Someone wrote to me today, asking what to do about her rescue dog chasing her cat.
I had a 1-3 year old pitt dropped off at my work a couple of weeks ago. I don’t know anything about her except what I can gather from being around her: she’s had many litters, terrified of people (especially men), and she is such a sweetie despite everything. She has been indifferent to my cats and likes my dogs until recently. She has started to bark at and chase my cats, especially if they are sitting on something eye level or higher (bed, chair, ect.). Before this, she has acted like they weren’t even there but this new interest has made me uneasy about leaving her in the house with them alone. I want to stop this behavior before it gets out of hand without backtracking her progress. Help please!
This is an issue with all breeds, not just pitt bulls. However, you can solve this problem using the same techniques I suggested to the rescuer:
“It sounds like you’ve done a lot of great work with her, and now she’s coming out of her shell. As she emerges, you’re probably going to see a few things here and there that you didn’t see before. Don’t worry about; continue to remain very calm and patient with her. Pitties, like many breeds, are wondefully smart, people-oriented dogs who really want to please their humans.
“Dogs often feel uncomfortable when another creature is higher off the ground than they are. Physical height is often related to social status; you’re up higher than I am, and therefore have the best position to see/hear/obtain, so I feel lower on the social ladder. I usually recommend keeping all dogs on the same level (ie, not allowing one dog on the bed or couch), but it’s hard to tell a cat what to do.
“First and foremost, I strongly recommend you crate her when you cannot supervise her. Even though she may be a real sweetie, you don’t want a little thing to turn into a big thing when you’re not there to supervise. Pitts are terriers, and terriers were bred to hunt small creatures and keep the castles and other domiciles free of rodents. It’s a very natural thing for terriers to be small prey driven. So keep her confined when you’re not there to keep her and kitty safe.
“To work on the behavior: since she is not really aggressive toward them, yet, you might try taking a super tactile, lovey-dovey approach to this. I am doing this with my young pup when he is playing with my dogs. He tends to get a little serious, when things need to just be fun. When kitty is around, put your dog on a leash, sit on the floor and snuggle with her. Massage her neck and shoulders, and perhaps using very low and long tones and syllables, tell her “goooooooooodddd giiirrllll.” I would also recommend that you find some super tasty treats, something she only gets when kitty is around. As long as she is being calm, massage her, kiss and love on her, and give her these tasty treats. Don’t get her excited by using quick movements or high tones of voice; stay calm, keep your voice low and even, and just keep her relaxed. You are teaching her that having kitty around means warm fuzzy time from you, which is what all any dog wants. If she gets way too intense, then take up the leash and take her out of the room. No more treats, no more “good girl”. You take her to another room, and (holding the leash), you ignore her. Don’t talk, touch or look at her. When she calms down, take her back into the room with the kitty, and resume warm fuzzy time.
“Do this a couple times a day, and she will learn that kitties mean love, not chase. You can do this when you’re watching tv or the kids are doing their homework. But just make sure that you’re paying attention to her body language so that you know when she’s getting too intense on the kitty. If she stares the cat down, holds her breath, gets very stiff and still, and/or her ears are forward and all her intent is on that cat, then take her out of the room until she calms down.”
Making positive associations between your animals, no matter the species, and showing everyone that you are in charge is key to ensuring safety and happiness. If everyone is looking to you for their cues on how to behave, you will enjoy a peaceful and fun house.
