How do I teach "no chase"?

leli · Feb 28, 2006

Hello,

We're making progress with the integration of Max (our 3yr old hound), Sammy and Lola (our cats). They all have free reign of the apartment now. Max tends to keep to the living area (where we are most of the time) and the cats have kept the bedroom as a sort of HQ.
Sammy will come out of the bedroom often and hang out. He and Max are getting along pretty well and are starting to become comfortable with each other, though they do better when Sam is off the floor. Lola, however, mostly stays in the bedroom, except for quick trips out here when all is quiet. The reason for this is Max....or more specifically, Max chasing. If the cats walk, he walks. However, if they run, he RUNS after them, which sends them running even faster. Once he catches up, he sniffs them and looks at them like "ok, we're here.....what were we running towards?" The cats aren't in danger from him chasing, but unfortunately, I don't think they always know that, so we keep having stampedes.
Sam is starting to learn to stand his ground (or seek higher ground), which is nice, but Lola runs whenever she sees Max is coming her way.....and off they go. I want to encourage her to spend more time with Max and socialize, but she's scared (can you blame her? It's 60 +lbs of hunting dog barreling down on 8lbs of rolly polly kitty). Since I can't teach her not to flee, how to I teach him not to chase? Please help!

sharky · Feb 28, 2006

I wish you luck... I lived with 125lbs thundering every time the cats did ... and he wasnt evan chasing the cat s I lived that way for 13.5 years..

momofmany · Feb 28, 2006

I know you haven't had Max that long, but he needs to be taught that chasing the cats anytime is wrong. Be totally consistent and stop him whenever he goes after a cat. If he quits chasing, the cats will stop running.

Aren't you going to obedience training with Max? Perhaps talk to the trainer about specific tips in this area.

KitEKats4Eva! · Mar 1, 2006

Does he know the `leave it' command?

aussie_dog · Mar 1, 2006

I don't believe in using the leave it command when it comes to cats. You'd have to give the command EVERY time the dog comes in sight of the cats, but then again, maybe after constant giving of the command will put the dog in a sort of routine, so every time he sees the command, he automatically listens for the "Leave it!"

I don't have any experience with hounds, but I like working a dog's natural instincts into training. My dog is a mixed breed, but both breeds are herding breeds (Australian Shepherd and Border Collie). At first I taught him to lie down whenever he saw the cats, since Border Collies do that with sheep. He caught on pretty quickly and now lies down voluntarily (though not ALL the time; sometimes he wants to just stand and stare, and sometimes he goes into the lie down as a "cheat tactic" when I've told him to back up or go away or something). But then I figured out that Jake was picking up a lot of cues from me: when I paid attention to the cats, he did the same. But as soon as I started ignoring them, just walking by them without paying any attention to their presence, Jake started ignoring them too. Of course, I can't ignore them forever, so Jake and I are compromising, sort of. I pay attention to the cats but Jake has learned (after a while of the ignore-the-cat technique) to leave them alone. It helps that Buffy's gaining some confidence, she doesn't back down when Jake hovers near her. Back goes up, fur flies up, tails goes stiff, and she stares deep into his eyes and gives the worst snarl/growl she can possibly give. Jake, in turn, suddenly develops a case of self-conciousness and ducks his head and eyes and turns around and goes away, lol

Some tips, though: don't overreact when the dog does something wrong around the cat. He'll associate the cat with negativity and he'll be more likely to chase it. Also, don't punish (too severely) around the cat, for the same reason. When he does something wrong, just give a "No" and make him do the correct thing. If he chases the cat, obviously something louder and more severe (vocally, like screaming at the top of your lungs). Dogs don't do bad things just to spite you, if given the chance to learn the proper way to behave, they'll perform the correct way 100% of the time. And you can't really fault a dog for having instincts, you just have to teach him to work around it (like with Jake, his instincts scream at him to follow the cats and "herd" them. I used to try to eliminate any contact with the cats but I've found the best results at letting him do whatever he wants [which is to stare and watch] but he has to stay in a quiet lie-down position)

KitEKats4Eva! · Mar 1, 2006

Originally Posted by Aussie_Dog

I don't believe in using the leave it command when it comes to cats. You'd have to give the command EVERY time the dog comes in sight of the cats, but then again, maybe after constant giving of the command will put the dog in a sort of routine, so every time he sees the command, he automatically listens for the "Leave it!"

I don't have any experience with hounds, but I like working a dog's natural instincts into training. My dog is a mixed breed, but both breeds are herding breeds (Australian Shepherd and Border Collie). At first I taught him to lie down whenever he saw the cats, since Border Collies do that with sheep. He caught on pretty quickly and now lies down voluntarily (though not ALL the time; sometimes he wants to just stand and stare, and sometimes he goes into the lie down as a "cheat tactic" when I've told him to back up or go away or something). But then I figured out that Jake was picking up a lot of cues from me: when I paid attention to the cats, he did the same. But as soon as I started ignoring them, just walking by them without paying any attention to their presence, Jake started ignoring them too. Of course, I can't ignore them forever, so Jake and I are compromising, sort of. I pay attention to the cats but Jake has learned (after a while of the ignore-the-cat technique) to leave them alone. It helps that Buffy's gaining some confidence, she doesn't back down when Jake hovers near her. Back goes up, fur flies up, tails goes stiff, and she stares deep into his eyes and gives the worst snarl/growl she can possibly give. Jake, in turn, suddenly develops a case of self-conciousness and ducks his head and eyes and turns around and goes away, lol

Some tips, though: don't overreact when the dog does something wrong around the cat. He'll associate the cat with negativity and he'll be more likely to chase it. Also, don't punish (too severely) around the cat, for the same reason. When he does something wrong, just give a "No" and make him do the correct thing. If he chases the cat, obviously something louder and more severe (vocally, like screaming at the top of your lungs). Dogs don't do bad things just to spite you, if given the chance to learn the proper way to behave, they'll perform the correct way 100% of the time. And you can't really fault a dog for having instincts, you just have to teach him to work around it (like with Jake, his instincts scream at him to follow the cats and "herd" them. I used to try to eliminate any contact with the cats but I've found the best results at letting him do whatever he wants [which is to stare and watch] but he has to stay in a quiet lie-down position)

That is excellent advice, really excellent.

tuxedokitties · Mar 1, 2006

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Con...=1&SourceID=47

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Con...=1&SourceID=47

leli · Mar 4, 2006

Thanks for all the advice. We're in the process of doing some at home training right now, since classes just aren't in the budget.
As far as him and the cats interacting, I want to encourage it. It's just the running I want to discourage.
We've been making progress with him and Sam. They're actually starting to chose to sleep near each other, such as with Sam on the desk and Max on the floor, or Sam on the shelf and Max on the couch. Lola has begun venturing out a little farther when Max is napping, though she's Mission Imposible Kitten, slo-moing it through the living room while the dog looks on from the couch. They're still stampeding a bit, but we're praising when he stays still or walks toward a cat. Hopefully, their relationships will continue to improve and one day soon I'll be posting pics of the three of them sleeping piled together.

maverick_kitten · Mar 4, 2006

we had the same problem! it wasnt a case of the dog chasing the cats, it was more the dog thinking everyone was running and running alongside them!

in time the cats and the dog just learned how to react to each other and it stopped. we made sure the dog knew he wasnt allowed to chase the cats and rewarded him when he sat or lay down whenever he saw them. we also fed them treats alongside each other.

its only been these past 2 weeks that everythings calmed down completley and we've had the dog for 9months.

it takes time but it will sort itself out! good luck!

beckiboo · Mar 7, 2006

I think it can be dangerous for a dog to chase a cat as if it is prey. Even a nice dog might be overcome by instinct at some point and hurt the kitty.

Aussie-Dog's post is great. We have a neighbor with horses and dogs, and as the horse lunges one direction, the dog runs circles around it, going the other way. Her way of training the dog not to chase the horse, but at the same time get the horse accustomed to being around a dog.

The sit position, or lay down position, is a non aggressive position. I think you should have the dog sit or lay when he seems inclined to chase.

When I had one dog and one cat, they were friends, and played together. Since I have had two cats in the house, they avoid the dog. She is the big odd man out. If everyone is chasing kitty toys, and playing together, and the dog comes into the room, all the cats sit down where they were at. Game over. So maybe your animals won't become friends, but at least they can be company for each other!

How do I teach "no chase"?

leli

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sharky

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momofmany

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KitEKats4Eva!

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aussie_dog

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KitEKats4Eva!

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tuxedokitties

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leli

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maverick_kitten

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beckiboo

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