Training Your Dogs and Cats Together

How well does your dog behave around cats? Tell me in the comments below if you need help with that topic—that's why I'm here! So make sure you're subscribed and click the thumbs-up for dogs and cats living in perfect harmony.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting a very playful and curious dog named Sadie. Sadie's human parents, Ardin and Catherine, would like her to show some restraint around their family cat, Chloe.

☑️ Why do dogs chase cats?

Dogs chase cats because they naturally enjoy chasing small, furry animals. Sadie is really interested in Chloe, which is a common behavior in many dogs.

Whenever I'm asked about problem behaviors that stem from excess energy—like a dog chasing a cat—the first thing I focus on is getting the dog to exercise and release that energy.

"Let go... Yes! See how running makes them want to chase? Bring it back! Oh, good! Go get it!"

A good old-fashioned game of keep-away can help burn off some of that energy.

☑️ Training Your Dog to Leave the Cat Alone

Before teaching your dog to leave a cat alone, they need to know two things:

A) The "stay" command

B) The ability to "stay" even with mild distractions

Check the description for links to videos on those commands if you need help.

Don't rush this process—it’s okay if it takes weeks or even months. But since Sadie has already gone through some training, it's time to address her direct desire to chase Chloe.

I asked Ardin and Catherine to put Chloe down to see if Sadie would pursue her. The overall theme of our training should be to encourage our dogs to look to us for direction. Whenever Sadie starts focusing on Chloe, we need to get her attention back:

"Over here! Look at me!"

Domestic dogs exist because they are so good at taking direction from people. I find that using a calm voice when introducing a dog to a cat is crucial.

"Very good... yes, right there!"

Did you notice that quick moment? That was a shift in her attention. Since I like what Sadie is doing, I click with my clicker and follow it up with a reward.

The best way to encourage desirable behavior in dogs is to teach them to do it on their own. However, we should resist the urge to touch our dogs unless absolutely necessary.

This is a great example of how to communicate with your dog and bring about positive behavior from the inside out. It can be surprisingly challenging!

"Uh-uh! Look at me! Good... right there. Over here!"

I'm avoiding touching her because I want her to think for herself.

"You're doing very well! Over here—come on, Sadie! Sit... no. Here, I'll block her because she's trying to get to the cat. Good. Stay."

"Come. Come here. Sit. Uh-uh, Sadie, sit! We're going to be sweet and gentle. Lie down. Good girl."

Right there—she's looking at the cat, then looking at me. I love it when they do that!

"That's a cat over there, and you're staying put—good manners!"

We have to teach our dogs how to be polite around cats.

"Very good. Be sweet. You're doing great!"

At this stage, I’m not giving her food rewards. With obedience training, we want to have a long-term strategy to phase out food rewards. We only use treats and the clicker in the initial stages.

Now, it was time to see if Ardin could do this and get the same results.

"Here! Here! Yes! Awesome!"

That was a great moment—Chloe was right there, and Ardin did an excellent job with his timing, patience, and sincerity. Those are three essential qualities if you want to successfully train your dog.

"Come here! Yes! That was it! Good girl!"

Now, we're going to put Sadie on a leash to get her a little closer to Chloe. This acts as a safety net in case she gets too excited and moves too quickly.

"Yes! Good girl!"

If you weren’t paying close attention, you might have missed it—but did you see that small shift in her behavior? That’s progress!

Try not to overdo the praise—many dogs who chase cats just want to play. We can meet that need by teaching them games like fetch or structured chase activities.

☑️ Today's Question:

Does your dog behave well around cats? Let me know in the comments below!

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