I have two dogs and two cats; all whom are beloved equally. The cats have ruled the roost the majority of the time. The dogs are fairly new editions. My first dog, Bear, has literally grown up with the cats as a puppy and considers them family. My newest dog, which is an American Staffordshire (pitbull), sees movement and instinctively wants to chase. Sweetest, most loving dog imaginable... unless you're viewed as an outsider... which the cats currently are (Pixie and Biscuit).
Its sucked keeping the animals separate but very necessary at the moment. We have been attempting to train this dog. We employed the help of a trainer and its helped a lot but not solved it completely. My youngest cat, Biscuit, recently has learned how to open doors on her own. She's too damn smart for her own good... She's a Tortie and I hear they are above average in intelligence.
There was an incident tonight where Hailey very clearly attempted to tear Biscuit to shreds. Bear jumped in being a good sister to Biscuit. Hailey just doesn't understand in the heat of the moment. Her prey drive is incredibly strong and she tunes out the "no's!" Thankfully I was able to catch the dog and the cat was safe, minus a few tufts of hair. But this is really not good and we can't live this way forever. The dog is incredibly smart, very teachable and really wants to please us. She just gets in the heat of the moment -- instinct is a son-of-a-bitch.
Anyone had any experience with a dog with a really high prey drive that eventually learned that cats are our friends too? This dog, in no uncertain terms, HAS to learn this once and for all. No exceptions. And I believe she can after countless repetitions.
"Reason obeys itself; and ignorance submits to whatever is dictated to it" -- Thomas Paine
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