Moderators Astro Hollywood Posted October 16, 2011 Moderators Share Posted October 16, 2011 Monstrous people ITT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Duke Posted October 16, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted October 16, 2011 Triplegay, stop talking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Justice Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 Have come across this website, which pretty much reiterates what TNA was saying. Some good advice there. I can obviously see where we went wrong, and have already made steps to improve it. At the moment the dog and all it's things are in the living room and the same with cats but in the kitchen, with the door always closed. Once the cats feel it's safe for them to come in, knowing the dog is in the other room, we'll introduce a stairgate so they can see each other. Once that gets better, we'll then put them in the same room with him on a lead. It's going to be a long hard road I feel, but hopefully it will all work out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members FLips Posted October 16, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted October 16, 2011 Triplegay, stop talking. Â I did, hours ago. Nice of you to chime in for no reason though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerlinsMagique Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I'm a veterinary nurse and animal behaviour student, so thought I'd throw in my two cents. I like both cats and dogs, so I'm not on the 'side' of either species here. Â I don't want to preach on at you and tell you how daft you are for taking on an older dog in your circumstances. I understand that your heart is in the right place, but you've definitely given yourself a lot of hard work to do. Obviously I don't know many details about the situation, so I'll rattle off some general advice for you. Feel free to pick out the bits you think will work for you, if any. Â In your situation as I understand it, I would first and foremost be concerned for the well-being of both the cats and the dog. You say you don't think the dog means any harm when he chases, but you don't know this for certain. You've only known him for a very small amount of his life, and his breed are designed to kill small furry animals. Even if he genuinely doesn't mean harm, animals are unpredictable and accidents can happen. On the flipside, a well-aimed scratch or bite from a cat to a dog can cause serious injury (scratched cornea, cat bite abscess, etc). Either situation can potentially amount in a hefty vet bill, or worse. Â With regards to the suggestion made to you about carrying the cats into the room where the dog is - for your own safety, don't attempt this. You may be bitten or clawed as a result, and a severe enough cat bite can require a doctor/hospital visit. Your idea about introducing a stairgate is a good one to keep the two separated, however the cats may become stressed that they are no longer able to have full access to all the areas of their territory that they are accustomed too. They may also be able to get over the gate. Therefore, it may also be an idea to invest in a training crate for the dog. That way, you can pop the dog inside it (not for hours, obviously - short intervals) and let the cats wander around the living room. They'll get used to the sight and smell of him, and may start to feel more reassured about his presence. A training crate is also useful for other things, such as it gives the dog a den to call his own, and it's a good safe place to put him when you're out of the house. Â It's important to consider that cats find any sort of change in their lives or territory very stressful, even down to things as minor as changing a carpet or the layout of furniture in the house. It may be worth investing in a pheromone diffuser to help destress them. Pheromone diffusers look and act like Glade plug ins, except instead of perfume they give off pheromones which generate feelings of well-being in the animal. I use them at work and at home, and find they work very well. They are available for both cats (Feliway) and dogs (Adaptil), so you may be able to benefit from using both. They come in a spray form too. There's also a stress relieving oral supplement called Zylkene that can be used for both cats and dogs. There should be more details about all three things online, so have a browse. None of them are a prescription medication, so you should be able to buy them cheaper off the internet than what you would directly from your local veterinary surgery. Â The bigger picture is that no matter how used to him the cats become, there's still the very prominent issue of the dog's chasing behaviour, so it's going to be very important (but very difficult!) for you to teach him to respect the cats by surpressing this behaviour. They want no part in his chasing games, and he must accept this and stop. Although he may just be playing, the cats don't see it like this. All they know is their lives have been disrupted by some crazy beast that has come into their territory, and is acting aggressively (as they perceive it) towards them. It's unfair for them to feel so intimidated in their own home, and the situation will only end badly if something doesn't give. Â Halting the dog's chasing behaviour is going to be extremely challenging for both you and him, as he's carried out this behaviour for eight years now. It's also a massive part of his breed's behavioural genetics. Training an older dog is hard enough due to their faded receptivity to learning, but getting them to curb such hard-wired behaviour will be close to impossible. You may even need to resort to professional help from a dog behaviourist, which will cost you a considerable chunk of change. But for the good of both your dog and your cats, this behaviour has to stop. Â Try find out where your nearest dog training club operates from, and sign the little guy up. Attending training classes will never provide a quick fix (there's no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to behaviour issues) but it will enable you to develop a bond with your dog. He will feel more inclined to listen to you, and this will make it somewhat easier for you to conquer larger obstacles with him later on. Â Finally, there's no substitute for a professional viewpoint. Contact your vet and see if they can suggest anything to you. Not many veterinarians are experts in companion animal behaviour (none of the five vets where I work have expertise in behavioural issues) but they will have enough knowledge and resources to be able to point you in the right direction. Â That's all I can think of at the moment. Hope I said something that helped. Â Best of luck to you and your pets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Justice Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 Cheers for that, it's very useful. I'm basing his playful nature towards the cats from what I was told from the previous owner. He used to live with cats up until they died (not by him) about 3-4 years ago. I think if he didn't chase them then the whole process would be a lot easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Van Dammer Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 AFAIK there are training techniques to teach Dogs to be relaxed around cats. A simple one is holding the dog sat down and carrying the cat into the room and having them be introduced in a relaxed manner. You also need to punish your dog whenever he chases the cats, get hold of him and put him in an isolated place for 60 seconds or so and then let him return, repeat this until he calms and realises he'll go in there til he stops. You also need to ensure the cats cannot just run out of the house whilst doing this as you need to force the punishment through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spurs 4 life Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Cheers for that, it's very useful. I'm basing his playful nature towards the cats from what I was told from the previous owner. He used to live with cats up until they died (not by him) about 3-4 years ago. I think if he didn't chase them then the whole process would be a lot easier. Â My dog chases my two cats all the time. Â He was a puppy when we got him and the cats had lived with dogs before but still at first they wanted no part of him but gradually they got used to him being in the house and gradually as he kept chasing they taught him boundries. Â Hopefully as you slowly introduce them it will work itself out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerlinsMagique Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Cheers for that, it's very useful. I'm basing his playful nature towards the cats from what I was told from the previous owner. He used to live with cats up until they died (not by him) about 3-4 years ago. I think if he didn't chase them then the whole process would be a lot easier. Â No doubt. It's a trait of his breed, unfortunately. I remember it being quite easy when we introduced our new golden retriever to our resident cat (I say 'new', but I'm going back about 18 years - both are dead now), because both were very aloof and uninterested in each other. They both just went about their own business and rarely crossed paths. I think it also helped that the dog was quite submissive/respectful towards the cat - for example, if the dog was lying by the fire and the cat came towards her, the dog would move out of the way and the cat would take her spot! Â So I agree that if your little guy was less interested in the cats, things would be easier. Terriers get a lot of enjoyment from chasing, and when the cats run from him they're raising his enjoyment level even more because they're effectively encouraging the behaviour. Unfortunately, excitement levels in dogs have a fragile upper limit - a fine line between excitement and aggression. This is why, if a dog gets overly excited, it can get carried away and potentially cause injury. Â He sounds like a good candidate for training classes though, if only because it will provide him with something different that will physically and mentally tire him out enough that he may not feel so inclined to bother your cats when he gets home. It will also give him the chance to meet and interact with other dogs, which he should enjoy. Some dog clubs also offer activities like flyball and competitive agility, which terrier breeds tend to be very good at. Might help find him a different hobby to cat bothering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerlinsMagique Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Cheers for that, it's very useful. I'm basing his playful nature towards the cats from what I was told from the previous owner. He used to live with cats up until they died (not by him) about 3-4 years ago. I think if he didn't chase them then the whole process would be a lot easier. Â My dog chases my two cats all the time. Â He was a puppy when we got him and the cats had lived with dogs before but still at first they wanted no part of him but gradually they got used to him being in the house and gradually as he kept chasing they taught him boundries. Â Hopefully as you slowly introduce them it will work itself out. Â The difference is that your dog was a puppy when he first met the cats, and your cats had the advantage of already being used to dogs. Both of these factors would have made the integration a lot easier, but unfortunately neither of these things apply in Steve Justice's situation. Leaving the animals to sort it out amongst themselves in his situation is potentially harmful to everyone concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris1289 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Ah the perfect topic for a question thats been going through my head all morning: Â We are looking to buy a cat for our home as a first pet and I was wondering how much some of the initial costs are going to be, such as injections, microchipping and neutering?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I'd recommend looking at adopting through the RSPCA - your cat will be neutered, microchipped and their injections done for you. The cat will cost about 75 quid, which is incredibly good value if you take into account all that, plus you're giving to a charity! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted October 17, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted October 17, 2011 I'd recommend looking at adopting through the RSPCA - your cat will be neutered, microchipped and their injections done for you. The cat will cost about 75 quid, which is incredibly good value if you take into account all that, plus you're giving to a charity! Â How did your cat adoption go in the end, no problems? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 It was fine! they hadn't quite finished the course of injections so we had to shell out for the last jabs, and the cats pooed everywhere on the way back from the RSPCA, but other than that it's been an incredible success. This weekend we'll have had them for 4 weeks and will be letting them out into the garden for the first time, which should be fun. Â There were two pairs there the final time we went - one classic pair of a tabby and a ginger tom who were gorgeous but incredibly shy and anti-social, and a pair of streetcat tortoiseshell sister who were really friendly and so we plumped for them. By the end of the first day they were sitting on our laps which was awesome, and they're completely part of the family now. Â Love cats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Bus Surfer Posted October 17, 2011 Paid Members Share Posted October 17, 2011 Some Cat furball advice please... Â My girlfriend and I have a domestic short hair who is just over a year old. She seems to be spend alot of time in the evening grooming herself which in turn means she starts coughing up fairly large hairballs in the night. We have been using Katalax for the last month and the frequency of hairballs has gone down, but the other day she had them back to back on consecutive evenings. Â Any Advice on keeping this under control? Is a visit to the vet in order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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