when one pet kills another...

[Guest Anonymous]

Hi,
I have a friend who has had a cat for 14 years. He also had two dogs, one is 4 and the other much older...the older one left us several months ago, and he and his wife got a 4 month old puppy. This past weekend, the 4 year old and the puppy killed the cat. He and his wife are very upset and don't know what to do...they can't really punish them as they probably don't even know what they did wrong...is there support groups out there that I can direct him to? I was on this weekend and somewhere I saw a post about this very thing...someone had a dog that killed their cat...I can't even remember where itwas. could you say some prayers for them all...thank you so much, Anna kevannamerritt@yahoo.com

[courtnek]

you didnt say what kind of dog, but hounds, and dogs with high prey drive, are often not safe around cats and small animals unless they have been brought up with them. Hounds are bredto chase, and kill, prey. Terriers as well, and dogs with a high prey drive who are not accustomed to the cat will find its running as a prey chase. If the four month old started it, he may have entied the other dog into the chase...what kinds of dogs are these please?

If a four month old puppy has that kind of prey drive, it needs obedience training NOW.... not tomorrow, NOW....or it will kill neighbors cats and squirrels and other small animals...

[Guest Anonymous]

I sent him a link to this site with your post...if he checks it out, I am sure he can answer your questions...I beleive the puppy was 4 mo. when they got him, and is now 7 or 8 mo...thank you for your reply. I do hope he checks it out. Anna

[imported_Cassie]

I have a Rottweiler with a high prey drive...the predatory drive is used in many breeds to perform many different jobs...some dog breeds do not have the complete series of motor patterns which would lead to them killing another animal...for example many hunting breeds are bred to only use "some" of their motor patterns and the rest which could cause a bad hunting companion have been deleted :lol: you wouldn't want your retriever mauling or tearing apart your duck before it brings it back to you :lol:
I have been dealing with a high prey drive and have done all the obedience and training for my dog...but, I wouldn't rely on all the training in the world if the dog is aroused by a running cat...some times the chase can be much more of a reward than going back to the owner. I found that by training my Rottie an emergency down I can usually control her when she sees wildlife dart in front of us on our daily hikes...she can still see the prey...but, it gives her time to calm down, then I can walk up to her and snap on her lead - most dogs will respond to an emergency down before they would ever respond to a come command....a high prey drive is not an act of aggression...its a natural part of the dog...without it we wouldn't have a pet which chases balls etc. the most important issue is to work with it and try to control it...I certainly would not let these dogs run free any where...fast moving objects can be very tempting. Another thing...even if you are able to have a dog with a high prey drive get along with the house cat wonderfully indoors...don't expect it to be the same when out side. Our dogs do not stop and think before chasing...I know my Rottie (as much as she loves my cats) would chase after them if they ran away from her out doors...indoors she plays with them, sleeps with them and grooms them and lets them groom her...but, this does not pop into my Rotties mind if they run from her outdoors...she does not associate them as the cute little fur balls she was being groomed by 10 minutes ago.

I feel bad for what happened to your friend...tell them not to hold this against the dogs...its usually a hard wired motor pattern for many breeds. If they can try to socialize the pup in a puppy socialization class and try to desensitize the pup to fast moving objects now...they may save them selves alot of heart ache in the future. I used to take my Rottie for walks in very busy park areas where children were running around and people had their little dogs out for runs, people biking, playing ball etc. and I would carry treats with me...when she got really aroused by some thing I would say her name and once she looked at me I would reward her...this is supposed to get your dog to pay more attention to you than to the activities going on around her....one thing not to do is to pull the lead tight when you see fast moving objects...this can give the dog mixed signals...I always had a loose lead when I redirected her attention back to me.... I also taught my Rottie "off" and "take it" this I use constantly when playing etc. when I want an object which is in her mouth I say "off" she will drop it immediately...most times I will give her a wonderful treat...the treat was very important while training...now, when I tell her "off" she knows to get her mouth off what ever she has it on...or spit out what ever is in her mouth. I found this to be very handy one day when she did chase my cat and grabbed it before I was able to get her to down...I then told her off and she let go of the cat... :o I don't know if it was a fluke that time or if she really has gotten the hang of it and will drop any thing in her mouth now. :wink:
I hope your friends seek the guidance of a local vet who can direct them to a good behaviorist....a high prey drive is natural...but, it can also be dangerous especially if the dog has not been properly socialized...children are small too...and some times dogs with high prey drives which have not been properly socialized can be dangerous to children...the pup is 16 weeks old...most dogs the critiacal period of socialization closes at 16 weeks...its important to get that pup used to many different objects and people now.

[Guest Anonymous]

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