Cat/dog issues

I posted about this before, and I have a few questions. My dog Quinn is a little over a year old, and a terrier mix of some sort. Everyday while we are home, the kittens are let out of the bedroom to be out in the living room/kitchen with us and the dog. Quinn has calmed down a lot with the kitten, and will occasionally lay near them, but for the most part she runs after them a lot. She bites at them and paws them, but in an entirely playful manner. If I feel she is getting too rough (mainly when she chases them, and they are diving for cover) I spray her (with water) and she knows to stop.
Is there a point where the kittens will swat her and tell her to back off? Do you think she will ever get used to them, or do you think things will always be this way? I don't want the kittens hurt, but I would like them to tell her to back off. What do you think?

Oh, and she has only ever seen a cat before this, and that was only once. So, these are the only kittens she has ever really interacted with. She is a very hyper, easily excited dog, that's just how she is!

You could leash the dog to yourself while the kittens are out and treat it while it sits and leaves the cats alone. Also give the cats a safety zone where the dog cant get to them. I recently adopted a golden retriever and if the baby gate is not up blocking the hallway they will not come out from my bedroom. I have basically just kept the gate up to give the cats peace of mind and also to use it as a training tool when the 2 with guts come up to the gate and sit, if Max sits he gets a cookie when he lays down he gets a cookie but if he gets up and starts staring he gets redirected till he sits or lays down. Basically Im trying to condition him to see the cats as nothing important and to teach him to be non reactive towards them.

I would personally think that the kitties would let her know when they've had enough, ie loud vocalizations, swats, etc. I'm sure they'd stand up for themselves if Quinn got TOO rough, at least that's what I always saw growing up with dogs and cats.

They have never made a noise when she is playing with them, so I guess she is not as rough as I think. On the babygate- that WOULD be an awesome idea, only Quinnie jumps those with ease. Anything the kittens can get over, she can get over.

Im not sure what to tell you except try a higher gate from Fosters and Smith maybe. I thought the cats would just let Max know when he was to annoying but its not always the case. Mine will just hide and not come out to avoid him so its conditioning for all the pets. They need to realize he isnt going anywhere and Ill do what I can to make it safe for them. In one month I went from having 3 cats petrified to come out of the bedroom to now having two that will sit at the gate and 'tease' Max doing their rolly belly showing routine. I also work very hard at trying to calm Maxs prey drive, its hard to do in a retriever but if I stick with it it will work.
Honestly the best thing I would think is tons of training for the dog to atleast see the cats as cats and not toys to play with. Im not saying its bad for them to play together but its just too easy for things to get rough and the dog could accidentally hurt the cat or the opposite. What if the cat got a claw stuck in the dogs eye? Personally I would rather jump a gate and have that annoyance than worry all the time about what could happen when I could prevent it. Right now I have my one daredevil kitty who will let me carry her around the living room while Max tries to sniff her butt. Thats a big leap from where we were. Eventually someday maybe we will be able to take the gate down but for right now its safer for all parties to keep it up.

We had to invest in some new gates for housebreaking purposes when our puppy started jumping the standard ones. We got this one http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...ductId=2755235 and it works great for us. (Did not actually buy it at Petsmart though - that was the most expensive we found them.) Obviously your dog is small enough that the small animal door at the bottom would be useless for you, but I bet a kitten could slip through the bars if it wanted to. My cats are almost 3yo, and Bastian can jump this gate but Griffin cannot. It might be worth a try to see if it would contain your pup to give the kitties a safe area while you work on acclimating Quinn to their presence.

I just took my babygate down yesterday and put it back in front of the catroom. I did put food and water in the bedroom and a litter box in the closet for them but so far everyone including psycho Fatman have been out and about while Max was walking around. Max has done really good to, he isnt chasing them, has calmed down a lot and didnt stress chew at all last night. He tried to crawl up in bed with BF and I but we had to kick him out, it was too hot and not enough room for 2 humans and 2 dogs. LOL. So far so good but Ill keep knocking on wood that he doesnt lose an eye LOL. Nooone has swatted at him, but then again he hasnt cornered anyone or tried to get too close. I think Max is starting to see the cats as 'no fun'.

My worry with buying a gate is that I won't know until after I buy it whether it will work or not. I don't have spare money, so I have to make every cent count.
Quinn is incredibly smart. If the kittens have to jump through a certain path (across the back of the couch, onto the half wall, and to the dining table, for example) she will follow and do the exact same thing if I don't stop her. The room I would block off would leave the gate next to the couch- and I can definitely see her using the couch to climb over a gate. She is insane like that, lol.
Right now, they have a kitchen table sized desk that has their food and litter box- Quinn is NOT allowed on it, so they have their space there. They also lay on the half wall, and behind the Television stand (this takes up an entire wall) so they do have a lot of spots to get away from her. I also offer them the bedroom frequently in case they want a break- they rarely do.
Since I never leave them together without watching, do you think these dog-free spots are enough, with out a gate? It worries me, that she will just find a way over it- she is a crazy, crazy dog, lol.

Originally Posted by 3CatsN1Dog

You could leash the dog to yourself while the kittens are out and treat it while it sits and leaves the cats alone. Also give the cats a safety zone where the dog cant get to them. I recently adopted a golden retriever and if the baby gate is not up blocking the hallway they will not come out from my bedroom. I have basically just kept the gate up to give the cats peace of mind and also to use it as a training tool when the 2 with guts come up to the gate and sit, if Max sits he gets a cookie when he lays down he gets a cookie but if he gets up and starts staring he gets redirected till he sits or lays down. Basically Im trying to condition him to see the cats as nothing important and to teach him to be non reactive towards them.

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That is excellent advice.

I have two dogs - one a German Shepherd, the other a German Shepherd X Belgium Shepherd. the B/GSD is a pain in the butt where cats and small animals are concerned. He has a very strong prey drive which means he will chase anything that moves. Frankly, I don't trust him with cats or small animals. Our GSD on the other hand is really good with the cats. The cats will literally walk all over him or curl up and sleep with him.

We have been having major problems with our B/GSD since we adopted him nearly 3 years ago (we were told he was good with cats, other dogs, small animals etc., and found out very quickly he was the exact opposite) but we love him and don't want to put him back to the sanctuary he came from so we've managed to get him into specialised classes to try and modify his behaviour. To us, he is the most loyal, loving dog you could meet. Ironically, he can be very good with the cats too. Like old Lucy (RIP). He never even attempted to chase her - it's as if he knew she was old, partly blind and crippled. Same with our Poppy who is recovering from an op on her eye. She has to wear a "lampshade" so can't wash herself. Max, our B/GSD has taken it upon himself to wash her but as soon as she's back to normal, he'll chase her. It must be very confusing for the cats. One dog is very gentle with them and the other is not.

Fortunately, we are in a position where there is someone home all day due to the hours we work.

Terriers are well known for chasing small animals (not just cats). It is part of their breeding. Some terriers get on fine with cats - like my friend's late JRT. The dog and the cat were got as pup and kitten so they grew up together.

I will say that most cats will stand up for themselves. If the cat doesn't run, 9 times out of 10 the dog will just give up - no fun without the chase.

Originally Posted by laceface

My worry with buying a gate is that I won't know until after I buy it whether it will work or not. I don't have spare money, so I have to make every cent count.
Quinn is incredibly smart. If the kittens have to jump through a certain path (across the back of the couch, onto the half wall, and to the dining table, for example) she will follow and do the exact same thing if I don't stop her. The room I would block off would leave the gate next to the couch- and I can definitely see her using the couch to climb over a gate. She is insane like that, lol.
Right now, they have a kitchen table sized desk that has their food and litter box- Quinn is NOT allowed on it, so they have their space there. They also lay on the half wall, and behind the Television stand (this takes up an entire wall) so they do have a lot of spots to get away from her. I also offer them the bedroom frequently in case they want a break- they rarely do.
Since I never leave them together without watching, do you think these dog-free spots are enough, with out a gate? It worries me, that she will just find a way over it- she is a crazy, crazy dog, lol.

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Save the packaging and reciept most places especially PetSmart will gladly take it back if it doesnt work. Ive taken chewed up destroyed toys back to Petsmart like a million times and they gladly let me exchange them...Granted it only took about an hour till they had to be taken back but still they are really really awesome about stuff like that and are generally ok with exchanging or returning stuff because it doesnt work for you or your pet. Trust me.....about 50 toys later we finally realized that Franklin wont kill something that is bigger than him like the ginormous loofah dogs

We have a JRT mix and he likes to chase the cats in play as well, though he does chase them to try and get at them. However, he is NOT allowed to do this, even in play. The cats don't like it, in fact they hate it. They'll swat at him and hiss but he'll still jump and whine and bark at them. I'm in the process of teaching him that's not acceptable. The cats are not to be bothered. They're "untouchable."
I'll blow a whistle, stand in his way and firmly tell him "no." Normally that does it, but if it doesn't a good mist of cold water in his face does the trick. He's getting better at it.

Also, do give the cats a "safe zone." Only the cats should be allowed there. Have their food and water in the "safe zone."

Quinn is getting a lot better with them. I have a small rectangular kitchen table in the living room where the kitty litter boxes and food dish are. They also have their carrier beneath it that they can go in. She does still occasionally bother them, but they have a lot of hiding places, as well as their table, where she can't go. Gates just won't work with my Quinn- she climbs and jumps them.

I have just worked with her, she gets sprayed when she gets after the kittens. BUT I have several times had her stop, and the cats go after her. She can walk by the table and have them pounce her just as often as they walk by and she gets them. I think a lot of it is play, but I still watch and they are never alone together. I honestly don't think she would hurt them, but I still watch- just in case.

Originally Posted by laceface

Quinn is getting a lot better with them. I have a small rectangular kitchen table in the living room where the kitty litter boxes and food dish are. They also have their carrier beneath it that they can go in. She does still occasionally bother them, but they have a lot of hiding places, as well as their table, where she can't go. Gates just won't work with my Quinn- she climbs and jumps them.

I have just worked with her, she gets sprayed when she gets after the kittens. BUT I have several times had her stop, and the cats go after her. She can walk by the table and have them pounce her just as often as they walk by and she gets them. I think a lot of it is play, but I still watch and they are never alone together. I honestly don't think she would hurt them, but I still watch- just in case.

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Play chasing isn't a problem as long as both of them want to do it, it's when they keep on when the cats clearly don't want to play anymore that's a problem (or vice versa). I completely understand the gates. Spike can jump over them. He doesn't climb, but he jumps really well. Sometimes I think he's part cat.
The second floor is one safe place. They eat on the second floor and like to sleep up there the most since it gets more sun then the main floor. Spike can't jump the gate on the stairs because of the angle and how tall it is. The other safe place is the living room (on the main floor), which is where the litter box on the main floor is, one of there water bowls is (Penny refuses to drink from the bowl if Spike takes a drink from it, so then I have to empty the bowl, rinse it and refill it) and they like to climb on the bookcases.

Eww doggy germs! Of course she can't drink after the dog!

They don't have any large dog free zones, but they do have several small areas, and our room at night.. plus the whole house when Quinn is in her crate (mainly when I'm at work).