Yet another question. My Sora 5 1/2 + month old lab has a new trend. Dominating one of our two cats. We have two remaining cats. One is a 'fighter' the other 'tiny wimp'. Our fighter 'Bean' has taught Sora to back off with his paw swipes and swats. He stands his ground proudly. (Not bad for a cat fighter outweighed by a 50 pound opponent ) Our second cat 'Eve' is very tiny, and she has no real defensive attitude, never has. Sora will pretty much just put his paw on her back and nail her to the ground. (No biting or real violence... yet) My ultimate goal with Sora is a hunting dog, so I don't want to kill his prey drive. (That's also why I try to avoid tug games.) I also don't want to eat cat meat, so I'm not sure where to go for help? Ahem... Like the LabradorForum. PS: He still spends almost all unsupervised time in his playpen. I'm slowly giving him more freedom knowing I don't have to mop the floors twenty times a day. That's when this has started.
Stopping Sora from intimidating the cat won’t kill his prey drive. Prey drive is species specific. You can teach a dog to be gentle with or ignore certain species of animals and they’ll still be very keen to retrieve your target species. I would say that you have an obligation to keep your cat safe and free from fear and intimidation from your dog.
I have a household currently of 4 dogs and one (large) cat. It is my responsibility to ensure they all live in harmony. This means creating safe, quiet areas for my cat, and teaching the dogs not to bother him. Calm interactions are rewarded with praise and treats. Ignoring the cat is also rewarded. I have a foster here who has not had positive exposure to cats, so we have gone back to basics. It helps enormously that my cat doesn't display behaviours such as running away which would encourage an exciting game of chase, or defensive behaviours which again, would excite the dogs. I have 2 dogs which have work, Bramble now picks up on shoots and has a VERY high prey drive, calm positive interactions with the cat is not going to affect this one iota. This is our current foster, ignoring our cat because the game of tug with my OH is far more rewarding. The cat is used to dogs playing and doesn't associate this with any risk of harm to himself. Playing tug is a great way to bond and interact with your dog. It also helps with impulse control. Bramble now loves tuggy and has the softest mouth in the field. I suspect though she is just a soft mouthed girl. playing tug 1 with Remy by Marcus Hart, on Flickr Using tuggy to bond with a new dog...you can't see Remy but he is still in the background just out of shot. tuggy 3 by Marcus Hart, on Flickr
I know some people who work their dogs don't like to play tug for fear of creating a hard mouth, but I've not heard before about not wanting to because it may kill the prey drive. That sounds counter-intuitive to me, since tug has so many aspects of the hunt-kill sequence in it that, as repeated behaviour, I'd have thought would only increase the likelihood of them happening "in real life". Of course, adding impulse control into games of tug balances this out and gives you control, but that's exactly the sort of thing you're asking for in the field, too. Could you explain what makes you think playing tug would decrease a dog's prey drive?
Cats rule, dogs drool. Sora will likely learn this ( no guarantee) as he calms down with maturity. Dogs generally get along with their own cats (chickens, ducks etc.) but will still chase an interloper away. IN fact, when you get to training "dead bird" having a dog who knows to leave your own cat alone may have helped establish the concept. I have never heard that playing tug diminshed prey drive either. We played tug with our ESS. She was aresuce who came to us already trained at age four, maybe a factor. She still went nuts to find birds.
In regard to the other cat swiping at your puppy, just be careful as a claw to the eye can be bad if it gets to a certain part of the eye....apparently.My cat did that to my puppy but thankfully, the vet said it didn't get whatever that part of the eye.
I have 4 cats with my Lab pup. The eldest kitty is 15 and he has taught her to back off. I have 2 that are semi ok with her but have a tendency to not swat at her so she tries to play (the wrong way). They don’t run off to much, maybe they trot off but they don’t hide. I think what helps is their confidence level and she has learned NOOOOOOO and leave it. Also, I have several cat trees. They might be ugly but if a cat can get high, their confidence goes higher. Cats like high places. If you can create a cat run using shelves or place cat trees in the right spots where your cats can run most of the living room without touching the floor might help. Also, confidence building with your smaller kitty. Try watching the show cat vs dog on animal planet. I learned soooo much from that show and I think it’ll help you as well.
I did NOT know this. You are truly awesome. (Always have been with me , you and snowbunny,) Thank you for that info. Really! Thank god I don't have pet rabbits, because that would get complicated really fast! I will resort to my usual deterrent techniques. Thank you so much again!! Thank you, and nice photos!. Yes I'm very protective of Eve, thankfully cats can go 'up' like in their cat tree. Sora can't. 'Cat Trees' Thanks for that. I will protect Eve. I love them all after all. Though sometimes... I just want to strangle Sora. I like the photo of the dog and cat next to each other. That only happens with me if Sora is about to receive food or treats. Then and ONLY then do they all get along happily eating! I'm sure I read it on some cruddy dog site. That or the 'google effect' I here something. and search that exact term, and find the sites that confirm my new beliefs. GLAD it's not true. 'Alright Tug is in! Thank you so much! You and Oberon have really helped so much (others as well!). As such.... .. I will bug you people again and again no doubt. Thank you so much! I'm glad to know that it's going to be ok!. I love that word. Interloper... So much info to process... My brain is at full capacity. I'm working it. Thank you and thank you all! Cats claws are dull as rusted nails. I keep them like that. But I do watch for any potential interaction that can be harmful to Sora.[/QUOTE]
I should add. Cats are not only predators but they are pray animals as well, so try to put yourself in the mindset of being pray, what would you want to make you feel safe and confident? Oh, also make sure your pup can’t get to the litter box (kitty might protest if he/she sees the pup in their personal space) and if possible, have a safe room. I have enough space in my house to have a cat room. This room has the litter box and food (my pup can’t resist cat food). Right now I have a puppy gate up so the cats can get through but the pup can’t. I’ve scouted out a custom door making company and for a reasonable price they will make me a bedroom door with a cat door. This way, not only do my cats have 6 foot cat trees to keep them up high In the living room if they choose (still has 100 percent access to where the people are) but they can go relax in the cat room which has their box, food, toys, trees a window and a futon all free of the chaos that is Fido.
