Dog communication?

OK, so we have the new kittens out today. Of course our newly spayed dog (last Thursday) somehow figured her way out of the pen we had her in (my guess is she jumped over from on top of the house i put in there for her... duh!). All 3 are on the back deck so I waited close by to see what would happen (would rather them meet while supervised than not!). The little orange one (Daisy) is fascinated by Chloe (our dog), Chloe is less than enthused with her. Daisy was following her around, but Chloe was doing her best to not look at her, so much that at one point she was walking sideways. She doesn't seem aggressive at all, but not sure if this is a precursor to aggression? The kittens are just watching now, and Chloe is acting like they aren't even there... Really weird! My only guess right now, based on body language, is something happened with a cat at her previous home (she was a stray) that she got in major trouble for... she's acting... ashamed?

My gut feeling is that those reactions could be a precursor to aggression. Is your dog pretty smart and people-pleasing? Best way I know how to keep pet peace is to show the stronger animal that the weaker one is MINE and I LOVE it. Works for us anyway.

That's kind of my thinking... any tips for getting that message across?

My other thought is maybe she was attacked by a cat and is terrified of them?

heritage":1rknyndx said:

My other thought is maybe she was attacked by a cat and is terrified of them?

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Could be that, too.

I have done a huge attention session with both animals at the same time, until the point must be taken. I still occasionally have to tell my jealous dog to stop looking at the cat that way.

Probably got whacked by a cat. Some dogs you can trust to tailor their responses. My akita will do a loud yip or use a paw to scare/knock away a cat or puppy she doesn't want to interact with. I don't need to step in. The shiba only has growl and then kill so I have to separate her from whatever is upsetting her. If she's gone from watching them to ignoring them she's probably finding the kittens are not the threat she thought and will be fine. If she keeps trying to avoid them and you don't know if she will safely tell them to go away should she reach her limit then you might have to separate them somehow. Maybe just for a certain amount of time each day to give her a break and let them interact when you can watch them and deter the kittens. If you play with the kittens (toys on string and pole are the best) and hand feed the kittens at a safe distance to the dog then she will likely realize they are part of the household and not harmful. They will also not be putting their attention on her at the time.

I went out this afternoon and had both in my lap - rubbing one with each hand. I set the kitten next to the dog and she seemed OK with it... not aggressive at all. She does seem overly interested in the rabbits (has pulled a baby through the wire before), but hasn't gone after my chickens or anything. She coexists with the other cat OK, but maybe she got her one good time and that's why?

You should see how my big, brave akita can hit the floor when a cat puffs up. :lol: She did almost kill my cat when I first brought her home at 4months because the cat kept sticking out claws when around a puppy so I got scratched and she got scratched making the cat a danger to us. Akitas do bad with things they deem dangerous. She still does not appreciate cats but she's learned she can ignore most and especially kittens. A dog with only the initial experience might be pretty freaked out by a bunch of kittens running after them.

Rabbits in my experience are one of the hardest things for a dog to have self control around. Growing up we had shepherds with similar trustworthiness around small animals as I taught my akita but rabbits would make them go nuts. I could leave a container of dwarf hamsters in front of my mom's bernese mountain dog while cleaning the cage but a caged rabbit would have him charging around the cage. It takes a lot of reminders while my akita is in the pen with loose rabbits. More than most anything else being loose. I haven't tested the husky like that yet.

What I have found to be an actual precursor to dog being cat aggressive is actually either territorial aggression - where they bark at the cat in a frenzy and chase if it runs away (as if it were a raccoon or possum) or prey aggression - where the dog is HYPER FOCUSED on the cat. Staring at it. Almost obsessing about it. Waiting for just the right moment to strike. (looking at kitty like it's a rib that just fell from your plate)

I find staring at the cat at all to be a huuuuuuuuuuuge huge bad sign. Dog ignoring the cat the best it can is a GREAT sign, just like you want your dogs to not even want to look at your chickens. If they're ignoring it, then they have no interest in hunting it or trying to run it off.

This just sounds like a normal dog and cat introduction. The dog sounds to me like they are respecting the kitty space (while trying to get some of their own). Cats rule the roost and dogs generally respect that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7znI_Kpzbs

Great "research" video on this :lol:

Sali":6eavfj5s said:

What I have found to be an actual precursor to dog being cat aggressive is actually either territorial aggression - where they bark at the cat in a frenzy and chase if it runs away (as if it were a raccoon or possum) or prey aggression - where the dog is HYPER FOCUSED on the cat. Staring at it. Almost obsessing about it. Waiting for just the right moment to strike. (looking at kitty like it's a rib that just fell from your plate)

I find staring at the cat at all to be a huuuuuuuuuuuge huge bad sign. Dog ignoring the cat the best it can is a GREAT sign, just like you want your dogs to not even want to look at your chickens. If they're ignoring it, then they have no interest in hunting it or trying to run it off.

This just sounds like a normal dog and cat introduction. The dog sounds to me like they are respecting the kitty space (while trying to get some of their own). Cats rule the roost and dogs generally respect that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7znI_Kpzbs

Great "research" video on this :lol:

Click to expand...

That was hilarious to watch! And I see a lot of that with Chloe - she'll do a quick glance, then turn away really fast, kind of like when someone gets caught staring in public or something. Will.not.make eye contact...

My akita may know you get the heck out of the way of claws and that you shouldn't bother cats when you don't have to but cats don't get away with that controlling behavior. I'm not sure on the husky yet since they are not as aggressive and these are her first cats but they do have a reputation as cat killers. The Japanese spitz absolutely will not let that behavior stand. It is fully understandable when people can't make a spitz, or similar breeds that maintain a lot of their wild characteristics, get along with a cat and another reason I started with kittens. Spitz breeds hate that stalking walk of a cat, especially a nervous cat, and cat attempts to stare down important pathways. You can see it set off something primitive in their brains. Probably the same thing that makes other dogs so fearful of passing by cats. In a spitz or primitive breed though it often triggers them to launch an attack even if they realize its dangerous. Ignoring the need to chase running things aspect of their prey drive the less dangerous something is the less likely it actually is to be attacked. A kitten raised with an akita is first off confident provided the house is setup for it to get around easy and 2nd has no delusions it can tell the akita what to do. I have heard with shibas it sometimes works to get them young and let them push a cat's buttons until it whacks them really good several times but not always and not our shiba. My older cat moved in with the neighbor instead. My akita raised kitten did fine with the shiba.

You could use some chamomile essential oil or lavender essential oil diluted in some coconut or olive oil to calm her down.

Essentially take a couple tablespoons oil and add 5-10 drops essential oil in. Mix well, rub in ears and paws. This will take away any anxiety, aggression, etc... in your dog and let her relax while experiencing the kitties aren't a true threat.

Perhaps do the same for the kitty cats, so they can all enjoy and get to know each other peacefully.

I've had to do this a time or two when introducing new animals into the home. Things get a little tense, out comes the "magic calm" as we call it and things calm down/stay calm.

Good luck!

She's been out with them the last 24 hours and doing fine. Woke up this morning to find her asleep on the porch swing, one kitten curled up in the stroller the kids were playing with, and not sure where the other one was. She's actually looking at them now :roll: , but one hiss and she shrinks away. I guess that's a good sign.

heritage":3i9wlgaj said:

She's been out with them the last 24 hours and doing fine. Woke up this morning to find her asleep on the porch swing, one kitten curled up in the stroller the kids were playing with, and not sure where the other one was. She's actually looking at them now :roll: , but one hiss and she shrinks away. I guess that's a good sign.

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It very much is Good luck with your new fuzzy herd