My dog is obsessed with cats. How can I stop her from chasing them?

Hello! That's really quite sweet of Isabella, but I can see how this would be problematic to your cats. Frankly, there is no simple way to change her behavior other than intervening and telling her "no" when you see it. Issues like this usually require management by providing the cats with ways to escape, rather than expecting the dog to change. Depending on how agile your cats are, it may be beneficial to put up baby gates to keep Isabella out of a room where the cats can choose to escape, or provide more elevated and protected areas such as a cat climbing tree like this one: https://www.chewy.com/frisco-52-inch-cat-tree-cream/dp/119898?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Frisco&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn-uNiJml1QIVU5R-Ch2P2gFNEAQYAiABEgKxMfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds I know this isn't a perfect solution, but it's natural for many dogs to want to be a bit more interested in cats than the cats would like them to be. Usually we can't change that, so we have to give the cats ways to escape so they can be comfortable. However, if you do want to work with your dog at correcting the behavior, it would be worth connecting with a good trainer who can come to your house and watch Isabella in person - your vet should be able to offer recommendations. Hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Chasing behavior can be normal, especially in certain breeds of dogs. It is important for your cat to have a safe space to escape to; I typically recommend a baby gate at the base of a stairwell (if possible) to allow the cat to jump over to escape to an upstairs level when he needs to escape. It is something that may improve with time, or it may not. When Cash starts chasing the cat, I would recommend distracting him with a different game or toy to redirect his energy and focus his attention in a different direction. I hope these suggestions help!

Sadly, this is nearly impossible to train away. It's a situation where nature trumps nurture. If you want to try, I'd recommend working with her instead of sit, laydown, and watch me commands. Once she's amazing at them inside, take her to an indoor public place to get good there, then an outdoor place with no animals, and then out in to the general world. Once she's really really solid with those basic commands you can use them to try to get her attention before she sees the chicken or cat. In the mean time, don't let her practice this behavior (ie keep her on leash at all times and calmly but quickly remove her from the chickens or cats if she starts to go crazy). It's a very uphill battle, so good luck!

There are a few things you can do: One, if you noticed Jessie going for your cat, break them up and place them in separate areas for a bit to settle down. Once calm, you can then reintroduce them. You can also redirect Jessie's behavior to something more appropriate such as a chew or puzzle toy that will hold her attention, or work on a few basic tricks such as paying attention to you or sitting for a treat. This can help teach her what you want her to pay attention to, and that the fun stops if she becomes too focused on your cat. Second, having a sort of "sanctuary" for your cat that Jessie can't get to, such as a room that is gated off by a baby gate can help ensure your cat has a place to go and relax without being bothered. You can place your cat's food, water, litter, etc in here to allow your cat to eat and rest. Having plenty of perches such as cat trees or other perches that your cat can get to and your dog can't can also help give your cat a chance to get away and observe without being bothered. Be sure to never leave the two together unattended as even the sweetest cat or dog can accidentally injure the other!

There is no specific answer for this question because every dog responds differently to cats. If you truly think your dog is just interested in cats and does not want to hurt her, then allow them time to interact with each other (under supervision of course) as often as you can. The more Phoebe is around the kitten the more used to her she will become.

Hello! There are definitely things you can do to help modify this behavior! I would recommend starting by watching some dog training videos- the user Kikopup on youtube is a good one. Good dog trainers will always focus on positive reinforcement. Beware of dog trainers that claim to use dominance or punishment for training, as these methods can do more harm than good. Start by training Ali to sit and stay for a treat. On walks, have her periodically sit on command. You may need to bring REALLY good treats to bribe her at first! Eventually, you can have Ali sit and look at you every time you walk past a cat. This breaks the cycle of chasing behavior, and over time, she will learn to not pull on the lead and become more focused. This is how I trained my cat-reactive dog to go on walks, and it took a couple of months of dedication, but he doesn't even notice cats anymore! I hope this is helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! :)

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