Help! My corgi and cat don't like each other!
Hi everyone,
I'm Heidi, and my 9 month old Corgi is Foxie. I've had her for almost 2 months. She is very energetic and good-natured to everyone with the exception of my cat, Garfield. Initially Foxie was very scared of him, and wouldn't even look at him but just whimper. Garfield the cat wasn't welcoming and kind of creeped around her for a little while. He's not that interested in her anymore, except if she's blocking his was to the courtyard where he likes to sit. I got her a baby gate (in addition to her crate) so she could relax at bedtime. Her crate is also right outside my room and we are so close that she can see me.
Now Foxie gets in Garfield's face barking at him and continually advances until he jumps up high onto the furniture. This happens daily. So far they have not bitten each other, but Foxie corners him and barks at him and Garfield has let her know in no uncertain terms that he does not like it. He hisses and swings at her, although he is declawed. I do my best to keep them apart. The cat is 7 yrs old and male and just basically wants to sleep and eat now. Foxie physically blocks him from entering or exiting the house to get to the courtyard where he likes to sit.
Does anyone have any suggestions?? The trainer at the puppy training class said to treat each of them when the other entered the room so teach would associate the other with good things. It wasn't effective. My friend's trainer said to use a water spray bottle on them when they go at it. I haven't tried the water yet, but I will.
I would appreciate any input, especially if you have had a similar experience! Thank you!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kaley and Ravioli on
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here is the season and episode number and a short synopsis of what happened
http://www.cesarsway.com/dogwhisperer/episode-archive/season-3-epis...
it's hard to explain what exactly caesar did in the episode, as i am not caesar! but the cat vs dog portion was only in the last 10 minutes of the show so apparently for caesar it's a quick fix =P maybe you can find the episode on youtube!
oh and the name of the episode was called "young and the restless"
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Permalink Reply by Laura Rochette on
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My two cats were 12 when I introduced Lucy to the household. Needless to say, I have tried to set things up under the assumption the cats rule. Lucy and the 2 cats just do not speak the same language. Lucy wants to play, makes the cutest play moves toward them, and the cats respond either by meowing loudly or by retreating quickly. They both have swatted at her, but without their claws out, so Lucy has never been hurt. George--my alpha-type feline--likes to lounge on the back of a chair and stare down at Lucy in her pen--he does it until she barks at him, then George swishes his tail, jumps down and goes upstairs, his job done. I think both Lucy and George get jealous if they are both in the room and I am petting only one of them--the other demands his/her fair share of affection.
Basically, Lucy has accepted the two cats as the "top dogs" but just looks confused when they won't play! Lucy is so good-natured that she just goes on her merry way. I call it a cool truce! Since their antics have never resulted in aggressive or injurious behavior, I continue to be nothing but amused...
Oh, last note: before I got Lucy her pen to confine her to a part of the apartment, Gracie, my nervous calico, did sometimes poop and pee outside the litterbox. That stopped once Lucy was in her pen.
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Permalink Reply by Elizabeth, Hermione and Luna on
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This is all pretty much the same story as our house. Older cats, pups. Many whacks, no claws. Cats rule (from up high) and after two years, the older cat (the queen) still doesn't play, but does deign to let her ears be thoroughly licked.
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Permalink Reply by Marcie on
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I'm a little worried about introducing my pup to my cat Mokey. Mokey loved my last dog. Who however had been taught to respect cats by my previous cat. She loved to cuddle with him and wash his face. He was the one who refused to play not the cat. I'm not sure Mokey understands the rules herself.
Right now my plan is to make the bedroom her safety zone, with a gate across the door. There will also be a gate for the laundry room to protect the litter box. I'll add a box to the bedroom as well. I like the clicker strategies and will try those as well. The pup will be crated or gated into the spare room when I am gone. I'm watching craislist for an xpen.
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Permalink Reply by Heidi on
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Foxie is definitely not playing. Last night was the worst episode yet and I was really concerned for my cat. Foxie had Garfield pinned very aggressively and it happened so fast! If I can't figure this out quickly, I may not be able to keep her. I have water spray bottles now to use if necessary, I leashed Foxie to me last night, and am only allowing one outside in the courtyard at a time. I am doing all that I've heard or read about, so we will see...thanks again to everyone for your suggestions and input!
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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If the leash is on and attached to your belt, it is not possible to attack the cat. If Foxie was dragging a leash you could quickly pull her off the cat. You have to use the same intensity in your training as she is in her desire to beat up the cat. I used the leash method on our doberman for several days before she understood that a cat running by should be ignored. However, everytime she is successful in getting the cat, it sets your training back to square one.
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Bev is so right about being back at square one any time the dog gets the cat. It may even be worse than that, as it is teaching the dog to try harder and harder to find that opportunity....and all trainers know the power of "intermittent reinforcement".
With puppies I like to think of the leash as an extension of my arm. With a small child who cannot act properly in a certain environment ( store, friend's house, public place, etc) what do you do? You hold the child by the hand. The leash is not for correction purposes ( though it can serve that purpose occasionally ) it is more to help the puppy develop the desired behavior. The puppy is, like the child, in an environment that is strange to his nature and needs more guidance than correction. At 9 months Foxie is more of a teenager, so you will have to be firmer as she will be more opinionated than she would have been at 12 weeks....
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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You must not allow this to happen at all while you are working on training! Either the cat or the dog is to be safely confined 100% of the time (swap them out) when you are not working on training. I would go back to introducing them through a closed door and reward nice behavior on the dog's part (watching you instead of the door) and gradually move up from there. PLEASE be careful or you will end up with a dead cat. Don't mean to be harsh, but this has huge red flags for me. This problem can be fixed, but while working on it make sure there is never an opportunity to chase. While I was curing Maddie from chasing the cat, Boo would stay in her safe room most of the time and then I'd lock Maddie up for short periods to let the cat move more freely in the house.
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Permalink Reply by Shou on
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http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1403
When I first read your post, I remembered this article that I read while researching about dog training. It's similar to what Beth was mentioning, but done with clicker training. I'm by no means an expert since I don't have a dog yet, but I'm pretty sure you could do the same with or without a clicker. Just keep them separate for the most part, leash up Foxie when you're training, and let Garfield go wherever he wants. Whenever Foxie stays calm or quiet, treat her. You could also try training a "watch me" kinda command like Beth was saying too. Really hope it works out for you!
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That is a fabulous article. Thanks for posting!
With Maddie, I had to break "the stare" first because there were no moments when the cat was present where she was NOT staring, so no good behavior to reward (she was doing the Border Collie stare, which I found odd since Corgis are loose-eyed herders, but there you have it). Hence, the water bottle. But I did something similar with rewarding her for looking at me instead of the cat after that one squirt got her attention.
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This is the dobe and one of the cats now. It will work if you don't let up
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