Question: How do I teach my cat and dog to live peaceably together?

Cat Chasing and a Peaceful Coexistence

Initially, I thought I had adopted a cat-friendly Australian Shepherd/Chow mix, but it turned out that if my cat, Ezra, moved, Charlie would chase him. The faster and more skittish the movement, the more likely the chase. The key to ending this was to train both animals. The cat had to be taught to avoid triggering the dog's drive (refer to Tak's reply a few days ago), and the dog had to learn self control and respect of the cat's space. Both had to learn that I was in charge.

Cat and dog need to be supervised when together at all times. The cat ALWAYS needs a safety zone within the space that the two are together. This means every room. I cannot emphasize this enough, as it may save the life of your cat.

You need to independently develop very strong bonds with both animals, so that they will both want to be with you so much that they are willing to put up with each other. Keep the animals separated for a while and decrease proximity to one another slowly. Increase the amount of time together slowly. If your cat has favorite sleeping spots, place objects that smell doggy in them, and vice versa (but do NOT let the dog use these as playtoys). Both of my animals were very food oriented so I chose to feed them high value treats when in each other's presence, such as slivers of ham, tuna, or turkey. One to Charlie, one to Ezra. They had to work for their treats, as well - both had to sit up to win the reward which they had to take from my hand. This kept them focused on me rather than on one another and strengthened my position of dominance amongst the household.

Eventually, Charlie and Ezra got to a point where they would grudgingly settle on the couch with me of their own accord, no fighting, no chasing. Then one day Ezra groomed Charlie's ear! It took over a year. In that time Charlie received a bloody nose and Ezra lost a strip of fur from his head. Charlie will still chase cats, which is why he is barred from the upstairs where my roommate's untrained cat lurks in fear. Ezra has since passed away, and I think Charlie actually missed "his" cat for a while. The key to this was to modify the behavior of BOTH SPECIES.

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