# Teaching my dog to not chase cats



## Thor0918 (Feb 28, 2008)

I don't know. Ciggy doesn't chase our cat but, Leo does. Just the nature of the beast I guess.


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## dogluver04 (Jul 5, 2008)

We have two cats at home.. Good luck! She is fine with them until then decided to run away, then its a big game of chase the cat. Thats Cedar mind you! Chloe never bothers the cats.. Could actually care less about them.. But if she sees a neighbours cat outside its a whole nother story.. Just like those evil squirrels! lol Chloe hates them! I think it will be hard to teach them not to chase them when your not there! If im outside I can call Chloe off the cats or squirrels. But if im not there, theres no way in hell shes not going to chase them.. lol


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I don't have a fenced yard so Daisy is _never_ outside without me. That might make it easier. I understand it's impossible to change behaviors if they're being practiced without correction because no one is there to intercept.


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

We have 3 cats and THEY have taught Tucker not to chase them from day one! They will not permit it! Tucker now knows to leave them alone and he only looks at them and wags his tail, but never chases. I don't really have any suggestions since my cats trained Tucker in that department for me! Maybe a kitty with a short fuse may do the trick?


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

A long line and reel her in whenever she spots the cat?


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

That's what I was thinking ... have her on a lead and at the very moment she starts to go towards a cat, I need to tell her to sit or something, and then offer her a treat?

And repeat like a thousand times? LOL


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## tino4ever (May 12, 2008)

iisn't that "let the cat hit him/her by the nose" a litle risky? i've always heard some of the vest fear the cats claws .. that htey are too sharp annd mgiht damage the eyes? now, i wanna teach my doggie too not to be intrested in other dogs.
man, i just love one spesific thing! when i am out walking, and tino gets very distracted, then .. if someone comes by and simply says "there is a dog on the other side of the street" or "there are some food laying not too far away from you". it helps me so much! sometiems i cannot understand why he wont move, or why he pulls like craaaazy!


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Daisy did get clobbered by one of the neighbor cats once. Didn't deter her at all. They do a good job of standing up to her, but that just makes her more intent.

I think I just need to nip the interest behavior at the very start. Like as soon as she looks at a cat. Distract her with something more interesting and just keep doing that over and over.


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## Jenny Wren (Feb 27, 2007)

Taya had bad knees for years. Then we got each of them fixed up, as you know with Daisy's same surgery. 99 percent of the time Taya is on a 15 foot leash when we go out, but with bad knees she could barely walk, not run, so for the longest time I never thought about her taking off. 

One morning very early, after both knees were healed we went for a poop walk in the yard. I didn't have her on the leash--it was barely light and the neighborhood was totally quiet. We came around the front of the house and the neighbor's cat came out of the bushes like a streak. Well, Taya took off.

Down the 30 foot bank, across the dirt road, up the neighbor's driveway. The cat went in their big barn, she went in too.

Taya had NEVER (and she's almost 10 years old) done ANY of that. I went running after her, down the bank, across the road, up the neighbor's driveway... "quietly" yelling for her to come. The neighborhood wasn't even up yet!

She finally dashed past me as I went in the barn, she came out. She went to the neighbor's yard, on a knoll, and looked so proud of herself. I was so mad...and scared. I went to her, took her by the collar and she and I went home with me just a talking to her... Of course the trip home was longer because we went up the road and around the bank and back down our yard to the house. And she CONTINUED to be proud of herself. I've never seen her THAT smug.

I learned then...NEVER leave her loose now that her knees are good. She's usually got fairly good recall...but not when the cat is just ahead of her on a full run.

Moral of the story...practice recall, but put Daisy on a long lead...


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## Jazz & Jules (Feb 25, 2007)

Carry a loud squeaky toy or whistle. When she show interest in the cat, give a sharp squeak/blow and as soon as she looks back at you, praise praise praise and start walking the other direction with her and having fun.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

LOL, Jenny Wren, I'm having great visuals of your early morning knoll adventure! Exactly what I am afraid of !! 

And I like your advice, Martha. A whistle is something I can carry with me easily, anytime I am outside.

Great advice, thanks!!


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## Jazz & Jules (Feb 25, 2007)

Jo Ellen said:


> LOL, Jenny Wren, I'm having great visuals of your early morning knoll adventure! Exactly what I am afraid of !!
> 
> And I like your advice, Martha. A whistle is something I can carry with me easily, anytime I am outside.
> 
> Great advice, thanks!!


Just put the whistle on a string that you can put around your neck and keep it with her leash.

I Would also suggest, as someone else did, a long lead. She has to have a chance to fail at distances so that you can correct the behavior.

But do start out small. Come up with a consistent whistle, like 2 short blows or something. And when ever you see her focused on anything, especially things you KNOW you can distract her from, use the whistle blows and of course the happy dance.

Then increase distances and by the next time she sees a cat, and hears the whistle blows, she will have to think about what she is to do.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

Mine do NOT, a few corrections with a leash and the same firm NO! And then I try it with no leash and praise like crazy when they respond to the NO  This works even on my racing trained Whippets, who will watch a running cat or squirrel but would never give chase unless I said the magic words...


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Sooooo, she chases cats because she CAN. 


:curtain:


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