recently become terrified of one of our cats
A little background: Tucker is 1 and we have had him since he was 8 weeks. We have two cats, one of which he has gotten along with just fine from the begining, and one that retreated to the basement and didn't want anything to do with the dog until the last couple months.
Recently, there has been a complete change in dynamics. Prior to the last couple months Tucker would chase the cat(Cleo) if she came into the room because he knew she would run. I know she must have hurt him in one of their romps, altough I never saw any visible evidence that she did.
The problem is now, Cleo taunts him. She walks so close to him that is makes him uncomfortable. If we are sitting on the couch, she will jump on the couch as well. It concerns me because what was once a secure, confident dog is now petrified of Cleo. I can see the concern on his face when she is near, and he will not go into certain rooms until he knows her wherabouts. His bechavior has not changed with the rest of the family(except when Cleo is there), or with other dogs.
Any advice on how to get these two to bury the hatchet? Our other cat(Sunset) and Tucker get along so well.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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I am thinking Tucker got nailed by Cleo...I wish my cats would do this to my dogs! How long has this been happening...it might take a little time and if Tucker learned to respect Cleo...that is ok. Maybe when Cleo comes in the room you can get Tucker to focus on you? Try getting the 2 closer together by sitting on the floor and they both get your attention? I really don't have any good suggestions! Sorry!
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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I would just give it time. She's taught him to respect her space, and over time he'll learn how close he can get before he violates her comfort zone. For everyone's safety, it's always best if the dog thinks the cat outranks everyone in the house, and it sounds like that's what is happening. When my cat was alive, Jack learned just how close he could get to Alice (about 8 feet or so) without making her charge, and he would carefully keep that distance.
If Tucker is putting his ears back, avoiding the cat, lowering his body, or licking his lips those are all just signs of submission, not fear. If he is panting, pacing, whining, shivering, not eating, or exhibiting other fearful behaviors that would be one thing, but just looking worried is good. And if this is the cat that previously retreated to the basement, I would say this dynamic is probably better on balance than the one before. Over time, you might try offering them both special treats only in each other's presence to see if it helps, but cats are not as food motivated as dogs so that does not always work.
Good luck! The cat/dog thing can be tricky and honestly it's better for the dog to be afraid of the cat than the other way around.
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Permalink Reply by Angie, Ole, Ani, and Erika on
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Thanks for the replies, they are helpful. I think I will try treats and giving them both extra attention when they are together.
Last night Tucker got down from our bed in the middle of the night and I woke to find the trim in our door jam gnawed. The door was open. My guess is he felt trapped in the room(Cleo in the hallway possibly) and did it nervously. We haven't had much trouble with him chewing on furniture/wood as of late. I hate to put him back in his kennel at night(it has only been a few months that we have trusted him out all night and I like letting him have that freedom, and having him in bed with us).
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Permalink Reply by Lynne Cerny on
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My Corgi was terrible to my cats! My husband thought that it was great. (Not Me!) We now have 2 cats at work and Bucher would try to herd them like the cats we used to have. He chased them into their cat door and he got hit with it (Ha Ha!). Now he is nice to the cats, they can walk in front of him and not get chased, in fact he won't look them in the eyes. I think that it is great because I now can take my two dog to work and have the two cats at work and they all can be in the same room with no issues.
I would just give it time. Corgis tend to be bossy and want to herd the cats. If the cats can get the upper hand, let them!
I wouldn't let the cats bit them though. Cat bites can be nasty!
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