I would definitely let him run loose around the cats - they can still bite and hiss beautifully. And as soon as everyone realizes this is a long-term relationship, the better. They need to live together unsupervised.
Do you have any cat/dog combo friends who can sort of hold your hand when you first let it happen?
One of my neighbours used to freak out just watching my dogs play-fight. When she got her dog, and we let all 3 play together, she screamed and gasped for about 1/2 an hour - and then realized they were having fun.
They have to figure out their hierarchy.
Um...okaaay.....here goes.
<crossing fingers & closing eyes>
Eva--
Did you survive Unchained Melody--scored for two cats and a Cav?
(Sigh.) The cats went into hiding. Stayed hidden all day. No telling where they are.....and I looked!
I'm pretty sure they will come out when my son and the dog go to bed in a little while. We close his bedroom door at night, so the cats will be free to roam the house then without fear.
So no battles yet?
It's not that different from introducing dogs to dogs, or cats to cats, Eva. Eventually it just has to happen.
Joahaeyo posted some good stuff about introducing her new dog to the pack - it might help you to go look at that again.
It all worked out.
Aren't transition times hell on earth?
Enjoy your grey hair. You're earning it.
So what's happening?
Are the cats still hiding, or have they come out to explain that they're in charge?
Not great.
Cats are still hiding, dog chases them every time he sees them (which isn't often!) Last night I noticed the tip of Rosie's tail has been injured. The last two inches are hard and matted, and it may be broken. I don't know for certain that the dog bit her, but it's certainly possible.
Should we force a confrontation or what? It's been over a month now, and the poor cats still can't roam the house freely without extreme fear except at night.
I'm a fan of the forced, supervised, confrontation.
Do you have any friends that have both cats and dogs? It might help to have one of them around for moral support - for you.
Have a couple of water squirters ready and loaded.
Hubby took Rosie to the vet today. The vet says the tail injury is actually several weeks old and the tip probably died slowly so we're just now noticing it.
That means it's my fault, not the dog's. I accidentally stepped on the end of her tail about 4 weeks ago without realizing she was underfoot. I thought I had just stepped on the fur, not the tail itself, but I remember her screaming like crazy. I felt so guilty, because the last six inches of her tail hung limp for about a week. I took her to the vet then, and they said they didn't think it was broken but couldn't be sure because the bones are so tiny at the end of their tails they barely even show up on x-rays. Anyway, it appears there was a break, so now I really feel awful. They're going to amputate the last two inches of her tail tomorrow. <MAJOR guilt here>
My son hugged the dog and both of them looked at me with big brown eyes. Then my son said in a low voice, "He was framed!"
<giggle>
Your poor cats. Remember, Bast is watching your house.
GOOD. Somebody oughta be!
Maybe. We just spent three days with the in-laws, and we were surrounded by small dogs the whole time. I didn't like any of them, though, except mine.
dogs are trainable and obey the pack leader (you) so I'd start by making him sit quietly when the cats are around, let them learn that the dog isn't always a threat, have them shut in the room so they can't scoot but make the dog behave - no chasing. with no claws it isn't fair to let them be chased, even if the dog thinks it's just fun, as they have no defence - you could also end up with a bad and permanent bullying habit.
Just teach him that chasing isn't allowed - as the cats gain confidence they may start to play together or they may simply tolerate each other - but their life sounds like hell at the moment.
When we introduced Paddy we stopped him every time he started bullying Rosie (2 cats) and gradually they came to terms with each other -tough going - and now are great friends. If you stop the bullying, which is what the chasing is, with the cats defenceless, then you'll stand a chance.
I agree with Vivien.
Dogs have one initial overriding instinct, and that is to establish dominance in their "pack", or at least try.
Once a dog has established exactly where it stands in the rankings, it will adopt the appropriate behaviour FOR that ranking.
A dog that is never reprimanded, will assume that it is at least number two in the pack (behind the person who feeds it, normally) or will quite often take on the role of leader.
The main responsibilities of the pack leader includes enforcing discipline, protecting the pack and maintaining their territory.
This is a stressful role for a dog, and can cause severe neurosis, resulting in annoying behavioural traits. Mail shredding, continuous barking at anything that may, or may not be outside, and more worryingly, being over protective towards family members, especially babies.
The more dominant breeds (German Shepherds etc) have been known to snap at, or even seriously attack, "lower ranked" members of the family that go anywhere near the new baby in a household.
If a dog is given a clear indication that it is a lower ranked member of the pack, it will let the leaders take over the aforementioned responsibilities, and become much more relaxed in its demeanour.
Even small signals can reinforce the "ranking". Who gets fed first, for example, is a major signal of superiority.
I would recommend that the humans in your household take firm control over the dog for a period of time, and make it clear to the dog that antisocial behaviour towards your cats is totally unnacceptable.
A bloody good telling off, in other words. Tone of voice is enough to get the message through.
For the first couple of "meetings", I would suggest having the dog on a leash, so that it can be more of a controlled situation. Keep things as relaxed and calm as possible, and get it to accept the cats as part of its pack.
But none of this will work if you are not, in its eyes, the pack leader.
If it thinks it is the boss, it will carry on protecting you, and seeing off any threats, which include your lovely cats at this moment in time.
If you can get your hands on it, I would thoroughly recommend the BBC Documentary series "The Wolf in your living Room", written and narrated by Desmond Morris (of "Naked Ape" fame).
It clearly illustrates just what a dog owners cuddly little fluffy wuffy is actually thinking.
Good Luck.
PS.....my Greyhound was, in its racing days, trained to rip apart anything that was small and furry (nothing to do with me, I may add....I got her when she was "retired" and dumped.) It went BE-SERK the first couple of times that our cat was introduced. I have never had to reprimand a dog so much in my life. She is brilliant in all other respects, but furry things made her fangs show.
The cat has now adopted my dog as its mother, and it is a wonderful sight, to see a trained killer and our wimp of a cat, closely snuggled up together on the Couch that used to be ours.
We sit on the hard wooden floor, and look on in wonder........
Well, that's the funny thing about it. The dog is not dominant at all. He's approached other cats that stood their ground, and he becomes very submissive. It's just different with our two because they panic and run. They've always been indoors, never around other animals, and they've never had to defend themselves.
The dog has a very strong hunting/chasing instinct. Birds, squirrels, etc. make him literally forget his name. Same with the cats. We can reprimand him all we want, but he can't hear us. He loses his head. This only happens when he gets excited about chasing something...at all other times, he is very obedient and gentle.
About a week and a half ago, my husband and son took him to the lake. (I did not go.) He stayed right next to them for several hours. This is normal for Cavaliers...they want to be right next to people 24/7. But then, suddenly, he was gone. He must have spotted something that needed to be chased, because he disappeared. They spent five hours searching for him, calling his name, driving around the area and on foot. The next morning, someone five miles away called us and had him. (Thank God!) When they found the little thing, he was soaking wet. He may have decided to swim across part of the lake (he's never been swimming before.) There were coyotes in the area as well as other wild animals, so we were thrilled that he was unhurt. We figure he darted off, chasing something, then when he lost the trail he didn't know where he was and couldn't find his way back. Like I said before, he loses his head. The boys now know they will have to keep him on a leash whenever they're not in an enclosed area.
We tried keeping him on a leash whenever he's around the cats...or just holding him. Once he realizes he CAN'T chase them, he's satisfied just to sniff. Doesn't growl or snap or anything. But the second he spots one when he's off leash, the high-speed chase is on. And again, it doesn't seem to matter how loud we yell, his mind is totally focused on the chase.
The cats seem to have settled into a routine of spending the day on the top floor while the dog has the run of the rest of the house. We have a baby gate across the stairs to their floor. Then at night, the dog is shut up in my son's room because they sleep together, and the cats have the run of the house.
What happens when he catches up to the cats?
They dart under the bed, knowing that he can't get under there. It's too low for him. By the time he figures that out, we've caught up with him. Then we yell at him, but he can't hear us. He's too focused. We have to carry him away and secure the gate again.
I honestly don't know if he would hurt the cats or not. That's the big question, and we're not sure we want to risk finding out by confining them in a place where the cats can't hide.
Eva he's got to be trained - or the cats need to go to a safer home - seriously. It must be hell for them.
Lord Ellpus put it very clearly. You are the pack leader and must enforce your wishes.
Cats are not pack animals and think very differently.
It was lovely to hear that the instinct to kill in retired greyhounds can be dealt with as I think they are beautiful animals but would have never considered one because of this.
