One of the most frequent questions we hear is, “How can I train my dog to get along with my cat?” Things get complicated when dog trainers try to answer that question.
First the trainer must start with another question: “What is your dog doing now when he sees the cat?” If your dog is aggressively chasing, fixating, growling, snapping or snarling at your cat – it’s safety first – you must manage the environment to keep your pets safe. Odds are that they probably will not be best friends any time soon.
But if your dog is simply trying to play with your cat, and if your cat grew up with dogs - then there’s hope.
Let’s take a moment to examine why dogs and cats "getting along" can sometimes be problematic. It's all about communication. Most dogs and cats who have grown up with each other will learn to get along fine. But dogs and cats who meet later in life will need lots of time to learn to communicate with each other. This is no easy task, because dogs and cats communicate through body language and the body language of a cat is not the same as the body language of a dog.
For example, a “play bow” (chest down, butt up) means “let’s play” when displayed by a dog. But the exact same behavior means “go away” when done by a cat. Another example - a high tail displayed by a cat often means “I’m interested” while a high tail displayed by a dog usually means “I’m on guard.”
Think of it this way: if you meet a person from France who speaks no English, and you speak no French, it’s going to take quite a while before the two of you can communicate. It’s the same with dogs and cats who were not introduced to one another at an early age. They will have trouble communicating. This becomes even more difficult if the cat runs every time she sees the dog, especially if the dog is high drive and/or bred to be highly attuned to movement (e.g. terriers, sight hounds etc.)
The bottom line is this: some dogs will get along with some cats. Only time will tell. In the meantime, it’s up to you to keep them safely separated. Cats and dogs can be seriously injured when they fight. This is NOT something that a responsible owner will “just let them work out on their own.”
Bottom line: this is more of a management issue than a training issue - manage the environment to keep your pets safe.
