Cat protection

I have a dog. A terrific, kind well mannered, black lab german shorthair named Rosco. He has only one real character flaw.
Ok now that I've got your attention...
His only real character flaw is that he hates cats. I mean really hates, Grrrr murder death kill hates cats.
My wife has cats. 3 of them. Oreo, the black and white neurotic. Caramel, the yellow and white, big mouthy opinionated attitude. and Cloe the grey, tan and bits of white sweety, thats also a bully.

Ok so in our old house, we had a strict segregation policy. Rosco was outside, had his own side yard area, and didn't go into the house. Cats had the inside and the back yard, and a big tall fence separated the dog area from cat territiory.
Now we're moving, bigger house, much bigger yard. fencing off the side section for Rosco, won't happen anytime soon. So I'm suggesting giving Rosco the back yard. and the cats the house and front yard area. there is a wall separating the two..
the cats know Rosco is dangerous..
But what I'm afraid of is the cats exploring all over and getting into the back, and if Rosco sees one, he's quick and he's lethal.. and the consequenses would be VERY bad.
So. I'm hoping technology can help this situation out... Is there a product on the market, that I can use as a deterrant for Rosco to the cats. What I have in mind is a sort of RF transmitter, like an radio fence. get too close and it zaps you. Rosco would have a collar with a little zapper, and the cats would have a signal collar, so that if either got too close, say within 15 feet, he gets a little jolt. and maybe even the cat did too. that way they learn, mutual avoidance..
Anything like that out there? i know they have RF controlled animal doors. the cat or dog has a little RFID tag on the collar, and when it gets close to the door, the door unlocks.. simple stuff.

thanks for any help.

Dane V
Chandler AZ

I can only wish you luck. Rosco is a GSP mix....they have a high prey drive & are bred to chase small animals...I have a GSP/Lab x who successfully lives with my cats...but she's lazy as all get out.

I'd like to say make Rosco a housedog & train him....but I'm not sure you can over-ride what's been bred into him for years & years.

So, I'd keep the cats inside, if Rosco will be living outdoors.

sounds almost like underground fencing, or called * invisible* fencing. they have it for both cats and dogs

Liza

I can bring Carmelo over, to change your dogs wanting to chase cats Just kidding of course

Yikes Carmelo is a BIG kitty.
When rosco gets on the hunt, nothing stops him.. and cat claws and teeth mean nothing to him.. But Carmelo there might be quite a challenge.But I need to protect the felines from the canines. Cloe is the sweet one and the one I rescued from a junk boat as a kitten.
thanks

D

Well it may work on the dog a lot better then the cats. I don't believe in putting the electronic collars on a cat to stop them from going somewhere.

And with the dog's hatred of cats, I'd not trust the electronic collar either if he's bound and determined to "kill" them.

So instead of all that, you could do some of this:

1. When the cats are outside, the dog has to be kenneled or chained when they are outside.

2. Harness/leash train the cats and sit out in the front with them.

3. Build/buy a cat enclosure where they can sit out there and be protected.

But whatever you do, the dog would have to be physically restrained by a kennel/fence/chain. Its not like you are dealing with a small dog!

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Well it may work on the dog a lot better then the cats. I don't believe in putting the electronic collars on a cat to stop them from going somewhere.

And with the dog's hatred of cats, I'd not trust the electronic collar either if he's bound and determined to "kill" them.

So instead of all that, you could do some of this:

1. When the cats are outside, the dog has to be kenneled or chained when they are outside.

2. Harness/leash train the cats and sit out in the front with them.

3. Build/buy a cat enclosure where they can sit out there and be protected.

But whatever you do, the dog would have to be physically restrained by a kennel/fence/chain. Its not like you are dealing with a small dog!

Click to expand...

I agree with these ideas!!!!

I think with a lot of work and time you can teach your dog to accept cats and leave them be. My parents have a Wired Hair Fox Terrier and they have high prey drives as well (that's what they are bred for). With a lot of work he's now accepting of every animal as long as we show him they are "mine". For example when we bring in a baby duck we won't let him get near it at first. We will say "no" and push him away or way our hand to signal him to move.

That is true - you have to really come down hard on training; however, I really would not want to risk the life of my cat. All it takes is a few seconds!

My old veterinarian has little 'shock' collars for her vet clinic cats, because they were going in some of the surgery rooms and destroying hundreds of dollars worth of equipement by chewing on tubing and such. So she got some 'wireless' fencing for her clinic, and set it up so that only certain doors were 'marked' so that cats can still go everywhere, it's just certain rooms they can no longer get into, because they get a low intensity 'shock'...compared to the lowest shock reprimand for a dog, I would geuss it is very low! So, I guess you could get those for your cats, and just wire it across your 'back yard line' so they know they can't go back there. Same with the dog, just get a wireless containment system and create his barrier. I would make sure their barrier lines are atleast 5-10 feet apart. However, if he is so intent on 'kill the cats' he may run right through that barrier, even if the cats turn away.

However, I know the cat 'containment' systems are still very expensive, so I don't know it it is really worth your investment right now. Just keep those cats strictly indoors right now, untill your fencing is complete...it WILL not kill them to remain indoors...even though it 'could' kill them to venture out doors with a dog who wants to make them lunch!

Or, get that dog into some serious obedience\\behavioral classes. He needs to learn to obey your calls, especially if he will even chase if you are out there, and ignores you. I won't guarentee that he would ever be trustworthy while alone with a cat, but with tons of hard work and solid training and conditioning he should be able to be obedient under any situation when you are present. Any dog that will fixate on an object more than his handler needs some solid work, even with a behaviorist if necessary, to figure out WHY he refuses to listen and obey you, his leader.

I don't have any hints for the technological side. I would suggest an enclosure for the cats if you want them to go outside. Search this site under "enclosure" and you'll find some. Hissy has a large, awesome one. I posted photos of my brother's made from chain link. Dragoriana and Skippymjp also have enclosures

Good luck and please do let us know how things go for you Welcome!

Well Why don't you keep the cats inside and let the dog have the outside. You could get invisible fencing, but I don't think they are suppose to be used on cats.

Maybe you could use some of Cesar Milan's techniques, as seen on the "Dog Whisperer". As Leader of the Pack, your instructions to Rosco that the cats are "off limits" needs to be LAW; you might have to re-teach those "cattitudes", too - Chloe & Caramel sound like maybe they are bullying poor Oreo Time to take charge, Dad