It may not be easy to teach your dog and cat to live together peacefully. The difficulty will lie largely in your dog’s prey drive. Your pets’ personalities can make things go quickly or slowly.
Cats tend to be independent — much more so than dogs. Most cats aren’t going to obey commands, so you’ll probably have to focus on training the dog how to act around the cat. A dog wants to fit into the pack hierarchy, and obeying commands is a part of that fit.
One thing you’ll find especially useful in teaching your pets to live in peace is obedience training. If your dog knows commands like sit, stay, and “leave it”, you’ve got three important tools in your arsenal. Work on these three commands before the cat joins the family (if possible), and continue to work on them. “Leave it” is especially good for stopping a chase before it starts.
Other things you can do to help integrate your feline and canine family members:
- Always supervise cats and dogs until you are sure they get along. If you can’t be sure, then don’t leave them alone together.
- If you have more than one dog, don’t let them gang up on the cat. Introduce them to the cat separately, so each dog has the chance to learn that the cat is not a toy or prey.
- Make sure the cat has a “safe place” where the dog can’t follow. This way, your cat has an escape route if she is being chased.
- Block the dog’s access to the litter box. You don’t want your dog to go rooting around for “kitty roca”, do you?
- Separate the dogs and cats at mealtime. You don’t want the cats to eat dog food — this can cause a serious dietary imbalance. You don’t want the dog to feel threatened, or like he has to guard his food. Food guarding is a form of aggression.
- Make sure the cat isn’t harassing or torturing the dog. We assume the dog will be the problem in the relationship — not the cat! Protect your dog from tail pouncing.
Most of all, be fair. Spend one-on-one time with both pets as often as possible. Many times, loving attention and a positive attitude can help prevent serious rivalries between your canine and feline family.