How to Train Your Dog to Get Along with Cats

Hello Charlotte, If Kyra is simply acting excited about the cats, like he wants to chase them and be too rough, but not acting like he has a prey drive toward them and wants to kill them intentionally, suggest working on the following commands to teach manners and encourage calmness around the cats: Place command - practice him being able to stay in place when the cats are around. Use Place as somewhere he can go and chew on a chew toy when he gets too excited also. https://youtu.be/omg5DVPWIWo Teach the Out command (which means leave an area) and use it when he is being pushy, overly fixated on, or too close to the cats, to get him to leave the area where they are so he can calm back down. When you enforce this command using your body language like the article mentions you often also communicate that you own the cats and he should respect them because of his respect for you (do not do this if there is true aggression however): https://www.petful.com/behaviors/how-to-teach-a-dog-the-out-command/ Leave It command - when teaching this you want the dog to mentally leave something alone and not just be waiting to get it, so when to teach it using treats at first, never give your dog the treat he is supposed to leave, instead feed him a different treat from your other hand when he leaves something alone. Follow the Leave It method from the article linked below: https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-shih-tzu-puppy-to-not-bite If you have issues with him listening and respecting house rules in general, then building his respect for you can help with management also. Commands like Down Stay, a structured Heel, and Watch Me help to build respect, in addition to the other commands mentioned above, like Place. Also, making him work for what he wants by doing a command first, like sitting before having a ball thrown, or laying down before being fed, can also help. Also, do not tolerate pushiness, rushing through doors and bumping into you, or other rude behavior. Make him practice politeness when he acts rude, and in general. If his behavior toward the cats is not just roughness and over excitement but is predatory, I highly suggest hiring a professional trainer who has experience with aggression, prey drive, and high level obedience, and can give good referrals or has good recommendations. Prey drive is a more serious situation that often requires in person help. Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello Stacy, Check out the videos linked below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MLJV5PBh7Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojIQmMuOwns I also suggest working on a Place command and rewarding Lady for staying calm on place with the cat in the room, moving around. Place command: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omg5DVPWIWo Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello, Basil is adorable. It does not seem like Basil is being aggressive with the cat and the cat does not seem to mind. I think things will be okay but right now Basil is small. I think it might be wise to teach him that the cat is not a toy while he is still young. A bigger dog can hurt a cat without intending to. Commands such as Leave It may do the trick: https://wagwalking.com/training/leave-it. A simple no could also suffice. The Distraction Method may work, too.https://wagwalking.com/training/train-a-german-shepherd-to-not-chase-cats. Once the vet says Basil's vaccines are up to date, enroll him in obedience classes so that he learns how to listen to you, and learns basic commands that will keep him safe like "come, sit, stay, and down." Good luck!

Hello Jada, I suggest checking out James Penrith from taketheleaddogtraining. He has a free youtube channel, works with dogs who livestock chase and kill - who have strong prey drives like your dog may have, and does a lot of off-leash obedience. Even though I would encourage you to keep pup on leash, you will still need the level of obedience that's required for much off-leash work in order for pup to respond well around distractions like other animals, most likely. If pup is exhibiting any form of aggression toward you, I highly suggest hiring a professional trainer to work with you in person training them. Some dogs will redirect aggression to whoever is closest while highly aroused - putting you in a position to be bitten when working with pup, if pup is highly aroused and aggressive toward other animals. Take the Lead Dog Training: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoxuNKpmUs390K7x_rvgjcg Best of luck training, Caitlin Crittenden

Hello! It sounds like your dog is interested/overly excited. For the most part, I usually tell my customers that cats (even kittens) will absolutely let a dog know when a boundary has been crossed. While it is best for humans to stay out of it and let the animals sort it out, your kitten is still super young! So I think teaching your dog "leave it" is best for this scenario. Any time you feel that Tilly is potentially being over powering, you can tell her to leave it. Leave it is great for anything you want your dog to break her attention away from. Or to stop getting into, paying attention to, etc. It is used in place of the word "no". They often learn very early on to ignore the word "no" since we apply it to basically everything. This is a specific command to "leave the kitten alone!" Teaching a dog 'leave it' Teaching “leave it” is not difficult. Begin the lessons inside your home or in an area with very few distractions. Here are the steps for teaching “leave it”: Make sure you have two different types of treats. One type can be fairly boring to the dog, but the other type should be a high-value treat that he finds pretty delicious. You will also want to make sure that the treats are broken up into pea-sized pieces so it won’t take him too long to eat them. Put one type of treat in each hand. If you like to train with a clicker as your marker, you can also hold a clicker in the same hand that holds the high-value treat. Then, place both of your hands behind your back. Make a fist with the hand that is holding the treat of lower value and present your fist to your dog, letting him sniff. Say “leave it” and wait until he finishes sniffing your fist. As soon as your dog is done sniffing, you can either click with the clicker or say “yes.” Then offer him the higher-value treat in your other hand. Repeat until your dog immediately stops sniffing your hand when you say “leave it.” When you say “leave it” and he stops sniffing right away, leash your dog and then toss a low-value treat outside of his reach. Wait until he stops sniffing and pulling toward the treat. As soon as he does, either say “yes” or click and then give him a high-value treat from your hand. Practice this exercise a number of times. Over time, by practicing “leave it,” your dog should stop pulling as soon as you give the cue. When rewarding him with a treat, make sure that it is something good, not plain old kibble. By doing so, you are teaching him that asking him to leave some food doesn’t mean he won’t get anything, but that in fact he might get something even more delicious. When your dog is reliably responding to the cue, you can teach him that “leave it” can apply to other things as well, not just food on the floor. Repeat the exercise with five different items that are fairly boring to your dog. After using five different “boring” items, start using slightly more exciting items. You know your dog, so you alone know what items he would consider more interesting, but don’t jump to high-value items right away. To increase his chances of success at learning the cue, you want to work up to high-value items gradually. If Kleenex or a piece of plastic, for instance, would attract your dog on a walk, don’t start with those. Choose the items based on your ultimate goal: Anytime you say “leave it,” you want to be confident that your dog will indeed leave whatever you are asking him to leave. . The reward he receives when he leaves an item can change as well. If your dog has a favorite toy, squeak it and play for a moment when he comes running to you after leaving the other item of interest. Most dogs love interacting with us, so a moment of praise or play with a toy can be just as effective as a treat. Keep it fun Even though you’re practicing “leave it” as a way to keep your dog safe, you want him to see it as a fun game you play. When your dog is proficient at the game in your home, start practicing in a variety of locations with more distractions. Please let me know if you have any additional questions. Thanks for writing in!

Your best bet in this situation is to go with a method to desensitize her to the cats. Miya needs to learn that the cat is just a normal part of the household. So we need to teach her to become less reactive by the cat. If you are up for this, it is going to take about a month of consistent practice before you see results. You will want to start out by teaching her "leave it". Leave is great for anything you want your dog to leave alone. Instructions on leave it will be at the end of this response. After about a week or so of working on the command, you can start taking her around the cats while on leash. Any time she even looks at a cat, you give the command leave it. Once she breaks her attention away from the cats, you reward her with a treat. Ideally, you want to her to be sitting and looking at you. But in the beginning stages, as long as she isn't focused on the cat, you can reward her. You will literally practice this over and over, while moving closer to the cats until she is no longer interested in the cats. While this method takes a while, it is the best in relaying the messages across to your dog. The cats need to be left alone! Here are the steps for "leave it" Teaching a dog 'leave it' Teaching “leave it” is not difficult. Begin the lessons inside your home or in an area with very few distractions. Here are the steps for teaching “leave it”: Make sure you have two different types of treats. One type can be fairly boring to the dog, but the other type should be a high-value treat that he finds pretty delicious. You will also want to make sure that the treats are broken up into pea-sized pieces so it won’t take him too long to eat them. Put one type of treat in each hand. If you like to train with a clicker as your marker, you can also hold a clicker in the same hand that holds the high-value treat. Then, place both of your hands behind your back. Make a fist with the hand that is holding the treat of lower value and present your fist to your dog, letting him sniff. Say “leave it” and wait until he finishes sniffing your fist. As soon as your dog is done sniffing, you can either click with the clicker or say “yes.” Then offer him the higher-value treat in your other hand. Repeat until your dog immediately stops sniffing your hand when you say “leave it.” When you say “leave it” and he stops sniffing right away, leash your dog and then toss a low-value treat outside of his reach. Wait until he stops sniffing and pulling toward the treat. As soon as he does, either say “yes” or click and then give him a high-value treat from your hand. Practice this exercise a number of times. Over time, by practicing “leave it,” your dog should stop pulling as soon as you give the cue. When rewarding him with a treat, make sure that it is something good, not plain old kibble. By doing so, you are teaching him that asking him to leave some food doesn’t mean he won’t get anything, but that in fact he might get something even more delicious. When your dog is reliably responding to the cue, you can teach him that “leave it” can apply to other things as well, not just food on the floor. Repeat the exercise with five different items that are fairly boring to your dog. After using five different “boring” items, start using slightly more exciting items. You know your dog, so you alone know what items he would consider more interesting, but don’t jump to high-value items right away. To increase his chances of success at learning the cue, you want to work up to high-value items gradually. If Kleenex or a piece of plastic, for instance, would attract your dog on a walk, don’t start with those. Choose the items based on your ultimate goal: Anytime you say “leave it,” you want to be confident that your dog will indeed leave whatever you are asking him to leave. . The reward he receives when he leaves an item can change as well. If your dog has a favorite toy, squeak it and play for a moment when he comes running to you after leaving the other item of interest. Most dogs love interacting with us, so a moment of praise or play with a toy can be just as effective as a treat. Keep it fun Even though you’re practicing “leave it” as a way to keep your dog safe, you want him to see it as a fun game you play. When your dog is proficient at the game in your home, start practicing in a variety of locations with more distractions.

Your best bet in this situation is to go with a method to desensitize him to the cat. Your dog needs to learn that the cat is just a normal part of the household. So we need to teach him to become less reactive by the cat. If you are up for this, it is going to take about a month of consistent practice before you see results. You will want to start out by teaching him "leave it". Leave is great for anything you want your dog to leave alone. Instructions on leave it will be at the end of this response. After about a week or so of working on the command, you can start taking him around the cats while on leash. Any time he even looks at a cat, you give the command leave it. Once he breaks his attention away from the cats, you reward him with a treat. Ideally, you want to him to be sitting and looking at you. But in the beginning stages, as long as he isn't focused on the cat, you can reward him. You will literally practice this over and over, while moving closer to the cats until he is no longer interested in the cats. While this method takes a while, it is the best in relaying the messages across to your dog. The cats need to be left alone! Here are the steps for "leave it" Teaching a dog 'leave it' Teaching “leave it” is not difficult. Begin the lessons inside your home or in an area with very few distractions. Here are the steps for teaching “leave it”: Make sure you have two different types of treats. One type can be fairly boring to the dog, but the other type should be a high-value treat that he finds pretty delicious. You will also want to make sure that the treats are broken up into pea-sized pieces so it won’t take him too long to eat them. Put one type of treat in each hand. If you like to train with a clicker as your marker, you can also hold a clicker in the same hand that holds the high-value treat. Then, place both of your hands behind your back. Make a fist with the hand that is holding the treat of lower value and present your fist to your dog, letting him sniff. Say “leave it” and wait until he finishes sniffing your fist. As soon as your dog is done sniffing, you can either click with the clicker or say “yes.” Then offer him the higher-value treat in your other hand. Repeat until your dog immediately stops sniffing your hand when you say “leave it.” When you say “leave it” and he stops sniffing right away, leash your dog and then toss a low-value treat outside of his reach. Wait until he stops sniffing and pulling toward the treat. As soon as he does, either say “yes” or click and then give him a high-value treat from your hand. Practice this exercise a number of times. Over time, by practicing “leave it,” your dog should stop pulling as soon as you give the cue. When rewarding him with a treat, make sure that it is something good, not plain old kibble. By doing so, you are teaching him that asking him to leave some food doesn’t mean he won’t get anything, but that in fact he might get something even more delicious. When your dog is reliably responding to the cue, you can teach him that “leave it” can apply to other things as well, not just food on the floor. Repeat the exercise with five different items that are fairly boring to your dog. After using five different “boring” items, start using slightly more exciting items. You know your dog, so you alone know what items he would consider more interesting, but don’t jump to high-value items right away. To increase his chances of success at learning the cue, you want to work up to high-value items gradually. If Kleenex or a piece of plastic, for instance, would attract your dog on a walk, don’t start with those. Choose the items based on your ultimate goal: Anytime you say “leave it,” you want to be confident that your dog will indeed leave whatever you are asking him to leave. . The reward he receives when he leaves an item can change as well. If your dog has a favorite toy, squeak it and play for a moment when he comes running to you after leaving the other item of interest. Most dogs love interacting with us, so a moment of praise or play with a toy can be just as effective as a treat. Keep it fun Even though you’re practicing “leave it” as a way to keep your dog safe, you want him to see it as a fun game you play. When your dog is proficient at the game in your home, start practicing in a variety of locations with more distractions.