Dogs And Cats Have Long Been Considered As Mortal Enemies.
It seems that whenever they meet each other, a fight would immediately happen.
With this dilemma in mind, a lot of people are asking, how can they make their dog and cat get along. This may seem like a difficult task, but it is possible. With the right knowledge and patience, you can be successful in making two of your beloved furry friends love each other (or at least tolerate each other.)
How?
Read on to learn the best ways for you to get your dog and cat to get along.
Consider The Personality Of Your Pets
If you want to make sure your pets get along, you need to understand first their personality and temperament.
Identify the specific personality or behavior of your dog that your cat doesn’t like and vice versa. From there, you get a starting point where you can begin working with your pets.
For example, a playful and energetic dog may easily get excited when he sees your cat. If you have identified this problem, you can do something that should control your dog’s impulses.
If you have a cat who is overprotective of its space, then you can create safe spots around your home that your dog can’t reach or invade.
As you can see, their personality and energy levels could be the reason they are not getting along and if you want to solve the problem, you got to start with these factors.
Obedience Training
Let’s face it: dogs usually are the ones who are causing more trouble in the canine-feline relationship. Dogs are typically bigger and have a higher prey instinct. Not only that but when cats run away from dogs, your canine may think that your cat is playing. This miscommunication makes the relationship even harder to develop.
Thus, obedience training is a must. Your dog should be taught that chasing cats is not good behavior. You need to teach your dog how to control himself whenever your cat is around.
Your dog must master basic commands such as “stay,” “sit,”, and “down.” These commands allow you to control your dog especially during his interaction with his feline pal.
Desensitization
If you let your dog and cat interact immediately with each other without prior experience, chances are, trouble may ensue. You’re in luck if they don’t, but usually, this is not always the case.
Thus, the desensitization technique is an effective way to help your dog and cat to be at peace with each other.
How Does This Work?
Desensitization is the process of ‘desensitizing’ your pets. It means that you want them to be less reactive, aggressive, and harsh to each other’s presence. The main goal is to expose your dog and cat to each other little by little until they can tolerate and hopefully, love, each other.
Desensitization can be done in various ways. One good way to use this technique is by slowly introducing your dog to your cat during meals. Now, both animals love to eat. So, you can use this to your advantage.
First, you can feed your pets on opposite sides of a closed door. This way, your pets won’t see each other, but they can smell each other while eating. They should then associate this smell with their food.
You can do this for several weeks. If you feel that they are ready to see each other, you can continue feeding them separately, but this time, instead of a closed door, you can use a dog gate or screen.
Eventually, when you think they are now “desensitized” to each other, you can then remove the barrier. By this point, they shouldn’t care too much if they are eating side by side.
Of course, it’s always wise to err to the side of caution. Keep a leash on your dog during the few initial encounters until you’re confident enough to take off the leash.
Be Patient
Dogs and cats may hate each other, but like any problem, there’s a solution. Just be patient with your pets. With the right knowledge and guidance, you should be able to end the war between your adorable four-legged friends.
Don’t think you should be alone in solving this problem. Don’t hesitate to speak to your vet whenever you need help. Not only that but getting the professional service of a pet trainer shouldn’t be out of your options.
As much as possible, research about this topic. The more knowledge you gather, the more efficient you are in handling your pets.
