We've taken on a 8 month old rescue dog, a lively border collie.

He's settling down well and is a super dog but clearly he'd never lived with
a cat before. He's doing his best to rid our house of this "indoor
squirrel".

Although I'm really a "dog person" I have to acknowledge that the cat has a
right to live with us, if for no other reason than he was here first. ;-)

He's a smart dog who responds to commands when he isn't too distracted but
whenever he sees or hears the cat he get's terribly excited and ceased to be
aware of anything else.

With the aid of a stair gate we've created a "sanctuary area" for the cat
but I think this is delaying the normal process of aclimatisation that we've
experienced before with our dogs and cats. I don't feel confident enough to
remove it though as his reaction to the cat is just so strong.

Any tips?

Tim

In article ,
"Tim Downie" wrote:


With the aid of a stair gate we've created a "sanctuary area" for the cat
but I think this is delaying the normal process of aclimatisation that we've
experienced before with our dogs and cats. I don't feel confident enough to
remove it though as his reaction to the cat is just so strong.

Keep the gate up for the cat's peace of mind for now, whenever you can't
supervise. Keep a LEASH on the dog when you can supervise, so you can
guide and control his actions toward the cat. Teach the dog solid
obedience. A down-stay goes a very long way, as does a recall (come
when called). Almost anything can be dealt with if you have those 2
commands solid.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

"Janet Boss" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Tim Downie" wrote:


With the aid of a stair gate we've created a "sanctuary area" for the cat
but I think this is delaying the normal process of aclimatisation that
we've
experienced before with our dogs and cats. I don't feel confident enough
to
remove it though as his reaction to the cat is just so strong.

Keep the gate up for the cat's peace of mind for now, whenever you can't
supervise. Keep a LEASH on the dog when you can supervise, so you can
guide and control his actions toward the cat. Teach the dog solid
obedience. A down-stay goes a very long way, as does a recall (come
when called). Almost anything can be dealt with if you have those 2
commands solid.

I've been trying some controlled introduction today (on a leash) but we
haven't mastered the "stay" command yet which is undoubtably part of the
problem. Clearly getting on top of that is a priority. Thanks for your
comments.

Tim

On Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:12:52 -0500, Janet Boss
wrote:

In article ,
"Tim Downie" wrote:


With the aid of a stair gate we've created a "sanctuary area" for the cat
but I think this is delaying the normal process of aclimatisation that we've
experienced before with our dogs and cats. I don't feel confident enough to
remove it though as his reaction to the cat is just so strong.

Keep the gate up for the cat's peace of mind for now, whenever you can't
supervise. Keep a LEASH on the dog when you can supervise, so you can
guide and control his actions toward the cat. Teach the dog solid
obedience. A down-stay goes a very long way, as does a recall (come
when called). Almost anything can be dealt with if you have those 2
commands solid.

Absolutely keep the gate up - I've found it helpful for the dog and
cat to be able to see each other and get used to each other while the
cat is safe. For dogs that have never lived with cats, it's often
just a novelty and that may wear off with a little time.

Obedience commands are of course indispensable. I always teach "no
kitty" to dogs, though - it's a specific command that the dog never
hears in other contexts, and may be less likely to ignore. (For
example, my IG thinks his name is Teddyoff, but he knows it's not
Nokitty.)

"Tim Downie" wrote in message
...

" I've been trying some controlled introduction today (on a leash) but
we haven't mastered the "stay" command yet which is undoubtably part of
the problem. Clearly getting on top of that is a priority. Thanks for
your comments.

Tim

Hi Tim,
I would practise the command away from the cat first uisng a
reward.
I use a clicker when introducing new pets to each other. I click and
treat when the dog (or cat!) looks away from the new pet. I first click for
the slightest glance away. You have to be quick with the clicker.
If you've not used a clicker before you can read more about it on this
website.
http://www.clickertraining.com/
Alison

"Alison" wrote in message
...

Hi Tim,
I would practise the command away from the cat first uisng a
reward.


That's not very clear! I meant practise the command Stay with your dog
when there are no distractions so it is solid before he sees the cat.
Reinforce it using rewards.
Alison

"Tim Downie" wrote in message
...
We've taken on a 8 month old rescue dog, a lively border collie.

He's settling down well and is a super dog but clearly he'd never lived
with a cat before. He's doing his best to rid our house of this "indoor
squirrel".

Although I'm really a "dog person" I have to acknowledge that the cat has
a right to live with us, if for no other reason than he was here first.
;-)

He's a smart dog who responds to commands when he isn't too distracted but
whenever he sees or hears the cat he get's terribly excited and ceased to
be aware of anything else.

With the aid of a stair gate we've created a "sanctuary area" for the cat
but I think this is delaying the normal process of aclimatisation that
we've experienced before with our dogs and cats. I don't feel confident
enough to remove it though as his reaction to the cat is just so strong.

Any tips?

Tim


I recently went through pretty much the same but my dog is a daschund. He
didn't like the cat, who was homeless and had chosen us. She stayed on the
patio and I would pet her and then pet the dog to spread their scent to each
other. They pretty much get along now, it has been several months. We would
sit on the cuch together with me in the middle.