What to do if your dog is scared of cats

What to do if your dog is scared of cats

A while back, I did a post about what to do if your cat is scared of dogs. Turns out, MANY of you actually have the opposite problem - your dog is terrified of cats!

So what can you do to help your dog feel more relaxed in the presence of our feline friends?

Manage cat behaviour

If your dog is scared of cats for a good reason (e.g. you have an aggressive cat in the house!), then this is the first issue to address. A puppy or small dog’s eyes can be quite at risk if a cat is swiping at them aggressively and of course this can cause fearful reactions. Get a pump action water pistol, and just as your cat goes to stalk or attack your dog, give them a squirt to disrupt that behaviour. It should divert the cat and teach them that the dog’s going to “win” in that situation. Don’t say anything when you do this, you want it to appear as if it’s the dog giving the cat the correction - ideally allowing the cat to get as close as possible so correction is associated to dog (without risking giving the dog an injury or a big fright!). Usually a bit of healthy respect for a cat is a good thing, but don’t allow your cat to totally bully your dog. 

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Set up a controlled introduction

You need to get your dog up reasonably close to a cat in order to do some desensitisation work. Ideally this would be done with a confident but sociable cat that is contained in a crate. Bring your dog into the room on a lead, and click and reward (using a clicker and very high value treats) your dog continuously for remaining non-vocal. Gradually bring your dog closer to the cat in the crate and allow them to have a sniff, using the treats to lure them in closer. Repeat, repeat, repeat over a number of sessions to help build your dog’s confidence.

Desensitisation 

Desensitisation is a slow and controlled process where you gradually increase your dog’s exposure to the cat in a positive and controlled way, by using lots of treats to keep your dog calm and focused on you. Start with short interactions where your dog and cat can see each other but remain separated, such as behind a baby gate or on opposite sides of the room. Over time, as your dog becomes more relaxed, you can allow closer, supervised interactions. Always keep the experience positive! If your cat is food focused, use cheese for the cat.

Social facilitation 

Does your dog have another dog buddy who’s confident around cats? It may pay to do some cat introductions with this other dog, whose confidence will show your dog that there’s nothing to be afraid of. Make sure the cat is not aggressive to that dog as well, to make sure it is a role model.

Observation

If you see a cat out and about, stop and ask your dog to Sit then click or say “yes” and reward with a treat. Stay at a distance from the cat, click and rewarding your dog for remaining calm. Then ask your dog to “look” at the at by holding a treat in the cat’s direction while you say “look”. As soon as your dog looks the cat’s way, click and give the food reward. This can help build confidence while out and about with strange cats. If your dog is highly predatory this wont be so effective and working on that will involve other techniques, but for dogs that are just a bit scared of cats it can be helpful.
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I hope these tips help you make a bit of progress, but if your dog is seriously phobic then I’d suggest you check out our Virtual Training Schools for a full breakdown of proper desensitisation techniques, and support from myself and my training team as you go through the course!

Check them out here: https://www.dogzen.com/virtual-courses

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