Methods for introducing a dog and a cat
There are many different ways to introduce a dog to a cat. If the first method of introduction you try doesn’t work or you don’t feel comfortable with it, try a different option. Even if the dog has had experience with cats and the cat has lived with a dog before, proceed cautiously during the introduction. It’s best to have two people present — one to intervene with each animal, if necessary. If you have more than one dog, introduce each dog separately to the cat. Through positive reinforcement training, you can establish some of the basic behaviors with your dog. A strong recall is just one of those behaviors, along with sit, stay. When being thoughtful & patient about new pet introductions, it sets the entire family up for success.
Option 1: Slow and steady desensitization
If your dog is too fixated on the cat, you can try desensitization, the goal of which is to reduce your dog’s reaction to the cat by gradually increasing her exposure to your kitty. To begin desensitization, you can separate them by a gate. It can be a baby gate or x-pen where she is contained and your kitty has the option to be where she wants without having your dog pursuing the cat. During this time, you can have your pup focusing on something else, such as playing with a toy, eating a yummy treat or practicing cues. You can also use catnip to help your cat feel more comfortable with these intros. Praise and reward your dog for being able to focus elsewhere. Continue to give her short viewings of the cat throughout the day. Sometimes, regular dog treats may cause upset tummies, so strained meat baby food or cooked chicken (without seasoning) can be used as a yummy, yet bland treat for these introductions.
You can also swap out the blankets and bedding of each animal, giving it to the other. That way, the dog can get used to the cat’s smell and the cat can get used to the dog’s smell, without over-stimulating either of them.
Option 2: Face-to-face introduction
This is a more fast-paced introduction & should be paired with the method above. One person should hold your dog on a secured harness and lead and watch her body language. Someone else should watch the cat’s body language. If the cat is not raising his back or hissing around the dog, the can be allowed to move around freely. A cat is rarely a threat to a dog, but some cats will be on the offensive when meeting dogs.
If the dog is calm around the cat, you can ask the dog to sit, or lie down and stay (given the dog has been taught those basic behaviors) while the cat moves about freely, sniffing the dog if he wishes. The dog should be praised and rewarded if he/she ignores the cat. If the dog is too fixated on the cat (e.g., staring at the cat, has stiff body language, will not listen to you when you call her name) or if she lunges and tries to chase the cat, you should try a different strategy for getting them to share space, such as Option 1 or Option 3.
Option 3: "Look At That"
If the quick introduction did not work and your dog is not becoming desensitized to the cat, you might need to try some more structured training. By playing Look at That (LAT) with your dog, you can help to teach her not to fixate on the cat. You’ll be teaching her to look at the cat and then look back at you for a treat. Essentially, she’ll learn that it is more rewarding to not pay attention to the cat.
To start working on LAT, you need to figure out the dog’s threshold while on leash: At what point does she notice the cat, but still respond to you when you say her name? That is her threshold. Each dog has a different threshold. For one dog, five feet away from the cat might be her threshold; for another dog, it might be 25 feet. You’ll know you have gone past the threshold when she starts barking or lunging at the cat. Another sign that you’re getting too close to the cat is if she starts moving more slowly, staring and stiffening her body. If you call her name and she doesn’t respond to you, move a few feet away from the cat.
Once you’ve figured out the dog’s threshold, grab a clicker and some really delicious, pea-sized treats. If you don’t have a clicker, a verbal marker (a word like “yes” or “good”) will work just fine. Put 10 treats in your hand and keep the bag close by for later.
Clicker training instructions (you don’t have to use a clicker, you can use a verbal ‘marker’ or ‘bridge’…basically a word associated with the reward, like “good!” or “yes!”)
When you see the dog looking at the cat, click the clicker or use your verbal marker and give her a treat. The first few times, you might have to put the treat right in front of her nose, but fairly soon she should start looking expectantly at you as soon as she hears the marker. That’s because the marker (either a clicker or a word like “yes”) always means a treat is coming. Use up the 10 treats, clicking as soon as she looks at the cat. The 11th time, before using the marker, wait and see if she will look at the cat and then look right back at you. If she does that, either click or use the verbal marker when she looks at you and then give her a treat. If that doesn’t happen, go back a step. Mark her 10 more times for looking at the cat and then try again. Once she is reliably looking at the cat and then looking back at you, you can slowly start moving closer and closer to the cat. If the dog becomes fixated on the cat when you move closer, you’ve gone past the threshold and need to move back.
As you train, her threshold decreases, which means that the two of you will be able to move closer and closer to the cat. Continue practicing LAT with your dog until she can be right next to the cat without an issue. How quickly your dog’s threshold decreases will depend on you (how much you practice and the types of treats you use), your dog (since every dog learns at a different pace) and your cat’s comfort level.
