New dog chasing indoor cats, anyone?

So we are going into our third week with an adopted mongrel Schnauzer.  She is adopted from Peurto Rico.  She has multiple behavior issues, but the cat attack mode  unbearable.  We have two cats, my wife adores cats.  If we cannot fix this, she is going back.      I'm just throwing this out as there is such a depth of knowledge on this site.      We are teaching her "leave it" and working with an online trainer.   She is super smart and learning, but good Lord, she wants to get these cats.

Thanks

Shock collar with a remote. 

Start with the warning tone and if that doesn't work, zap her. Be consistent. 

Until they are trained to get along, I'd recommend keeping an area safe for the cats to relax where the dog can not go. A child gate works well for our old cat that does not like the newer dogs.

In reply to Toyman! :

This is what we did for our dog who decided that chasing the cats was her new favorite sport. The vibration setting is enough to stop her in place, I don't think we've ever used the zap function. The warning beep does the job now. Heck, just turning on the remote makes her snap to attention. We only put the collar on (the collar of shame) when she needs to take things down a notch.

slefain said:

In reply to Toyman! :

This is what we did for our dog who decided that chasing the cats was her new favorite sport. The vibration setting is enough to stop her in place, I don't think we've ever used the zap function. The warning beep does the job now. Heck, just turning on the remote makes her snap to attention. We only put the collar on (the collar of shame) when she needs to take things down a notch.

Our coonhound mix is a bit of a psycho, but the "good girl collar" calms her right down. As you say, we rarely even need to beep it, and I don't think we've ever actually zapped her.

We have to same issue, dog likes to chase the cats but the 2 cats team up at times and back the 90lb lab into a corner.  We have the same collar that beeps, vibrates or shocks.  We call it his good boy collar cause just putting it on seems to change his ways.

We have 2 dogs and 4 cats. The older terrier mix is very laid back, and never had any issue with the cats. The "new" dog, a 2 year old mini Australian Shepard that we got as a puppy has a different relationship with each cat. One cat doesn't want anything to do with the dog, but just stands her ground. The dog avoids that cat, and hesitates/takes the long way around to get by her.  She never chases that cat. Another cat does everything she can to avoid the dog, and they are rarely seen together. If they do meet, the chase is on. Cat #3 is somewhere in the middle. Not as standoffish or flighty, and they can sometimes hang out. But sometimes she will chase that cat if she is in the mood. Cat #4 thinks it is a dog, and the dogs treat him like one of the pack. They frequently hang out and lie together. They play, and the cat lets the dog chew on him gently. He'll chase the dogs sometimes. He eats dog food with them. Weird cat.

Berkeley a bunch of cats.  LOL.

My old dog got along fine with the cats it was raised with. 

As with most unwanted behaviors in dogs, consistent training will make it go away.

When I moved to Florida my parents took the Chow that used to live in my shop. He ruled the neighborhood around the shop, even taking down the German Shepherd from the salvage yard across the street. It took him a few weeks to learn the cats all have sharp corners. The first run in with our Maine Coon taught him a valuable lesson and he had the scars on his nose to remind him.

I like the collar idea but the animals will usually work things out.

Thunderdome.   (Mad Max)

2 Enter, one leaves.

No help at all.  It's what I do.

I'm not a dog trainer, but I was married to a vet/trainer for 14 years.  I've tried to forget most of that relationship, but I'm still fair with dogs.

AAZCD has the right idea for now.  Let the cats get away and have their safe space.  This doesn't mean that the mongrel won't "connect" one day and injure a cat, but it's a start, and it gives the cats a way to escape a heart attack.

The rest of it sounds like it's time for pro help.  I don't mean hire a personal dog trainer for thousands of dollars, but pro help could be anything from buying How To Train Mongrels for Dummies, to attending some inexpensive group classes that might be put on by a PetSmart or a mom and pop pet store.  If you go with the book route, be prepared for a long process, and it will only be longer if you're inconsistent.  I was surprised at how much quicker things went when I enlisted in a group class and I could watch by example.

Hey All,

thanks for your input.  The shelter where we picked up the dog has rules on collars and electric fences.  We have always kept the cats safe, there are multiple get away spots in the house.  The dog is either on a leash or in a crate while inside.  She is picking up training really well.  It is going to come down to how long my wife can stand her life without her cats.   Our trainer is impressed with how smart the dog is, but of course can not give us a projection on how long it will take to live in harmony with our cats.   

It really stinks because this is an awesome car and shop dog.  It is going to kill me to give her up.  I am going to try with some fake cats on the stairs and other decoys.   

With the depth of knowledge and experience on this board, I knew you'd all have some insight.

Thanks much

Doc

FWIW I tried the shock collar with my previous dog who liked to chase outdoor cats (and would run right through the invisible fence if he saw one).  With it set on max it had no appreciable effect on him when he was in cat mode.  His adrenaline was pumping or whatever and he would barely flinch.

With the dozen-or-so dogs I had with the ex, we had one that we tried a shock collar.  Completely useless on that particular specimen.  She very quickly learned that she could do whatever she wanted if the collar was on the charger (off her neck) and was afraid to eat, pee, poop, or breathe with the collar on for fear that she'd be shocked.

In her defense, she was the dumbest (yet smartest)  dog I've ever met.

Training properly was the fix.  Positive reinforcement wins.  Potentially slower results, but it rewarded us with a brilliantly happy, eager-to-please pup who always brought smiles to our faces.

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

The dog is learning, but goes for the cats when ever she can.  My sister had a cat that taught my 90 lb lab a painful lesson. It was a very quick learning experience!  Of all the dogs I've had, I've never had to work with this.  Again, its down to how long we can have the house chopped up and how long my wife can be without her cats.

Hopefully it works out!  Good sign that the dog is trainable, I imagine.  

My dog has always been infatuated with the cats.  He just wants to play with them bit can be pretty aggressive sometimes, and they dont really share his enthusiasm.

We have a bunch of gates so the cats have defined safe zones.  The blind cat has no idea what he is, and had given him multiple scars over the years.   Still, he'll come up right in their face..

It took over two years, but he finally has a friend.  They are their own wandering dysfunctional herd of morons now.

Buds forever.............awesome

Well, the new addition has not gone well.  This is from our present dog,the puncture wounds on the back of my hand are painful.  We are returning our new dog.  Stinks bc she could have been a great dog.  Two people , one a vet had real doubts her prey drive could be changed.  It would have been nicer if a dog bite wasn't the deciding factor.

Ah man that sucks. I always hope it works out.   Hopefully they can get her rehomed into a single dog household. 

Some of the rescue dogs our family had were hopeless.  We could get some training accomplished but some stuff just exceeded our patience.  The hound mix barked constantly, tired of getting cursed out by the neighbors I got a shock collar.  Worked for a day then even turned up all the way she continued to bark.  Daughter had a mutt that also had a barking problem.  The collar worked on him until he found the remote and destroyed it.  Also thought the TV remote was a collar control and he killed that too.  Never had these problems training our purebred Airedale.

In reply to porschenut :

My airedale was my best dog!!

Ouch.  Sorry about the hand, but I agree.  Sucks, but both you and the dog will be happier if they are somewhere else.

Hey Gents,

The story got way better, (sarcasm).  I couldn't bring myself to bring her back to the shelter, my wife has to do it.

She brings the dog in, she is already crying.  The worker/tech comes out and immediately recognizes our dog.  Tells my wife that he fostered her and, "no way she can do cats!"

They apologize for the lack of communication.  Then tell us that if they had done the dog introduction differently, they also would have seen it was a bad match.

So we went through all of this for a dog they should not have placed with cats and maybe another dog.  At least today I can type with both hands resting on the keyboard.

Thankfully I did not end up with nerve or muscle damage.  No rally cross this weekend, that is for sure.

We are trying to find the lesson here.  On one of our rescues we had them bring a cat into the room.  We kicked ourselves for not doing it this time.  We were fixed on seeing if the dogs would get along.  Sad that such a vital piece of info was left out.

In reply to thedoc :

Unless they were wet.  Ours loved to swim but she was rank for a few hours after.