# I need help!!!...re: a rescue we just got



## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

This is not what you want to hear, but some dogs prey drives are too high. From what you are describing I would never trust this dog with the cats. I don't think a dog with this type of prey drive can be taught to leave the cats alone. 

I'm sorry, I know you'd rather hear she can be taught to leave them alone.


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## maggie1951 (Apr 20, 2007)

Its a hard call some dogs are good with cats straight away but i have a rescue Charlie and she hates cats i don't have cats but if i did i am pretty sure it would work out in the end.
I also have a rescue Daisy and she is good with cats now but she used to chase them but not now.
Good luck i hope it worls out.


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

The fact that your girl never backed down after getting attacked by the cat is more than curiosity, she doesn't sound like the right fit. If the prey drive is too high, the chasing won't stop & I fear for your cat's safety. Now if she had backed down with a swat or two to the face, you would be able to work with that. Is the rescue able to "cat test" a golden before sending you home with one?


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## MyCodyBoy (Sep 27, 2008)

She does listen very well, but the last bad attack she just got into this zone and I had to really yell loud to get her out of it. I didn't want to get between her and the cat for fear of getting hurt by either one of them.

We are going to try and put the cats and the dog together a few times a day to see what happens. I just wish the trial period was longer than 1 week. I might call them and ask them to extend it, just to see what they say.


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## MyCodyBoy (Sep 27, 2008)

I shoudl have mentioned, she is not a golden, but they say she is some sort of shepardx(50lbs medium dog). but really, no one can know.
I got her from the City pound where there are no cats, just dogs. So she was never cat tested. She is fantastic with Cody and the kids and listens to my husband and I very well. She is even house broken after being in the shelter for over a month.
I breaks my hear to think I have to take her back.
But I love my cats just the same and don't want them hurt.

Oh, and she seems okay with the cats until they run, once they run she is after them full force.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

You didnt mention the dogs age.....if you are talking a pup under say 6 months old.....I would be tempted to work on it...

If you are talking an adult dog with a high prey drive and you are talking about 'biting' (Ive captured you and want to shake the life out of you) versus 'mouthing' (hold still kitty while I slobber your fur until you are wet to the skin), then, personally, I would take her back.....rescues offer trial periods for a reason.

Sometimes a dog/family combination can be a poor fit...no party's fault...

She came to you for a reason....the rescue had not seen this side of her...if and when she is placed again...the rescue will be better prepared to place her in a home with a better fit.


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## Nicole74 (May 30, 2009)

When I brought Bailey home, she wouldn't leave the cats alone. She would chase them and knock them over on their side biting at thier necks. I had talked with the vet and he said to rub the cat's scent on t a towel and put it in her kennel, so that she would get use to their scent. I did that and I taught her not to chase them. It took longer then a week though to train her not to chase the cats and Bailey is just a small puppy.


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

It's a lot different if we're talking about a puppy or an adult. Puppies, yes you can work with them. As a foster mom with a 14yr old cat, my girl had to learn not to run if she didn't want to be chased. Chasing can be worked with, but a dog that continues to bite even after being popped in the face would not be a good fit with cats in the home...LibertyME's description was spot-on. If you do return her, you can report that why she needs a cat-free home, she has great qualities (potty-trained, listens well...) which could be the info that helps her get matched with the best-fit family. Best of luck & thank you for rescuing!


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## fostermom (Sep 6, 2007)

I would be very careful and make sure to keep a leash on her at all times (for your safety and the cat's safety). Is she shaking when she looks at them? Do you have a safe area set up for the cats? I have only moved 2 fosters due to cat aggression and both of them could not even contain themselves around the cats. My cats are very foster dog savvy, but those two I knew would kill them if they had been able to get to them.

hgatesy had a foster lab, who she ended up adopting, who was very overly cat interested initially. She may have some ideas of how to overcome it if you PM her.


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## GoldenJoyx'stwo (Feb 25, 2007)

My two are very good with our two cats, but if the cats run, the dogs WILL chase. My cats are very dog savvy. They immediately stop running if they know they've set off chase mode. The cats have never gone after the dogs, but they sure do go after each other now and then. They were from the same litter and are 14 years old now.


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

I have a very high prey drive rescue boy, and I know for a fact that I could never own cats and have them live together peacefully. I'm sorry you're caught between a rock and a hard place on this one, but maybe the shelter will give you more time to get it worked out.


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## Thor0918 (Feb 28, 2008)

I agree with you. Maybe a little more time would help. I remember when I brought our adopted cat Lucky home she stayed downstairs for quite a while. We had a baby gate up so the dogs couldn't get at her all the time. They get along famously now. Good luck to you.


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## goldhaven (Sep 3, 2009)

I rescue golden retrievers from bad situations and then place them in new homes. Before they are placed, I work out the issues that they have so that they can be placed in any home. I have worked with dogs from 6 months to 6 years. I have had that issue with a couple of the dogs that I have taken in. We have a cat and a ferret in addition to 6 goldens. We have had as many as 12 at one time, but since we have no kennels and they are all in the house with us, that was pushing my limit. I have been able to retrain a dog not to chase cats. The key is the collar. When my dogs are being trained in the house, they are on a leash at all times tied to my side. If I see unwanted behavior like going after or fixating on the cat, I give a correction. When the dog settles down, I give a reward. Most of the dogs that I have rescued had been left in the back yard their whole lives. There, they can do as they please and chase whatever runs. What I do is to teach them house behavior. There is no running in the house. I am fortunate that my cat is not afraid of the dogs and he wanders around and if they approach him he will just stand there. If your cats won't do that, you might want to put them in a crate and not allow the dog to go near the crate. You mentioned that when he went after the cat it took you a while and you had to yell really loud to get her attention. I suggest not letting her get to that point again. Stop her with a correction and then redirect her attention. Yelling has never worked for me. I find that if I remain calm, I am better able to handle the situation. Also, I think that if you yell at a dog that you have rescued, it may be something that they are already used to so it will not be effective. It could also feed into the frenzy that she is already feeling. If you are having problems with what I suggested, you might want to consider a training class. Check out the local kennel club in your area. They offer training classes to all breed dogs and I have found them to be very helpful. Make sure that your dog is getting plenty of exercise before you start your training. For my high energy dogs, I take them for a bike ride before I take them for a walk. With exercise and training, your new dog will be too tired to chase the cats. I hope everything works out for you.


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## NuttinButGoldens (Jan 10, 2009)

You want to be very, very careful with this one.

I did the same thing when Gilmour came home as a puppy. Ronin has always loved the Goldens, but I pushed him too far.

Gilmour was on the bed (8 weeks old) so I picked up Ronin and sat on the bed with him. My troubles were rewarded with a 1 inch cut to the bone on my right hand from Ronin's back claw.

They are fine now, but be very, very careful.



MyCodyBoy said:


> We are going to try and put the cats and the dog together a few times a day to see what happens. I just wish the trial period was longer than 1 week. I might call them and ask them to extend it, just to see what they say.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

_We are going to try and put the cats and the dog together a few times a day to see what happens. I just wish the trial period was longer than 1 week. I might call them and ask them to extend it, just to see what they say._ 
Hopefully they can also offer you some advice and maybe some help with the issue.
I do have an older GoldenX(copper) who chased cats when I got him from the shelter (he was already an older adult). I don't believe he was in bite mode, just chase mode, but I believe a swat to the face would probably have made him worse. He was also male dog aggressive and it took many months (a year?) to get him over that. He was originally found wandering the streets with a chain embedded in his neck so it was evident he had not been socialized. A swat would probably have triggered more aggression in his case.
Do you have a local trainer who can evaluate your new dog? Some good professional advice is probably needed. I know you don't want to take her back, but you can't risk your cats either.
I'm sorry you are having these problems.


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

Mojo grew up with our cat... so she's pretty used to him, and he usually just leaves her alone. Sometimes he wants to play, but she just runs away.

Maxie, on the other hand, REALLY wants to play... and will chase the poor cat. We have several areas in our house for the cat to jump/climb up on... giving her quick escape. We just took long pieces of wood and covered them in cheap carpet... and then attached them to our walls. She loves them so much! She can perch up there and watch the crazy doggies down below her.


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## Mssjnnfer (Aug 9, 2009)

Just wondering what the OP decided...


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

If this is an adult dog and not a puppy, chances are that it's just not going to work out for you. In my honest opinion, it would be very unfair to your cats to keep them in this kind of danger. The fact that this dog did not even back down when the cat fought back would have me very worried. Whenever our cats are at their wits end with the dogs, they let them know with a swat in the face and/or hiss and the dogs immediately back off. As was already mentioned, some dogs just have very high prey drives, which would make living with smaller animals (such as cats) extremely difficult, if not impossible. If this is a puppy, you may be able to get through this with lots of training, but it's going to take some work and a lot of patience. I'm so sorry that you're in this tough position.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Great post, Goldhaven


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## hgatesy (Feb 14, 2007)

When we first brought Tyson home we had major issues with the cats. He was honestly just completely obsessed to the point of panting and pacing in the hallway for hours. Nothing we did would deter him.... his full focus was on the cats. His first adoptive home returned him after 24 hours because of this and during the first few days he was here I actually almost didn't blame them for his behavior was extremelly trying. 

He was never around cats in his former home so to him they were in the same category as a squirrel or a rabbit. Thankfully I do have cats that are very dog savvy which I think helped, however there was zero trust when it came to him being near the cats initially... we were extremelly careful. I would not let your dog around your cats at this point unless there is a gate between them or the dog is leashed, just for the safety of your cats. From your post it sounds as though your dog had ample opportunity to do some damage to the cat and didn't? She didn't back down despite the cat attacking her... but she didn't take a hold of the cat from the sounds of things? What is her body language like when she sees the cat?

You do really need to make sure the cat has a safe room and is able to escape if need be or that your dog is leashed so that you can control the situation. You don't want your cat to have to defend itself because in the end if the dog means business, in all reality the cat is going to lose.

I worked a lot on "leave it" with Tyson and he was leashed during those times. We did "Leave it", leash correction and then he got a reward if he showed interest in me instead of the cat. It was a long process... not something that we were able to overcome in a week or even a month. 

It took awhile, however eventually Tyson did learn that the cats were off limits and then finally did accept our cats fully and does great with them now. However, cats other than ours are not viewed the same and the mere sight of one on our walks sends him into a fit of excitment where he will start shaking and tense up. He responds to "leave it" however he has a difficult time controlling himself. Given the chance he would go after one in a second. I don't think it's something he will ever fully overcome nor do I expect him too, however I do expect him to treat MY cats in MY home with respect. 

As I'm learning with my other dog (Camden) who has an extremelly high prey drive.... his choice of prey is rabbits and squirrels though... you can't train the dog not to have prey drive... you really can only use training as a way of trying to maintain the dogs when that drive starts to kick in.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

Just checking in to see how it is going. I hope you have found a solution to your problem.


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## momtoMax (Apr 21, 2009)

Someone here posted a craigslist where someone was giving away their 10 year old dog because it didn't get along with the new puppy. You need to protect the pets you had first. If you think it's possible that this rescue dog wants to hurt your cats - I would give him back. Willow and Max had a couple of issues but most of the time, Willow was good around Max and when she got him to "put him in his place" it was once and done. Your rescue always chases after the cats - and you think he wants to hurt them. Different story for you - could lead to a terrible ending.


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