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Obsessed with neighbours cat

stu & rudy

stu & rudy

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Hi! We have a 2 year old springer x cocker in the last few months she has become obsessed with the neighbors cat it sometimes walk through our garden or just sits on the wall. Even when the cat isn’t there though our dog will just sit looking out of the patio doors whining & growling. If we let her out she runs the length of the garden & jumps around the walls barking & growling. We’ve put curtains up to block the doors which she just moves out the way. It’s becoming very obsessive - wanting to out probably 20-30 times a day even if there is no sign of the cat. Does anyone have any advice on how to stop this? We’ve tried distracting her which works until we stop she will go back to the door. Thanks in advance for any help. Stu
 
Dogs have natural behaviours cat obsession falls under this category. Do you walk your dog? If so how long? Your dog could be bored. Bored dogs, find their own ways to expel their energy on doing something they find is fun. Dogs that are bored can; Bark a lot, dig a lot and some chew everything. Your dog has decided its fun to watch and get excited when the cat appears. Some ways of how to curb this behavior: Go in the back garden with your dog, and keep her on a collar and short lead, you can decide if you want to walk around the garden or just sit quietly on a step. Then ask your neighbor to let out the cat, she will immediately react to your neighbor letting the cat out and this is when you do your first correction: You say a firm ‘no’ and you can give a light tug on the lead if the word ‘no’ doesn’t work. The reason for the tugs is to disrupt his action at that moment. Try this every time she leaves the house for a toilet break for 5-10 mins, continue until you get the desired results. Hope it helps just ask if you want any more answers :)
 
JoanneF said:
I'm not keen on lead corrections like this, especially in an aroused dog. Instead you could train focus on you, using something rewarding like food (squeezy cheese is great)
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Yeah but its only a suggestion :)
 
Something else you could try that might help, depending on the layout of the garden... Try fencing off a small area of the garden that you can let her out into for toileting, and only let her into that bit. Once she realises she can't run down the end of the garden, she might stop asking to go out.

I'm not sure how likely this is to work but thought I'd mention it because it worked for me when my dog used to go out in the middle of the night so he could belt down the garden and bark at something - possibly foxes - on the bit of wasteland beyond the end fence. I used to be up every night just in case he really did need to go out, but within two nights he was sleeping through. I used a puppy play pen to section off an area up the side of the house.
 
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to block the dog's-eye view of the garden, I'd use self-cling window treatments. :)
They come in many patterns - ice-crystals that break-up identifiable figures, stained-glass colors from vivid jewel tones to light pastels, acid-etched "whiteout", foliage or floral, & more. They leave no sticky residue, & adhere either with static cling or with a simple vacuum seal using water as the only 'adhesive'.

Peel & Stick Freeze Window Film in Clear

Window Film - Window Treatments - The Home Depot

Press them on starting from one edge, using a small squeegee, to prevent bubbles between the film & the glass; peel them off when yer done with 'em, U can store them rolled in a cylinder with paper sheets between to separate them, wrapped in another layer of stiffish paper as an outer protection, & use them again, anywhere.

They only need to cover the lower part, where the dog can see out - the upper section is for human viewing & can be left uncovered.

- terry

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Ours is a bit like this with passing cats in our garden. He will go mental if he sees them, and if we let him out in the garden, he will quite often make his "worked up" noises and head off up to the areas the cats usually use. It's not an issue for us so we haven't done anything to address it but all the advice above seems good to me
 
Dennis does the same as Jimmy! Sometimes Dennis refuses to move for his last night 'wee wee's' but the minute we say ' there's a cat in the garden' he goes charging out all huffy and proud! :D
 
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I hasten to add that while i think it's cute & funny to persuade the dog to go out & potty by lying, & telling them that there's a cat out there... altho i chuckle, i really wouldn't suggest this. :oops:

Like "sic 'em!", said to a highly-reactive Chihuahua whenever a larger dog is seen, it can seem cute - but it keeps the dog's reactivity high, & even encourages that reactivity & excitement to morph into aggression; if one evening, there really IS a cat in the garden, said kitty might be hurt by the now intensely-aroused dog, after weeks or months of frustration when there was no cat -- or conversely, the dog could be hurt by a frightened & defensive cat.

My vet's technicians & assistants would often say soothingly, "It's okay..." to my dog, & they always chuckled when i'd tell them don't lie to the dog when a procedure was going to hurt, or just be uncomfortable & not nice - but it's true.

I told my Akita very soberly if it was going to hurt, but that we'd be quick, & as a result, she'd HOLD A SIT-STAY for a jugular puncture for blood tests; she also stood quietly & only flinched when a full-depth skin punch was taken in an area that hadn't numbed after an injection of anaesthetic, where a "normal" Akita might have roared angrily & tried to lunge off the exam table.
I know it hurt her, b/c her whole body flinched, her ears flicked down, she squinted briefly, & her mouth closed as she swallowed - but she stood rock-solid, didn't growl or pull away. // At one point during her first lengthy bleeding crisis, she was having blood drawn 3X a week, so her co-operation was essential & her tolerance of the vet's procedures added 2-years to her life, & allowed us to stabilize her for a long time.

It might be cute - but i'd try not to lie to yer dog. It can cause problems, later, in unplanned ways. :)

- terry

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My Dennis is 10 now so I know all there is to know about how he reacts and I really wouldn't say it to him if it affected him in any way or let him out to purposely chase a cat.

He's always going to have a hatred for cats but when they don't do what they're supposed to (run) he gets confused and carries on with things!

I obviously wouldn't recommend this to certain dogs but I think I'm safe with him :)
 
Well it's natural to look for something to chase, I guess. Certainly cutting off the view of the garden might help. But I know from experience how obsessive spaniels are- it can be real OCD. Try distraction with a positive reward for breaking off the unwanted behaviour. Squeaky toy? As soon as the window gazing starts squeak the toy and have a few moments play with it. It is worth working on now because like spinning and shadow-chasing it can become ingrained. I'd also aim to up the amount of physical and mental activity on offer. Extra walk and training on a new trick?
 
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