My hyper puppy chases cats and chickens. How do I calm her down?

Hi there. Chasing and killing chickens is an extremely self-rewarding behavior for dogs, so punishing her afterwards will not be effective at fixing the problem. In many dogs, this behavior can be significantly improved by teaching her to voluntarily look away from the chickens to get a treat - you have to start with lots of distance, and go very slowly in order for this to work. Even then, she may never be able to be trusted around them off-leash. If this is something you want to work on, I would recommend getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can help you in person. You can search for one in your area here: www.ccpdt.org In the meantime, Penny should be kept completey separated from the chickens using a secure fence, a leash, etc. to prevent any further problems.

Hi there. I would recommend keeping him on-leash in the house for now, and keeping some tasty treats handy. Every time he sees one of the cats, praise and give him a treat. Before long, he will start to look expectantly at you for his treat whenever he sees the cats, instead of trying to chase them. Once that happens, you can start to allow some off-leash freedom in the house as long as he's doing well. If you don't feel like you're making much progress after a week or two of this, I would recommend getting in touch with a qualified trainer in your area who can work with you in person. You can search for one nearby here: www.ccpdt.org

Some dogs have a very high prey drive, and it may be that the cats running away trigger this instinct in her, even if she doesn't hurt them. Working on desensitizing her to the stimulus (cats) through training techniques such as BAT (Behavioral Adjustment Training) may help her start to ignore them. Usually this works by starting from a point far enough away that she doesn't react, and gradually moving closer to the target while redirecting her behaviors. Redirection with toys and appropriate treats can also help. At home, making sure to have baby gates up and places your cats can get to up high that your dog cannot can help ensure they have a place to relax and observe without being constantly bothered by Nova. Redirecting her behavior to something else when she gets too focused on the cat, either by practicing some training in a different room, going outside, etc can help. You also don't want to let the kitten and Nova be unattended together as even the nicest dog can accidentally hurt a smaller cat in play.

I certainly understand and sympathize with your situation. I have a young dog. I have a few suggestions for you that have helped me. One thing that people think of first is treats that keep them busy for a longer period of time. This does seem to help. You can use long lasting treats like a Kong filled with peanut butter, yogurt, treats, etc and frozen so it takes longer for him to eat. My dog also really like Bully Sticks which I also freeze to make them last a little longer. Keep him mentally and physically busy during meal times. I love using a feeding balls like a Buster Cube or Tricky Treat ball to feed meals in. It keeps him busy for at least 5-10 minutes at each meal and requires him to work. And speaking of working. I have found that my dog is the most tired after we have done a good round of training. Even if you have done a basic obedience class, I would consider trying an advanced class, a nose work class, a tricks class, etc. And if taking a class isn't an option right now, work on training at home. When he goes on walks, make him sit at each corner before he crosses the street. It sounds simple, but additional mental stimulation can go a long way. Playing with other dogs is a great outlet for energy. If you haven't tried it yet, look into your local dog park or doggy daycare center. Sending my youngest dog to daycare once a week has made a huge difference. There are a number of interactive dog games and toys available now. Outward Hound makes a number of toys that your dog has to figure out a puzzle of some type before they get a treats. Here are some ideas for those. https://www.petco.com/category/dog/dog-toys/interactive-dog-toys/dog-puzzle-toys-and-games I have not tried the Clever Pet yet, but it is an electronic interactive toy that am intrigued about it. clever.pet So, I think the key is to vary his activities daily and include a wide range of physical and mental stimulation. Be sure to be creative to tire him out on a regular basis and help everyone keep their sanity. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using PetCoach.

I would recommend keeping Jasper on-leash in the house for now, so that you can keep him from being able to chase the cats - as long as he is able to continue doing this, the problem will get worse since cat-chasing is a very self-rewarding behavior for most dogs :) Praise and reward him with treats for staying calm when the cats are around. The cats will also start to become braver around him once they realize he can't chase them, which means that they won't run as much - this will also help. Over time, once he's no longer trying to chase the cats when he sees them, you can begin giving him more off-leash time in the house.

Good morning. I hate to say this but, this type of behavior will be difficult to correct as long as the cat continues to run from Luna. If she didn't run it wouldn't be "fun" to chase her. The cat running away brings out the prey drive in dogs. My honest suggestion is that you get the help of a professional dog trainer. You need to have a trainer come to your house to assess the situation and then make training recommendations/modifications. This will give you the quickest resolution. I suggest you contact Bark Busters. They have a trainer in your area. http://www.barkbusters.com/dog-training-sanfrancisco I am fairly certain they do a free in-home consult and then you go from there and cost is determined by how much work needs to be done. Of course you can contact any trainer you wish just be sure they do in-home training. Hope this helps.

That is a natural instinct for a Border Collie to herd or chase cats. You are going to have to do some training to see if you can teach him to ignore the cat. You should definitely teach him the "leave it" command to start as it may be very useful in this situation. Once he has mastered that command than you should have him on a leash while the cat is allowed to roam. Once your dog sees the cat than give him a command, like sit, leave it, etc. If he listens than give him a reward. Gradually let him get closer to the cat once he seems more relaxed and not paying attention to the cat. With persistence and patience, you may be able to teach him to leave the cat alone. I do not recommend leaving them unsupervised and make sure the cat has an area to escape at all times. Here is a link to a website with some training information..... http://keepthetailwagging.com/train-your-dog-not-to-chase-cats/