Not Fighting Like Cats and Dogs

Astro on her first walk

Beverly has helped dozens of people’s cats and dogs to peacefully coexist.

But her personal test came 15 years ago when her friend adopted a kitten that frightened her dog, Kompis. Kompis had been attacked a few months earlier by a small gray kitten, so when she first saw Astro, Kompis shook uncontrollably and even started to have a bowel movement. Kompis would not move or look at the kitten for the first 10 minutes. The kitten kept a safe distance, too. Once Kompis stopped being frozen with fear and actually took a few steps, Beverly called it quits for that session.

That evening, Astro’s new mom brought her over for a visit. Beverly worked her magic and, within one hour, had Kompis and the kitten laying next to each other, relaxing!

Watch a video of Astro at 10 months.

Beverly trained her to come, sit, shake paws and more!

The next day, Beverly took them both to the park…

That same day, Astro, Kompis and Kompis’ best friend, Dakota, were all eating peacefully together.

Watch a video of feeding time!

By the kitten’s second visit, Kompis and Astro were officially friends! They cuddled on the couch together and started playing and running around the house chasing each other and having a blast.

Getting your furry friends to love and respect each other.

Generally, Beverly tells her clients to expect cats and dogs to adjust to each other in about 2 months. It takes them that long to build trust and figure out how the other species interacts and communicates. The younger the cat/kitten, the better for the quickest and best possible adjustment. Puppies and dogs of all ages can learn to peacefully – and hopefully playfully – co-exist with their feline housemates. With help from a good behaviorist, you can speed up this process greatly, as you have seen above.

A few quick tips…

When you first bring your dog (or cat) home, make sure your dog is on a leash. That immediately teaches your dog you don’t want them to chase your cat, and allows the cat to feel safe and trust that you have control.
Do NOT lock them away from each other in different rooms or floors of the house. That just builds tension and mistrust! And, you’re therefore elongating the adjustment period. (I suggest making sure the cat has “trees”, etc. to climb/jump to safety in every room).
Put the cat’s food (& poop!) out of reach of the dog. Even though you can train your dog to stay off, why torture them with the temptation.. especially since cat food can be toxic to dogs.
Note that you’re going to have to train your cat(s) as well as your dog. Cats also need to learn to trust the trained dog, and they need to learn to not actively tease (torture 🙂 ) your dog. As in all relationships, it is a 2 way street!

If you are having trouble getting your pets to live together in harmony, call or write The Pooch Coach for help. She will make it an easy and rewarding experience for you and provide you with top notch results.