It's a classic tale that dogs have always hated cats, and vise versa. With lots of training and positive reinforcement you can do get them to like each other.
Steps
1 Basic tricks. Teach your dog "Uh-uh".Whenever they do something bad, wrong, or don't do something you say,say "Uh-uh" and they should stop. Now, teach them "Leave it". Say "Leave it" if your dog is sniffing something they shouldn't, or you drop food on the floor and they try to eat it, etc. They should look or walk away. Also, teach them "Stay". This one should be a bit harder to teach. After you say "Stay", they should stay where they are even if you disappear from view. The last command they need to know is "Come" (if they already come when you say their name, you can skip this part). Your dog should simply walk to you when they hear "Come". Be sure to practice these daily and when they do something correct, give them a treat and lots of love and praise. This is key.
2 Watch your pets. Leave them in the same room alone but still under close eye. Do this every couple days and record results. They should like each other more.Any other results than the following I don't know what to do about. Here are some possible outcomes and what to do about them:
- If the dog goes towards the cat and the cat seems uncomfortable, then say "Leave it" to your dog. If your dog does not walk or look away, say "Uh-uh" until they do. Then say "Come" and give praise/treat. This reaction means that your pets do not really like each other but it is possible to fix.
- If your dog walks up to the cat and the cat seems fine or is ignoring the dog, you may my not even need to read the rest of this. Your pets like each other. Give BOTH pets lots of praise.
- If your dog leaves your cat alone, again, you may not even need to read the rest of this. Your pets do not hate each other and do not like each other either. This is good. Give BOTH pets lots of praise.
3 Talk with your cat. Get your cat alone and make sure the dog, any other people, or any other pets are not around. A good time to talk is during feeding time. Tell your cat it will be okay,that you love them and that you ARE working with the dog and making progress. Reassure them. Love them. Do this weekly and even though it may seem silly, it does work.
4 Don't pick favorites. Whenever you are hugging one pet, make sure the other is not near. Or if they are, when you are done go hug them. Also,when you walk into a room and both pets are there, look at them BOTH, and go to the cat as equally as you go to the dog.This is because when you have one pet and bring a new pet into the family, often the first pet may get jealous. Don't let this happen.
5 Extra help. By now, your cat and dog should be pretty good with each other. If not, there is one more thing I suggest. Put your cat on the floor where they are happy and put the collar on your dog. Put several dog treats in your pocket and have several cat treats nearby.grab hold of the collar and walk slowly past the cat. Keep the animals around 5 or 6 feet apart. If your pets do well, give the dog a treat. If not, say "Uh-uh". Every time they do good, move them a 1/2 foot closer, until they are within a foot. give the cats most of the cat treats and the dog a couple of the leftover dog treats.
