cat and dog

[cthrash1]

Yes you do need help in this situation... The training collar might be a wonderful alternative. I have used one on a Lab before... The only thing is we could never catch him in time when he opened the front doors and ran... Yes he knew how to open the doors and storm doors and then he was on the run chasing whatever will run from him. Ended up giving him to a fellow BYCer who had plenty of land for him and not the traffic we have. We have an English Staffordshire Terrier now... They say they aren't Pits because the Pitbull fight is bred out of this breed, but if another dog starts at her she does not back down, and would probably keep going til someone wins... Otherwise she is friendly and patient with everything including kids and the housecat. Actually she is kinda scared of the housecat because when we got her(cat) she would growl and hiss at our Stafford so now their is an extremely high respect for the cat. The only thing that wasn't bred out of these dogs is the stubborness... I know what you mean when you say how stubborn they are. An selfish!! OMG she only wants to get in with her 4 wk old pups to eat their food... Forget about letting them nurse. I have to take all their food out first then physically put her in when she realizes I didn't leave anything for her. ANY food in the house people, cat, dog, cat/dog treats is fair game...Don't matter what it is. Even stuff that smells like food gets inspected. Really obsessive about it too. Gonna have to keep a close eye on her so she doesn't gain too much weight.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
To me, associating the kennel with a punishment is a bad idea. I use the kennel when I leave, or when I have someone over who is nervous or uncomfortable around large dogs (Diesel is a LARGE dog) Having your dog associate his cage/crate/kennel as a punishment is only going to make it that much harder to use for other times.

What kind of dog do you have? Big or Small?

My mistake, my dogs are never caged from day one. I forgot people cage them cause they have no alternatives.The real doggy whisperer, would take the dog for a along walk, then put the dog on a leash. Break out the cat sit down where ever the trouble is most likely to happen and then everytime the dogs looks at the cat give a pinch to the dogs side near or under the side ribs with your hand acting as a mouth nipping at the side. Like a mommy dog does to her pups when their naughty. Each time the dog looks at the cat with the intent to chase you repeat the process. I have seen Caesar do this on TV. Your dog has alot of prey drive. And needs to burn off energy. After a good healthy workout is the best time to try this. That is what I remembering him saying.

I crate train all my dogs, from Day 1. The reasons are many- they get their own "space" to call home, they get housebroken much faster because they don't want to "soil their own nest" and in case of a hurricane coming in they will go to their crate to stay safer, hopefully. Hard to tell with natural disasters, but on those occasions, the crate doors are not closed. They can easily get out, but usually choose not to, even with the doors wide open. They are not told to stay their, it's free choice.

There certainly other alternatives, I don't disagree with that at all. I didn't crate train for many years- but I had dogs having accidents in the house, chewing chair legs, eating all sorts of things when I was gone. I am not a housekeeping maniac by any means, but I like not stepping in poop, be it from a dog. cat or rooster. And I certainly wouldn't post a pic or have guests over when people would look and say ewwwww, filthy. So it's an easier way to live for me.

My dogs had a natural tendency to chase the cats in the house. We kept them on leashes inside while the cats were roaming. The cats got in a few licks when we released the dogs, but the dogs figured it out really fast. Cat = sore nose.

To the OP - why does the cat run when your son tries to pet it? That might be a good place to start, does the cat do that with everyone? And I found having a baby gate across one doorway was handy for a few weeks- it gives the cat a way to escape and keeps the dogs from following.

BTW, I LOVE pit bulls! My cats used to walk all over mine, even sleep on him.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
It's not "caging" them, it's crate training and it's an excellent way to train a dog whether you are home all day (as I am) or not. Just like their ancestor the wolf, dogs appreciate having a "cave", their very own place to feel safe and at home. We leave Jax's crate open all the time now, except at night when we're all sleeping. He goes to his crate whenever he wants some quiet time, like he did when he was a pup:

He even goes there to get away from the cats when they are running around and on top of him, disturbing his nap.
It's also an excellent way to housebreak a puppy, since dogs naturally dislike soiling their "home".

Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, is a big proponent of the training crate.
We have two crates all ready for our new pup that we will be bringing home on Friday. His bedtime crate is right next to Jax's crate in our bedroom. His daytime crate is in the living room so he can be with his people. We will use it to protect him from getting accidently hurt by Jax (who is 90 lbs. now and could easily hurt a small pup), to housebreak him and to give him a break from the hustle and bustle of the household). Like Iowa Roo Mom, I know that the crate, the dog's home, is never to be used for punishment.

To the OP, I am a big believer in the shake can. An empty soda can filled with pennies and then wrapped completely in duct tape. When Jax was little he wanted to bother the cats all the time. We introduced the shake can. When he would bother the cats we would use a stern voice and say "leave em!". At the same time we would throw the can, not worried about hitting him with the can since it doesn't hurt them. Jax learned to hate the shake can. It broke the cat chasing habit quickly. We still have shake cans all over the house and when he forgets a rule, all it takes is a little shake to remind him.
Most of the time anymore it's protecting Jax from the cats I worry about.

ETA: Sorry to repeat you, ranchhand. I guess we were posting at the same time.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
It's not "caging" them, it's crate training and it's an excellent way to train a dog whether you are home all day (as I am) or not. Just like their ancestor the wolf, dogs appreciate having a "cave", their very own place to feel safe and at home. We leave Jax's crate open all the time now, except at night when we're all sleeping. He goes to his crate whenever he wants some quiet time, like he did when he was a pup:

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff69/gritsar/JaxSleeping308-20-09.jpg

He even goes there to get away from the cats when they are running around and on top of him, disturbing his nap.
It's also an excellent way to housebreak a puppy, since dogs naturally dislike soiling their "home".

Cesar Millan, the Dog Whisperer, is a big proponent of the training crate.
We have two crates all ready for our new pup that we will be bringing home on Friday. His bedtime crate is right next to Jax's crate in our bedroom. His daytime crate is in the living room so he can be with his people. We will use it to protect him from getting accidently hurt by Jax (who is 90 lbs. now and could easily hurt a small pup), to housebreak him and to give him a break from the hustle and bustle of the household). Like Iowa Roo Mom, I know that the crate, the dog's home, is never to be used for punishment.

To the OP, I am a big believer in the shake can. An empty soda can filled with pennies and then wrapped completely in duct tape. When Jax was little he wanted to bother the cats all the time. We introduced the shake can. When he would bother the cats we would use a stern voice and say "leave em!". At the same time we would throw the can, not worried about hitting him with the can since it doesn't hurt them. Jax learned to hate the shake can. It broke the cat chasing habit quickly. We still have shake cans all over the house and when he forgets a rule, all it takes is a little shake to remind him.
Most of the time anymore it's protecting Jax from the cats I worry about.

ETA: Sorry to repeat you, ranchhand. I guess we were posting at the same time.

GMTA!

 

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

Quote:
Pit Bulls are the greatest dogs on earth. It sounds like your boy just needs some schooling.

 

[ranchhand]

LOTS of socializing and training! And bless you for not chaining!

They are sweet dogs, but they do need a firm hand and voice.

 

[Iowa Roo Mom]

Quote:
Oh Dear, I know how you feel! My Diesel, is a Pit Bull.

Pits, by nature are tenatious. This can be their best, or worst, quality. If you haven't already, you need to CLEARLY define your place in the pack as "alpha". Once you have done that, even the most "viciius pit bull" can be trained. You'll have to invest a bit of time in training, and if you do, I'm sure your boy will stop chasing cats in no time.

ETA: Don't be ashamed to say what breed you have. It's only through the voice of more responsible owners and their sweet dogs that we can educate those who are ignorant about this wonderful breed. If someone speaks negatively about your dog just because of it's breed, do not be afraid to tell them they are wrong.

 

[savingdogs]

I foster dogs from the humane society and at one time had a pit bull that wanted to kill my cats.

Because of circumstances, I had him for quite some time and he finally learned to be great around my cats. It did take over a year though.

My cats do have claws and one of my cats did help with the training. He He A cat that runs will encourage any dog with prey drive to chase it, you can almost expect it from alot of dogs if they are not used to cats. Give the cat escape places a dog cannot go.
But they can be reprogrammed, even pit bulls.

We did have kids however and had to train them to always use two barriers to prevent cat attack. I'm glad to see crate training has already been explained because that is barrier number one. A closed door could be barrier number two. Hard for any pit bull to get through a crate and a door fast enough to get your cat. Sometimes kids open doors and a strong dog can shoulder right past a child, so a crate can be a very useful tool for the cat's safety.

I have also seen a dog pick up and shake my cat and have to rush her to emergency, spend three days not knowing if she would make it or how huge my bill would be, while my teenage sons waited anxiously for news on their beloved cat. That one we decided just could not live at our house any longer and he went back to the humane society we were helping.

So remember to give your cat two barriers. Make the dog see that you have respect and status alloted to the cat, like having places up high that they can go. If you work on overall training usually the details work out easier, go for a Canine Good Citizen since your dog is a pit bull and you can show everyone its special tags! Be proud of your pittie. Just about any dog is as good as the owner makes it. It is a matter of how much time you put into it.