How to Stop Dog Aggression towards Cats

Whether it's directed your cat or someone else's, a dog's aggression towards cats must be dealt with immediately.

• If, while walking your dog, he tries to chase cats, you need to deal with this behavior immediately.
• In the home, I often equate a dog’s aggression towards cats to sibling rivalry. Displaced aggression towards a cat may be a sign that your dog is competing for your attention. The longer you wait, the worse the problem may become.

It is possible to train any dog to live in harmony with other pets.

You should be very careful when introducing a new pet to the household, especially when you have been living with one pet for awhile. Though dogs will not always react with aggression, the transition will be made a lot easier if you are prepared for any contingency. In this article you will learn how you can help your dog and cat live in harmony.

It is vital that you learn some basic dog psychology to understand your dog. There are three reasons why dogs may be aggressive towards cats:

• The dog has had a previous traumatizing experience with cats. Cats sometimes attack dogs and the dog may acquire a fear of cats and therefore need to defend themselves every time they see one.
• Dominant, aggressive dogs that are popularly called alpha dogs may be naturally inclined to be aggressive toward other animals. They view the cats as a threat to their dominance.
• Competition for your attention can make dogs develop aggression towards cats, especially if you deny them the much-needed attention.

You can avert this aggressive behavior by first determining the reasons for your dog's aggression.

With patience and consistent training, dogs will respond positively and learn to cope with cats.

Dogs that are not trained may be at risk of problems with aggression, even if they don't live with cats at home.

The best approach is training. You should strive to establish yourself as the leader of the pack and let them know you are in authority.

Teach the dog to obey your commands. You can to this through obedience training, using rewards to modify behavior. When walking your dog, he should heed your command.

Certainly, canines and felines can learn to live together when you help them socialize. If you have both in the house you can involve them in a number of activities together. Your presence will suppress the bad behavior by compelling your dog to get used to the cat through training commands.