How to prevent a dog from chasing the cat: Management
Management means arranging the environment to prevent the behavior. Ideally, this happens right from the start, so your dog never has the opportunity to act inappropriately, and your cat doesn’t have to endure it! Prevention of the inappropriate behavior is very important, since cat-chasing is a self-reinforcing behavior (i.e., the more the dog chases, the more he wants to repeat it). So, if you’re introducing a new dog or cat to your household, please read the resource called “How to Introduce a Dog to a Cat.”
If at any time during the introduction process, the dog barks, fixates on the cat or tries to chase the cat, remove the dog from the situation so he cannot continue practicing inappropriate behavior. This also works with a dog who already has a tendency to chase the cat. Have a quiet area (a crate or a bathroom, for instance), a place that your dog already associates with good things, where you can take him.
The instant your dog starts to behave inappropriately toward your cat (chasing the cat, whining or simply becoming fixated), calmly lead or lure him away from the cat to the pre-designated area. You should act calmly to avoid arousing the dog even more and you should avoid speaking to your dog. After a minute or two, release your dog in an equally low-key manner. If the dog comes back and repeats the inappropriate behavior toward the cat, he should immediately go back to the “time-out”area.
To increase the chances of success, reward your dog for desired behavior. Reinforcing appropriate behavior teaches your dog what you want him to do (i.e., behave appropriately around your cat). Prepare a ready supply of great tasting training treats — small bits of whatever food your dog finds most enticing. As soon as your dog looks away from the cat, praise him profusely and give him a treat. Repeat every time your dog ignores the cat. Your dog will learn that whenever he sees your cat, rewards are forthcoming from you if he looks away from the cat.
You are training your dog to perform a certain behavior (looking away from the cat) upon seeing the cue (the cat). Just make sure the treats you are giving are more desirable to your dog than the fun of chasing the cat! Once you’ve established what you want your dog to do (ignore the cat) and you’ve reinforced that behavior many times, you may choose to allow the dog more freedom around the cat.
At some point, you may need to help your cat change her association with your dog by feeding her tasty kitty treats while she’s in the dog’s presence. (During this exercise, make sure the dog can’t chase the cat.) Also, modify the environment so that your cat has a safety zone, a place that is inaccessible to your dog. Set up baby gates to create safe rooms, provide lots of high perches for your cat, and always supervise your dog when the cat is around.
As the dog continues towards the cat, engage the shock collar at its lowest effective setting.
Training your dog not to chase cats is important if you are introducing a cat into your home, to maintain good relations with your cat-owning neighbors, and to protect your dog from running into hazards while chasing a cat–hazards which include traffic or a cat that chooses to defend itself from unwanted attention. It is also important to protect the cat, who is doubtless someone elses beloved pet.
If the dog lunges towards the cat or pays attention to the cat say “no”. You can insert your body between the cat and the dog to regain his attention.
Repeat this exercise several times, over a period of many days. If the dog responds to the whistle alone, call him and give him a treat for returning to you without chasing the cat. If the dog chases the cat after hearing the whistle, engage the shock collar. Repeat until your dog does not approach cats, indicating he has come to associate cats with negative consequences.
If your dog is aggressive towards cats in the neighborhood and there is little opportunity to work on socialization in a controlled environment, you may need to use negative consequences to deter your dog from chasing cats. Fit your dog with a remote training collar and use a whistle.
Train Your Dog to “Leave It”
In this scenario, we are teaching dogs to “leave it” using positive reinforcement rather than intimidation. Dog owners often feel that the best way to train a dog to stop doing something is by using intimidation either in the form of shock delivered by a collar, aversive sounds (shaking a can of coins or blowing an air horn) or physical correction (giving the dog an alpha roll, pushing him or holding his muzzle shut).
Intimidation, though, often comes with side effects (the dog risks associating you and the cat with a negative experience, the dog may become noise-sensitive or scared of water, the dog may develop a lack of trust, the dog may start biting when physically corrected, etc.). On top of that, because the dog learns to associate the correction with you, there are chances that he might not chase the cat in your presence but will chase him the moment you walk out of the room or look away.
Teaching your dog to “leave it” using positive reinforcement accomplishes two things: It creates positive associations between your dog and your cat and between your dog and you, and it gives your dog an alternate behavior to perform that is rewarding—and your dog is wanting to perform willingly because its so rewarding.
To train your dog to leave it, put your dog on leash and arm yourself with high-value training treats. For now, practice with a stuffed animal attached to a string or, even better, a flirt pole (a pole with a stuffed critter attached).
Have another person wiggle the stuffed animal at a distance. Meanwhile, sit next to your dog, and when your dog shows signs of interest, tell him “leave it” and immediately deliver him a tasty treat. Repeat several times. Gradually have the helper wiggle the stuffed animal closer and closer and practice more “leave it”s.
At some point, have the helper place the stuffed animal in front of your dog and then move it away (as an animal fleeing) while you practice “leave it.” Give your dog a jackpot of treats (5–6 small treats at once) scattered for not chasing the stuffed animal. If your dog fails, you need to further practice this part.
Remember: Distance is very important, considering that most dogs arent able to cognitively function (they cant think straight) when a cat is within chasing distance, and they may even care less about treats.
If at any time your dog isnt responsive, its likely because hes too close to the stuffed animal (and, therefore, not ready for this level of distraction yet) or the treats you are feeding arent high-value enough. Go back a few steps, increasing distance temporarily, and try increasing the value of the treats if he seems disinterested. Tossing the treat rather than hand-feeding it may make it more enticing as you add a fun game of “chase the treat.”
Next, have your dog on leash and find a distance from your cat where your dog is under threshold. You may need a helper to keep the cat at the right distance.
Once you have found a distance where your dog isnt too concerned about your cat, have him practice “leave it” just as you did with the stuffed animal. Once you have a solid response, you can practice closer distances.
At some point, when you think your dog is fluent, have your cat nearby and have a friend call your cat by calling his name or shaking a box of cat food. This should cause your cat to run. Be ready to ask your dog to “leave it” for this exercise, and be ready to deliver a jackpot of treats for complying. Practice several times.
Once your dog seems reliable, it may be time to start practicing off-leash. Make sure your dog keeps the muzzle on if you are concerned about safety. Practice initially in an area where your cat can retreat if needed (in front of the pet gate with a cat door or near the cat tree).
At some point, you may notice that your dog is well under voice control and looks forward to your kitty coming close because he has associated kitty with all the tasty treats used in this exercise.
And for those concerned about using treats and their associated calories, you dont have to use treats all the time in dog training. As your dog gets used to being around kitty, these exercises can be later done with a portion of the dogs daily ratio of kibble. Later on, the use of food can be diminished over time, but you still want to use it every now and then to maintain and reinforce the good behavior.
How to train your dog to leave your cat alone
Puppies and kittens raised together often get along famously. Even dogs and cats that meet later in life can learn to live together if they are introduced properly. But, between these two species, there is a common catch: Dogs enjoy chasing cats.