My dog's energy changed after I cared for a cat. Is she jealous?

Hi and thank you for your post on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Oh my! This sounds like a conumdrum! This can be very common occurance in dogs that suddenly have a new house mate. Here's a strategy that can help. Next time you are trying to give Milo the cat some love on the sofa, ask your pup to sit, stay, or lay down. Give treat when he does and then give Milo some love. Immediatley come back to your pup and give him a treat and love on him. Rinse and Repeat many times over the course of a few days. Each time, spend a little more tme with Milo before going back to the pup. I hope this helps and best wishes to you!

Certainly jealously among two dogs living with one another isn't unusual. As long as the jealousy isn't manifesting into actions like fear or aggressiveness, I would not be overly concerned. As soon as you begin to disperse the attention to both your dogs more evenly, I think things should return to normal. If the type of surgery performed on your other dog is going to require long term care that will significantly reduce the amount of attention given to Bek, you may have to make sure you schedule enough time during the day to provide Bek with the attention she requires. Typically, Staffordshire Bull Terriers are not extremely jealous dogs, but every dog has their own personality.

Consider a pheromone product, such as the Adaptil collar or DAP plug in diffuser, to help decrease any anxiety or aggression. You can also have your new partner feed, play with and walk Leia so that she gets used to her/him being around and associates "good things" with her/him.

I would recommend giving Maddy a very slow introduction to the new dog. You should be sure to spend time alone with Maddy at least once a day, and she should have a little time each day to have the house to herself as well. I would recommend keeping them mostly separate for a few days to weeks: they can sniff each other through a closed door at first then have short periods of time together supervised. If someone gets upset, they should be separated again. You may be surprised - Maddy might get along great right off the bat with the new dog but don't be discouraged if it takes awhile. You also might want to consider purchasing a pheromone spray like Feliway to help decrease her stress.

Your house is a lot different, and your own dog may be feeling like there is a bit of an "intruder" situation going on. it may take some time for your dogs to all get along, especially if the change was recent. Until they get along better, the dogs should only be together when able to be supervised by you. You may also want to pick up items of contention such as beds, toys, treats, etc that may be fought over if your dogs feel threatened. If a fight breaks out, immediately separate the dogs for a "time out"/cooldown, and then reintroduce when all dogs are calm and relaxed. When you are not at home, the dogs should be separated or crated in separate crates to avoid a potential fight. If the issue persists, speaking with a trainer or behaviorist may also help as they can often observe what is going on in the home, and can make suggestions based on your specific needs.

Border collies tend to have a high predatory drive, but some of them will do well with cats. Unfortunately there isn’t really a way to know this without trying. I would be very guarded an make sure they are not left alone together for quite a while until you know how they will react to the cat. Best of luck and I hope things go well! Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Adding a new pet to the house is often stressful for the existing pet. I would make sure you continue to provide her with plenty of love and attention. Do not force her to interact with the new dog, and let her hide from it as that is how she is dealing with the stress. She will adjust to the dog over time, but if she starts shows signs of aggression to you or the dog, some behavioral modifications will have to be done as she isn't adjusting well. Give her treats, play with her, and continue to show the same amount of love and attention you had given her previously so she doesn't feel replaced.