Search Results for: blog teaching cats and dogs to live together

How Far Would You Go to Save a Sick Pet?

Me, aged about 10, with my childhood cat Boots When my husband and I prepared to adopt a dog he asked me one question that really startled and upset me. “We need to decide how much we’re going to spend on this dog when it’s sick,” he said. He meant we had to decide the maximum amount of money we were willing to spend on it for medical treatment; if it ever had a health problem the costs of which exceeded that number, we’d automatically agree to put it down. I was shocked. How could he suggest such a callous … Continue reading →

Purina’s Campaign to End Cattiness

Okay, multi-cat households: this one’s for you. Purina’s Tidy Cats litter is running a contest called the Campaign to End Cattiness. The concept behind the contest is simple: if you live in a multi-cat household, it’s time to show the world that you’re not just a crazy cat person. Through stories and pictures, you can demonstrate that sharing your home with more than one cat makes life better! But be concise — you’ve only got 175 words and two pictures to tell your story. (For comparison, the average blog post here at Families.com is 300 words or more. So you’ve … Continue reading →

Building a Kitty Condo: Day One

The dog/cat negotiations around the apartment are somewhat stalled. My roommates’ cat Shiro (who we expected to be the chicken of the pair) has been venturing out into the hallway, but will back off once my dogs appear at the baby gate. The other cat, Kachiko, will observe from afar but won’t go past the doorway. It’s been like this for a few weeks now. The dogs have learned to be reasonably calm at the gate, thanks to lots of treats and praise and everyone keeping a watchful eye on them. Once in a while — especially if one of … Continue reading →

Dogs and Cats Living Together: Not What We Expected

Before my dogs met my roommates’ cats, we had lots of talks about how we thought it would go. We discussed the best ways to introduce them, what to do if things went wrong, and our dreams of animal harmony. I thought Lally, my boxer/shar-pei mix, would be the problem child. When we’re out walking, she can be quite a cat chaser. If she saw cats inside the apartment, I figured she’d be trying to run them down. (I’m not sure what she’d do with a cat if she ever caught one, but that doesn’t stop her from trying.) My … Continue reading →

Do Your Pets Have a Sense of Humor?

Do your pets understand laughter? Do they understand it’s a good thing when they make you laugh? Do they do things on purpose to make you laugh? Do they even “laugh” themselves? Mine do. What Murphy Does to Make Me Laugh Murph can be quite the clown when he wants to, but his most favorite way to get me to laugh is by stealing socks. He’ll snag a dirty one from the dirty clothes, run up to me with tail wagging and eyes bright, and wait for me to say, “Oooo! Whatcha got there, puppy? Give me that, you Sock … Continue reading →

Leapin’ Lizards! A Study in Pet Teamwork

As I touched on in My Life With Cats, I was born into a family of dog lovers. My mom’s never spent much time around cats. (Tabby and Mr. Meow have since seen to it that she’s become a non-cat convert though.) And she certainly hasn’t spent much time with both cats and dogs in one household. I’m well aware that it’s possible for cats and dogs to get along, but my mom’s still trying to understand how it is they all get along. It’s simply amazing to her that not only do Murph and the cats tolerate each other, … Continue reading →

Teach Your Dog to Leave It

Leave it is an amazingly useful and versatile command — it can save your dog from eating something dangerous or instigating a fight with another dog or chasing your cat. Here’s one way to teach your dog to leave an object/treat: Find some treats your dog can’t resist. Keep all but one out of sight. (The one is for training; the rest are for rewards.) Place that one treat on the floor or on a low table that your dog can reach. Your dog will almost definitely pay attention if the treat is good enough! As you set the treat … Continue reading →

Working with a Dog with a High Prey Drive

One of the main obstacles to cats and dogs living together in harmony is the dog’s prey drive. Basically, that’s the instinctive urge to chase things. Especially moving things. After all, wild dogs need to be good hunters in order to survive. Our domesticated pups still have that instinct. Training will be your greatest asset if your dog(s) and cat(s) don’t get along. Basics you’ll want your dog to know are: Sit (sit down on command) Stay (stay in one place until you allow them to get up) Leave it/Release (give up the thing they’re after — be it a … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for February 18-24

What sort of things made Aimee and I stop and say, “Hmmm…” last week? It’s all detailed below in your handy Week in Review. Monday, February 18 In honor of President’s Day, I shopped around for patriotic paraphernalia for pets. I don’t always agree with Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes fame, but what he had to say about Westminster struck a sympathetic chord. It may seem like your pets are fighting like cats and dogs, but Aimee explained it has a lot more to do with their predatory instincts. Tuesday, February 19 I interviewed author Maris Soule about her passion … Continue reading →

Teaching Cats and Dogs to Live Together

It may not be easy to teach your dog and cat to live together peacefully. The difficulty will lie largely in your dog’s prey drive. Your pets’ personalities can make things go quickly or slowly. Cats tend to be independent — much more so than dogs. Most cats aren’t going to obey commands, so you’ll probably have to focus on training the dog how to act around the cat. A dog wants to fit into the pack hierarchy, and obeying commands is a part of that fit. One thing you’ll find especially useful in teaching your pets to live in … Continue reading →