might be surprised to find that no commands are needed once you try this.
If your dog still reacts negatively to the cat, repeat this process several times a day until the reaction is gone. There is no rule about how quickly a dog’s behavior will change, so some dogs might change more quickly than others. It’s all about consistency. It takes time, so plan a schedule you can follow and stick to. If you do this every day, you can do it a few times.
When your dog turns his attention to you instead of the cat and reacts calmly, reward him with a treat. Remember that positive reinforcement is a great method of training your pet.
9) If the dog gets too excited, leave the room and try again later. The more you force things to happen before your dog is ready to change his behavior, the more likely you will both be disappointed and frustrated. Wait until everyone is calm again before revisiting the exercise.
Other tips and tricks are listed below
In spite of your dog’s desensitization to the cat, you should still supervise all interactions between them. Regardless of how well trained your dog is, he can be unpredictable and something might trigger a negative reaction. Don’t leave your dog and cat alone in a room together, and provide plenty of places for them to retreat to in case something happens. The proper precautions, however, will enable your dog and cat to live in harmony together if you follow these simple steps.
