lovebug Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I got an english staffy puppy!she is 5 months old,great with kids and other dogs,but when it comes to showing her the kitten!she snaps at it! now i no its normal for most dogs to attack or snap at cats,but how do i carm (Chloe the staff down)? she has got alot of excitment in her and alot of energy but im scared she will serously hert the kitten. so being the nervous owner i seperate them!!is this the right thing to do? i only got her last night!! :rolleyes: p.s i will post pics of her as soon as i put them on my pc!!and can i put pics of the kitten to or is it not aloud??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovebug Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 (edited) pics :rolleyes: Edited April 7, 2008 by lovebug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovebug Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 any ideas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 now i no its normal for most dogs to attack or snap at cats, No, it's not You only got your pup last night? Or the cat last night? If you only got the cat last night... you need to set up a room for her where the dog cannot get to her. After a couple of days..with the dog on a LEASH(and after it has had a LOOONG walk/run)... let the cat out. Praise your pup when she is being calm. Make her sit. Do not talk to her... just sit quietly. Correct her with a jerk on the leash if she lunges/snaps at the cat . EVERY time. When she is being quiet and relaxed, then talk to her...calmly. She needs to know that the cat belongs there. Do not let the cat and dog out if the dog is not on a leash and under your control ( and control doesn't mean pulling hard to get at the cat ) With perseverance, the dog may settle... I have no staffy experience, so don't know breed-specific training tips or problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovebug Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 (edited) i only got the staffy last night!! :p lovly dog very playful and energetic!! we have tried the leash thingy but i think its a bit early to worry about it!!she needs to find her place here and after a few days or so we try again with the kitten im not in a great rush and i cant expect the staffy to change straight away but im hoping with time and alot work she will learn she cant hert the cat and the cat was here first!!so im hoping she will settle down and i will be taking Chloe (staffy) to basic training as she does jump up at my 3 yr old sons face!!and i want to be able to take her with us for drives etc so training will commence as soon as she settles in properly!!(oh and after her vacinations as the prevous owners didnt do it!!) Edited April 7, 2008 by lovebug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Oh... ok.. a three year old, a teenage staffy and a kitten? I wish you well!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulnkat Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Hi Lovebug, You really need to nip this behaviour in the bud now. A part of assisting your new staffy to "settle in" is by training, this will allow you to reinforce that you are the alpha dog. It concerns me that she jumps on your 3 year old face! Even if the staffy hasn't been vacinated you don't have to take her to obedience classes for training. You can commence training now in the home environment. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovebug Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 yes im concerned about the jumping as well we have started training at home today! the basics sit,stay and no she does understand and does listen so im hoping she will be an easy girl to train :p its very loud and lots of running around at my place today!!ive got a headache hopefully she will learn what we tell her and she fits in well in the near future Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulnkat Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Awwww! By the look of that pic, she seems to be settling in just fine Now for the training Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baz+Rome Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Don't you have 2 other dogs? How does the Staffy get along with them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovebug Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 she gets on with them fine!!no problems at all~~but my next door neighbours dog escaped from his yard today and she was a bit weird with him(growling a little bit) i think the problem with the kitten is it hisses at Chloe and stuff like that which makes her snap~~~~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovebug Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 today and no change!!still her snappy exciteable self lol more training and patience hopefully will do the trick! we have got a crate/show cage,inside and when the kitten is walking around the house we put chloe in there!!hopeing this will make her understand that the cat has rights to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Hi.. Actually... putting her in a crate , while the cat walks around... may not be such a good plan (I am happy to stand corrected) The dog can see the cat...and can still FEEL excitable, and can want to get to the cat...and can feel very frustrated With no way of correcting these feelings/behaviours, they could well escalate and become permanent... On a leash, I feel that corrections given at the first sign of any trouble...coupled with CALM sincere praise for the dog behaving by ignoring the cat would acheive more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlitznBear Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Training her with treats might be a good idea, cut up cheese, sausage, chunkers from supermarket etc, she sits, drops, comes, stays etc on command, reward her with a treat with plenty of praise. Incorporate the training with treats with the cat, have her on a leash, let cat walk past, she sits nicely without lunging or getting excited, reward her again with plenty of praise. You only got her last night, shes sussing out her new environment and is establishing her pecking order with your daughter and the cat, you need to set the rules straight away, what do you do when she jumps up at your daughter?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Oh..and to add..she is a 5 mth old puppy..full of energy, and aching to learn about her world... What type of exercise is she getting to wear off some of her 'attitude' ? Training her may be easier when she has had a lot of exercise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Agree with everything persephone said. The time is now to resolve such a problem if you ever want the dog to co exist peacefully with the cat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Willow Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I had a similar problem with my Stafford & one of our kittens....he has a history of being cat friendly, but seemed to have it in for the kitten (just too little & skittish maybe) It took a good few weeks of training, we would start by rewarding him for being calm while he could see the kitten on the other side of a screen door. Then progressed to hubby holding the kitten on the other side of the room, while we walked Jarrah a few metres away, all the time rewarding for calm behaviour. We gradually decreased the distancees involved. If at anytime he showed any change at all in body language, we immediately & calmly removed him from the room (the dog). He learnt quickly that the presence of the kitten meant tasty treats, and the calm behaviour became ingrained. The relationship thay have now is wonderful....the kitten is 6 months old, and adores Jarrah.....he seeks him out and headbutts him, and Jarrah licks the kittens face :D just be careful you don't allow excitable behaviour to escalate......don't wait util the dog is foaming at the mouth to inbtervene.....watch the body language carefully, and stiffening of the body, "alert ears" or tail up etc, and get he rout of the way.....don't allow her to fail, in other words. This could take you a good few weeks, so be patient, and good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cassie Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 hopefully she will learn what we tell her and she fits in well in the near future :D Sorry but it's not a case of "hopefully she will learn..." but rather she HAS TO learn what is expected of her in her new home, and you have to be very consistent with what you want from her. You have been given some good advice here. Keep up the training, it will likely take a while but with perseverence she will get there. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovebug Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 thanks for everyones advice!! she gets walked twice a day which does take most of her energy! she is now learning that she cant jump up at my son!(hasnt done it at all in the last 7 hours) to my suprise i went out for 10 minutes,but i locked the cat up in the other side of the house and the dog in the other part!! some how the cat got into the part were Chloe was!! anyways i come home to find the cat and the dog standing together at the door!!no harm done to the cat!!they were pretty friendly!! now there is no problem so i think Chloe worked it all out and is friends with the kitten.they have been wondering freely together for 2 hours now with no problems!!so looks like everything will be fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovebug Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 but dont worry i will be keeping a very close eye on them both!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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