How To Let Your Dog Enjoy Family Time

Dear Adam,

I adopted a 1 year-old female dog about a year ago. I have 2 cats who grew up with dogs and like dogs. When my dog first arrived, the first few days she was subdued– being in a new surrounding – but then she wanted to play rough with the cats… which didn’t set too well with them.

The cats run and she chases when we try to have them all in the same room together when watching TV, etc. I’ve been keeping them separate with baby gates (the dog in the kitchen and the cats in family room) and don’t let the dog over unless both cats are outside. The dog ends up spending too much time in the confines of the kitchen with this method.

Is there a way to teach her that we don’t want her rough-housing with the cats so they can all be together in the same room when I am present? The e-collar sounds good but so expensive. Maybe a less costly solution? Thanks. Enjoyed the book!

Willie Mae & DeAnne

Dear Willie Mae & DeAnne:

When the cats run, they are triggering your dog’s prey drive. This is instinctive. However, it is also natural for a dog to defer judgement to his pack leader.

What this means is that: You must act like the pack leader.

In other words, if you tell you dog to lay down, you must USE THE TECHNIQUES in the book (timing, consistency and motivation) to keep the dog in a down-stay.

I personally LOVE having cats around when I’m training. What could be better to proof your dog around?

Remember, your dog should stay down UNTIL you give him the “Take a break!” command. If he gets up to chase the cats, then you’ll need to correct him back into the down position.

If he gets up again, it’s a sure bet that your corrections lack motivation. (Correct more firmly. Make sure you’re getting slack in the line. If the dog’s body is moving when you correct him, then you’re using muscle instead of technique… not good!)

You don’t need an electronic collar. Just a $12 prong collar and a six foot leash.

Once you get your dog to hold a down-stay around cats using nothing more than proper timing, consistency and motivation, your friends will think you’re a genius. Or the lost love child of Sigmund and Roy.

Now if you can just get those darn cats trained!

That’s all for now, folks!

Living With Pets Keeping Your Baby Safe

So, up to this point, your dog or cat has been your baby, but now there’s a little human on the way. It is normal and, in fact, wise to be concerned about how the two are going to mix. The chances are very good that everything will work quite well and your pet and your child will be very close buddies, but there are some things you can do to be prepared. First some tips for dogs:

Teach your dog to stay out of the nursery

Start right away putting up a baby gate or keeping the door closed to help your dog learn to stay out of the baby’s room. Later on, you can allow the dog in the room, especially if you are in there, but it’s best to prepare him at first to stay away.

Introduce your dog to some other babies

If he’s never been around a baby, carefully introduce some into his life. He is much less likely to be anxious around your baby if he is introduced gradually.

Make sure he is well trained

A baby’s behavior is not predictable, so your dog has to be the grown up in this case. If your dog does not obey you, it’s time for some training before the baby arrives. If your dog is a male, and you haven’t had him neutered, this is a good time for that, too. It should make the dog calmer and more well mannered.

Then, there’s the cat – some of the same ideas work for cats, too, except that training them to stay out of a room is pretty difficult. They scale baby gates, and cribs, by the way with ease. So, in addition to a baby gate, it’s wise to purchase a net to go over the crib, to keep the cat out. Also, if your cat sleeps with you, don’t put the baby in your bed with the cat in the room.

For both types of pets, keep the food and water bowl away from the baby. Babies love to play in them, and this can not only make a mess, but can cause the animal to be even more jealous. Also, at some point, if your child can get to the pet food, he will try to eat it. I promise.

Your child and your pets should develop a good relationship with little trouble. Just be diligent for a while until everybody is comfortable, and you should continue to have a happy home.