Cat person with a dog?

The instinct to kill has not diminished at all when it comes to either squirrels or rabbits. She had four in the first week that I had her off the leash in the nearby woods.
We thought hard on this, and finally came up with a loud sounding bell for her collar. We found an old Xmas decoration that had a good, sturdy bell that made just about the right level of jangle.
She now flies through the woods, sounding like Rudolph on amphetamines, but has not caught one since.
We also have the added advantage of knowing exactly where she is, when she goes off on one of her jaunts.
"Where's the dog? I think she went that way"

<JANGLE JANGLE...from the opposite direction >

"Oh, there she is"

(Guinness, complete with bell......on the lookout for pesky squirrels)

lovely

I wonder, does that 45 mph couch potato know that her jewelry is interfering with her blood sports?

Is Liam still out-weighed by the cats?

Given his breed, I'd probably still let them sort it out themselves. The cats will tell him. Just make sure he can't get out of the house when they finally tell him off.

link

He does need training, with every human in the house attending - but keeping the cats and dog separated is not good in the long run.

Maybe hire a professional dog coach/trainer to help you one-on-one with the process if you're uneasy about it.

You're right, ehBeth. We need to get some training. We have schedules for a couple of places, but our crazy summer schedule is making it hard to figure out when we can go. My son and I are leaving on the 16th for a week in Washington state, then all three of us (plus dog) are going on vacation the second week of August. We hate to put this off, but they all tell us we need to be able to attend consistently for 8 weeks. I don't see any way to make that work until mid-August.

Liam is now 14.5 lbs. The cats are 8.5 and 11 lbs. The good thing is, Liam wears several tags so he is very noisy like Ellpus's gorgeous greyhound. And he skids when he tries to run on our wood floors. So even when he does occasionally try to chase the cats, he doesn't really have a chance.

The cats seem to have accepted the situation. They're happy to stay on the top floor and roam the house at night. Actually, they sleep almost all day anyway. They haven't shown any signs of unhappiness with this arrangement.

But still, I'd like to find a better solution. Thank you for listening to me.

The biggest love/hate relationship.

We had to take off Chloe's (cat) collar because the chime sound it makes alerts Yuki to HERD HER IMMEDIATELY. Puts her in a corner for 20+ minutes! We're going to have to put the collar back on because it has her tags, rabies, etc, but we figured she needed a break.

At the same time, Chloe goes out and hunts Yuki. She lays on her back and just swats at her. She's smart though and only exposes her belly when she's under a chair. ...that way Yuki can't SQUISH her.

Not posed or anything, this is where we caught them a few weeks ago.

Awww...that is SO cute!

Had Chloe been around dogs before? Is she an indoor/outdoor cat? Does she still have front claws? How big was Yuki when they first met?

We were shocked to see that.

chloe ALWAYS acts like she HATES Yuki. But, when it comes to laying down or when yuki feels like giving her a bath, Chloe just sits there.

a) Well, we had our maltese before chloe. BIG SIZE difference though and the maltese is very calm and left her alone. (well not really... I've posted them wrestling before). However, she had only been around 2 cats (since a kitten) that HATE people, other animals, and cats. She adapted a lot of their characteristics but thankfully she wasn't neglected like my roommate's cats at the time.

b) strictly indoor cat. i think she'd be wild if i let her outside which would make her violent towards the little maltese.

c) completely declawed for the better. this way she doesn't poke anyone's eyes out.

d) chloe was/is 11lbs and yuki was 12lbs (10 wks old) when they met. I never thought they'd get along because chloe SPAZ'ed big time since Yuki came straight at her over and over and over again. I kept patient and ONLY backed off the dog. I wanted the cat to teach her who is boss a few times. Chloe just has to LOOK at yuki, and yuki TIP TOES around her in fear of "the mean look."

Basically Chloe has learned to take the high ground (desks, tables, couch) while yuki waits on the ground dying for her paws to touch the carpet (to beging chasing).

Hello
I have a shar-pie thats sweet quite and smart. I trained her not to jump on people and she only barks if a stranger comes in. I keep children in my home and shes great with all the kids. Oh and by the way I have 15 cats . She has been easy to train and is my best friend. She shares me with which ever cat or kitten that wants to come in side for the day.
Their are lots of low key dogs just take your time and find one that your son can run jump play and at night will lovingly look after your family.
Theirs nothing that comes in my yard in the woods that if it shouldn't be here she will push my arm with her head and go to where she wants me to look. Shes the best and I hope you find a friend like mine. But putting a little training like sit, stay, come, and NO are the best thing for a dog. I love my cats. I've got the best of both worlds.

Boston Terrier
I have a boston terrier and he is 10 weeks old. I love him to death, but I hate the fact that he bites at my shoes and hands. Does anyone have any suggestions about what I should do?

Outside of immediately saying NO! and giving him something to distract his attn (toy/bone/something okay to chew on), have you tried bitter apple spray (sold in any major pet store)?

It works wonders for our dogs! We don't even have to spray them. Just hold it up and they immediately let go of whatever they're not supposed to be chewing or doing.

The most important thing is to keep doing whatever method you use. Don't confuse them by trying several at once. Stick to one, use it religiously, and move on to a different method if the one you are using doesn't work. A lot of times problems don't go away because the OWNER was never consistant about it.

Please remember that dogs respond best with positive reinforcement. A smack on the nose can trigger aggressive or rise in the problem.

Also remember that your baby is a puppy. With some time, there's a good chance it will go away by itself (with constant no's and lots of patience).

Good luck!

getting a dog, from a cat person
Some advice from a cat person in a multi-cat household [I wont say how many]--I got a D-O-G -- actually he found us, showed up and wouldnt leave, he loved the cats and visa versa. He became the protector of the cats and of my kids. It was a lucky break, a sweet, calm, controlled, gentle giant.

HOWEVER...here are things this novice dog owner learned...

[1] TICKS---While we cat people know that cats provide natural chemical free pest control--no roaches, spiders, etc, dogs have ticks, and be prepared for the disturbing feeling of using lots of pesticides to keep ticks away.

[2] the hardest for me to cope with, and probably reason I may never get another dog--Dogs eat cat poop; gobble it down, "love the way it tastes" says the vet--please, any other reason !! As handy as it sounds to have an automatic litter box cleaner, the feeling in your stomach as you realize what happened is difficult to endure.

I'm in the same boat as Eve!
Hi everybody! I've been reading through all the above hoping for an answer... Eve, I'm in the same boat as yourself, with a new 1 & 1/2 yr old Corgi/Border Collie mix dog (purchased at Animal Rescue) and two older cats.. aged 5 and 8. They are hiding in a bedroom under a bed and only come out when the dog has left for a few hours or he is behind closed doors for the night sleeping. The one difference tho, my cats do have their claws.

Their fear of this dog has suprised us as both cats have lived with a dog up till 4 years ago (sadly, we had to put our old friend Pepper down from sickness and old age) and friends bring their dogs into the house only to have our cats sit quietly under chairs to watch, never growling or starring!

He sees the bravest of the two from time to time and just wants to chase. When he lurches the cat swipes his face in warning then backs out of the room slowly still with the stare-down and low growl. He hasn't yet been scratched by either cat. The other cat remains hidden when dog is moving about the house.

We are now going into week 3 with little to no progress as to having them socialize nicely with each other. I'm leary of placing them in a room together with no way out... I don't want the cats to feel more threatened than they do now and then not trust me at all. He (the dog) when on one occasion of confrontation, when told "no!" stopped and went to the couch... the couch
that the cat loves to sleep on.... and allowed the cat to leave the room... the dog whimpered loudly on the couch... so I think he really wanted to play? Not the cats tho.

Eve, let me know how you're making out... I know it's been over a month for you... have they become accustomed to each other yet?