New dog too fasinated with cat?

[JUDY S]

Well it looked like Spartan was going to get along with everyone. Yay. But then after a couple of days I noticed he was very intent on any of the faster moving cats. He would chase them around the car, I spend time with them in our garage, and he didn't take the time to sit with me like the girls do. Then he started growling and barking at Chase, the one cat that hissed at him and he has been "stalking" him ever since. I don't feel safe having the two of them in the same space. He'll lick the other cats and leave them alone unless they are moving fast. But sometimes Chase is just sitting there and he barks at him. I am thinking this could be recipe for disaster. How can I make him stop this behavior? He listens okay when I tell him to come, but he hadn't been taught anything. We are working on sit and he does seem to catch on fast. How worried should I be and any advice?

[Traci]

If he is intimidating or chasing or menacing the cat(s) in any way, then yes, you need to take immediate action by keeping them seperated and not allowing him near the cat(s)! It only takes one second for a dog to attack a cat.....prevent this from happening, NOW.

How to train him to respect the cats? The same as you taught your other dogs, slow, intermittent, supervised introductions, providing safe havens for the cats. ALL dogs must be taught to respect the cats and their boundaries (including their safe havens, food, belongings, sleeping areas, etc). Please do not EVER allow a new or untrained dog anywhere near your cats without strict supervision and training!

[JUDY S]

They are never unsupervised, but as you said it can happen so fast. I keep my arms or hands between him and the cat, so if he's going to bite, it'll be me. I guess I am hoping with time he'll get better, the girls were good with the cats right from the start.

[mamabear]

judy nice to see you again. I am dealing with some bad things right now with my grandmother and her side of the family so sort of in a fog. But i'd like to help you with this. Traci is right in what she is saying. But I am just trying to get a bit more info.

Is spartan new? How old? How long has he been with you?

Is he the last dog to come into the home, if so are you treating him as though he is the low man on the totem poll. If not you should. Dogs can get confused very fast with their pack order.

Let me know and give anything else you think i might need. Hope you are doing well hugs to you dear!!!

i am going to hospital to see my grandmother so hopefully i'll be back tonight so no rush right now to post about him. I wont be home till at least 10pm.

[JUDY S]

I am so sorry to hear about your grandmother. I have lost both my grandparents and I miss them. Thanks for helping, even during this difficult time.

Yes, Spartan is new. We picked him up two weeks ago. We are treating him as the low dog on the totem pole and all dogs are getting along well. The rescue estimated him to be about a year and a half to two years. They had him fixed about three weeks ago, the scar is nicely healing. He doesn't know any commands and we have a lot of work ahead of us!

We had some calm moments with Chase on my lap and Spartan laying right beside me. He also licked Chase's face and that was fine. About twenty minutes later Oscar snarled at one of the other cats and Spartan immediately went into stalking mode. When he barked and growled at him I immediately separated them and decided that was enough together time for the day. He seems really good with the cats as long as they are relaxed. As soon as the are tense or running around he has his full attention on them.

Another new problem is he has taken to marking the garage!! He does it in the morning when I let them in there to eat. I reprimand him and send him outside, but it doesn't seem to be working. Any thoughts on that?

[mamabear]

I am so sorry to hear about your grandmother. I have lost both my grandparents and I miss them. Thanks for helping, even during this difficult time.

Yes, Spartan is new. We picked him up two weeks ago. We are treating him as the low dog on the totem pole and all dogs are getting along well. The rescue estimated him to be about a year and a half to two years. They had him fixed about three weeks ago, the scar is nicely healing. He doesn't know any commands and we have a lot of work ahead of us!

We had some calm moments with Chase on my lap and Spartan laying right beside me. He also licked Chase's face and that was fine. About twenty minutes later Oscar snarled at one of the other cats and Spartan immediately went into stalking mode. When he barked and growled at him I immediately separated them and decided that was enough together time for the day. He seems really good with the cats as long as they are relaxed. As soon as the are tense or running around he has his full attention on them.

Another new problem is he has taken to marking the garage!! He does it in the morning when I let them in there to eat. I reprimand him and send him outside, but it doesn't seem to be working. Any thoughts on that?

What type of dog is spartan? Breed wise or what is he mixed with? He must not have been socialized properly with cats and that will take some time, love and a lot of disipline. consistancy is key with that.

about the marking...well do you let him out first, before he goes out to eat? If not then he must go out to take a break first. if he refuses then get him on a leash and walk him until he does. THEN bring him to the dish on the leash and let him eat AFTER he has done something you want him to do for the food. every thing he gets he must work for dont forget that. If you are letting him out in the garage off leash to wonder and eat he will surely find something to pee on if he has to go bad enough. If he has already gone and is marking then again the leash trick should work.

A firm NO! told to him and taking him out when he does it should help as well but first things first get the area cleaned up and make sure he pottys first and get the leash on him to eat. walk him to the dish and at that point you can take him off of it but you should be right there next to him to eat so you can make sure he doesnt pee.

Also there might be a reason he is peeing if its not due to really having to go bad...there might be mice or another animal that has been there.

Thank you, I saw her last night and she is worse than I thought but am speaking with my aunt and finding things out so we can take care of her.

[JUDY S]

The rescues best guess was Akita. He isn't marking because he has to pee, he has access to the back yard all night. This morning he peed on the wall so I made him go outside, then he came back in looking so sweet I didn't have the heart to make him stay out, and minutes later I caught him about to mark the truck tire!

I am glad to hear that with patience we can kick this cat thing, he is such a sweety that I am definately willing to do that.

Quick question about Nikki. She is also very fasinated when the cats fight, she follows them around the garage with a totally focused on them look on her face. Until she killed the kitten I never really worried about it, but now I am a little nervous. What are the chances she would hurt one of my cats?

[Traci]

If one or more of the dogs has pack mentality, then you DO need to be concerned about the cats. Dogs are notorious for this behavior if it is not halted in the beginning and they have clear understanding that the cats and their boundaries MUST be respected, at ALL times. When you are gone, you MUST ensure that none of the dogs are allowed with or left alone together with the cats alone, it only takes one dog to chase or intimidate, then others follow suit and then disaster happens. The incident with the kitten should be fresh in your mind, you do need to watch Nikki like a hawk and when you see her "eyeing" them intentfully, halt it immediately, with a stern command that she fully understands, and divert her attention immediately to something else that is calming, something that she associates with that is respectful of the cats. For example, when you see her eyeing a cat, say a command, in a stern voice, "NO, Nikki", then point to an area far enough away from the cat, and tell her "GO", to that area, then "STAY or SIT DOWN", "NICE", whatever command she associates with respecting your command. Be consistent with this command and action every single time she exhibits the behavior. EVERY single time. Ask hubby and other family members to be consistent as well.

[JUDY S]

The kitten incident will never leave my mind I have been reprimanding her with the cats, but I will haven't been as stern as you advise. I will start that immediately. The cats and dogs are never alone without me or Pete. But I do see what you mean about the pack thing, Nik and Spartan are doing the chasing thing together. I will definately cut them off immediately. I didn't realize that my relaxing time with my kids was no longer going to be relaxing when I got the new dog! The vet that fixed him said that he slept with cats and let them eat out of his dish. I guess they didn't have him near snarly cats.

[Traci]

Well, make sure you are not just scolding/reprimanding, because this is often counterproductive and the dog will not associate the respect that you are demanding. A stern, vocal command does not mean shouting or yelling, slapping or anything (not saying you do that), just a stern voice in a consistent tone so the dog associates the tone WITH the command WITH the behavior/command you expect him to follow. Please be consistent with the command and your tone, and do it often as necessary so the dog understands entirely he/she needs to repect your command. Remember, the dogs probably have some heirarchy, but YOU are always the alpha!

All (or most) dogs truly want to please their masters. So, demand respect by your calm tones and commands, be consistent and DO reward them for good behavior and when they heed your commands. At the same time, NEVER ever assume there won't be a disruption or ignoring a command, dogs can forget or try to test you, so always be consistent and always keep in the back of your mind that the cats need your protection at all times. If you let them get away with just one thing, just once, that can completely fail everything you've tried to do.