Dogs are friendly creatures, and they can get over-excited at times. This might mean dogs chasing after the cats for hours trying to play with them. Naturally, cats do not appreciate this and they prefer to be left in peace. Once the cat fights back or runs around the house, it can get chaotic.
The good news is that this behavior can be corrected, and you can help your dog be more cat-friendly. How? Here are some tips below.
Introduce them at an early age
Dogs who grew up with other animals can develop harmonious relationships with other creatures, even with cats. They learn how to be more gentle with play and read a cat’s body language.
Carrier Technique
For older dogs, introducing cats will require more time and work. One trick is to bring both the cat and dog together in one room – the cat inside a carrier and the dog in a leash. Add a muzzle if necessary. Remember to do this only with a confident cat, as this will cause stress to shy cats.
- Give your dog a treat and give basic commands such as sit and stay. Take a look at the best dog training treats.
- Every time your dog completes a command and ignores the cat, reward with a treat.
This teaches your dog that ignoring the cat will get him a reward rather than chasing it.
Also read: How Can You Tell If Your Dog Respects You?
Cookie Cat Trick
Prepare special treats for this exercise and only use these treats when correcting your dog’s cat-chasing habit.
- Bring your dog and a cat again in a controlled space, with your dog in a leash.
- Do not confine the cat and let it walk around. Just make sure the cat doesn’t torment your dog.
- Each time the cat shows itself and moves around the room or gets your dog’s attention, give your pup a treat.
The idea is to associate the cat-presence with treats and that instead of paying attention to the cat and chasing it, your dog can focus on you instead and get yummy treats.
Remember that in training dogs, consistency is key.
Tried some of these tricks? Let us know which one worked best for your dog!
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