How To Stop A Dog From Chasing Cats Outside
Dog Chasing cat – How do I stop my dog chasing after cats when outside?
by samantha
(aberdeen)
Dog Chasing Cats – what can I do?
When my 15 year old daughter is walking her 3 year old Staffordshire bull terrier cody she get pulled right over whenever she sees a cat she has never been around any cats. whenever we mention cats she puts her ears up and looks out the window. Whenever cody sees a cat she gets really aggressive and doesn’t stop until she is far away from where she seen the cat this is a huge problem as were we stay is surrounded with cats. can you help me?
Our Response
Hi and thanks for your question as it helps to keep our site going. This is such a common problem as many dog breeds do have a chase and prey instinct so it is natural for some breeds to chase cats (or anything else that they see as prey or not part of their pack structure). Although the best scenario is to avoid your dog getting close to cats this is very difficult when you live so close to so many. It is also strange as a dog that has been socialized around cats it is much less common for a dog to be particularly bothered by them – for example the first thing any dog trainer would say would be for your pooch to be constantly socialized around cats i.e. introduce your dog to as many cats as you can (in a controlled environment with your dog on a leash) so that he becomes bored by them and is less likely to want to chase them.
It might be really useful to have a friend who has a cat and gradually expose the tow of them together so your dog is desensitized to them. You could have a friend who has a cat and get them to attach the cat to a leash and your dog to a long leash and ‘accidentally’ while out on a walk get them to meet. As soon as your dog sees tha cat he will want to chase – as soon as this happens say no – and ask him to sit – as soon as he does what you ask give him a treat (this will take lots of practice). You can also call his name and jump to the right – your dog will follow you – when he does hold a treat at his eye level and when he is looking at you and not the cat – give him the treat. Practice this regularly and eventually your dog will gradually pay more attention to you and not the cats. The more your dog is exposed to cats the less he will bark – it is the fact that he only sees them now and again that he responds as he does – it is like a little treat when he sees them but if he sees them all the time as you constantly expose cats to him he will gradually not be bothered by them at all.
Check out the below video which answers a very similar question. Hope this helps!
