If your puppy is attacking your cat, and your puppy is younger than 4 to 5 months old, most likely the puppy is acting in play rather than aggression. The good news is that introducing a dog to a cat when the dog is still a puppy, usually means that the puppy can be taught to live peacefully with felines. To stop your puppy from attacking the cat, your best option is to start the introduction process over.
Things You'll Need
- Puppy crate
- Puppy harness
- Puppy leash
- Puppy treats
- Cat trees (optional)
Instructions
Place the puppy in her crate. Allow the cat to sniff around the puppy without having to worry about the puppy attacking. Place the puppy in the crate for a few hours each day--if you don̵7;t normally crate your puppy--to allow the cat opportunities to investigate without feeling threatened.
Re-introduce the puppy and cat outside of the crate during short sessions. Keep the puppy on a harness and leash and reward the puppy with treats and praise when he remains calm.
Create escape routes for the cat. These can include cat trees and/or cleaning off shelves to give the cat a high place to which she can retreat out of puppy̵7;s reach.
Exercise the puppy regularly. Make sure the puppy has a few long walks each day. A puppy without pent up energy is much less likely to attack or chase the cat.
Create opportunities for positive interaction between the puppy and the cat. For example, while you are sitting on the couch brushing your cat, have a friend of family member sit beside you and hold the puppy. Keep the environment calm and quiet. Give the puppy treats as rewards for staying calm in the presence of the cat.
Train the puppy with basic obedience skills, including ̶0;sit,̶1; ̶0;stay̶1; and ̶0;leave it.̶1; Use the commands to make the puppy behave in the presence of the cat.