Update on dog that wouldn't leave cat alone

[runforrest]

The good news - we still have a dog.

The bad news - the "let them mingle" experiment with Jake (dog) and Zoey (cat) was an epic fail and now my cat has one less toenail as a result.

To make a long story hopefully less long - the trainer came over and we let Jake into the basement Friday and let him be around Zoey. He proceeded to chase her up the stairs, down the stairs, around the couch, up the stairs, etc. He never bit or barked at her, even though he could have killed her if he wanted to, but he didn't react or back off when she hissed/growled/swatted at him. He would not listen to commands and we would have to grab the leash and get him to calm down.

As a result of the chasing, Zoey piddled out of fear and started hiding and not coming around, showing clear signs of stress. She also scratched at him with her back paw and lost a nail/claw.

Soooo - we have a new trainer and are back to leashed meetings between them to try and desensitize him from her. We take him downstairs on the leash, let him get pretty close to her, tell him to "leave it", and give him a treat/"good boy"/love when he obeys. We walk away and do it again. We're also letting him hang in the basement with us while on leash, so long as he isn't completely focused on her and listens to commands.

It's going to be a long haul, but I think with patience and a lot of work on our part, Jake will get to the point where he can be around Zoey without flipping out, and Zoey will realize that he won't hurt her. He is a great dog and wants to learn, but he is still a puppy and just needs to know that he looks to us for permission before he acts on something.

Sorry - that wasn't "not long" at all.

[kellbell191]

Good luck!

[awick14]

I hope it works out for you. (If it does that means there is hope for our cat/dog yet, lol)

Something that was suggested to me was to put a baby gate between them and that way the cat can get away if she wants to. (so far the cat is less stressed then when she first saw the dog.