Sophie is a german shephard cross that I just adopted from the SPCA a week or so back. She was fine for the first two days, however, after that she has begun trying to chase my cats, and also taken to growling at strangers while on walks, or trying to be aggressive towards other dogs during those walks (however, when we drag her away from the dog she begins to whimper). I have ordered the SitStayFetch series & begun trying to train her with that, I am wondering if anyone else has any tips for me trying to get her adjusted & less aggressive towards the cats. I love Sophie, but if she cannot get along with the cats, out of fear of losing one of them, I may have to give her up, which is something I definately do not want to do. Thanks!
I've had that problem in the past when having cats and a dog that liked chasing them at the same time. You need two people for this. This is what I would do if you haven't done it already. You will also have to do this several, if not many times until it sinks into your dog that chasing, at least YOUR cats is a bad thing. One person sit with the cat in your lap and have the other person lead the dog to you. Let the dog sniff the cat, and if you can, pet both at the same time. If the dog starts growling or tries to go after the cat, the person with the dog needs to jerk her back with a strong reprimand. This along with reprimanding and stopping your dog when she's chasing the cat across the yard. But if your dog recognizes YOU as the 'leader of the pack' and see that you accept the cat as part of the 'pack', then it should click in the dog that at least THIS cat is off limits. Doesn't mean she won't chase other cats. Some dogs just like to chase cats. It's a form of doggy entertainment. I lived on a farm at one point in time. Had lots of dogs and cats. This one particular dog loved to chase cats. I got a tomcat for mouse control. Luckily this was a very strong cat because one day the dog and cat both got into it. Cat had enough. The cat must have taught the dog a lesson because they came out of it with what looked like a truce and a mutual understanding to stay out of each other's way. They could even lay on the ground together after that. Funniest thing I ever saw.
