New Dachshund chasing cat

[puppylover1089]

i just got a two year old male dachshund and he is chasing a our cats. Other dachshund has never chased our cats and now she is and I can't get them to stop chasing my cats. What do I do?

[Novel]

Are they indoor or outdoor cats?

How do the cats react? Are the dogs hurting them, or playing?

The chase instinct is very strong in most dogs. If the cat runs, the dog will chase it... and the bad part... attempt to catch it, which is where the cat usually gets hurt.

It will be easier to teach the dogs not to chase then the cats not to run.

I'd be happy to give you more specific advice once I know more specifics about the situation.

[Redyre_Rottweilers]

Please take into consideration the original purpose of the breed. This is important to research before getting ANY purebred dog. A Dachshund is bred to dig out and kill badgers.

A badger is a realllllly seriously dangerous opponent. It takes a dog with complete heart and courage to go to ground on badger.

Dachshunds, when bred for their original purpose, which MANY dogs of today, despite their many generations removed from this, still reflect the prey drive, courage, and tenacity that was required for them to do this job.

This does not always make this breed the very best pet dog. Anyone who has experience with this breed will tell you they have a mind of their own, and don't mine letting you know it. They think they are as big as ANY dog.

I would say the dog will adjust and you will see the cat chasing behavior diminish over time. You can apply an aversive, such as a squirt with a water gun to interrupt and gain attention, followed by a really happy recall and lots of food rewards.

Often this is easier to accomplish in the beginning if a dog is trailing a light line you can keep near you.

[puppylover1089]

my cats are indoor and they stay up high to get away from the dogs. But when they move the dogs chase them and scare them. I don't knok what to do to get them to stop barking and chasing the cats.

[Novel]

A little aversion training may be best, especially as they are adult dogs.

If you get a soda can and put a few pennies in it it makes quite a noise when thrown. When the dogs take off after the cats, you throw the can so that it lands near them making a big noise. Don't throw it at the dogs... but near them.

This noise gets their attention and then you can step in and direct them to go do something else, like lay down or come to you. Again the noise is to merely get their attention from off of the cats, that are highly interesting and to kick them out of prey drive, and back into obedient canines.

Start a pattern, and every time they chase the cats, stop them... and make them go do something else. Soon, although they will still have the interest... they will understand that you are just going to make them go do something else if they chase, so they will watch, which they can do without being bothered.

Make sure you know what you are going to distract them with before you start using the penny can. It may be to go outside, lay down, sit, so forth and so on... just make sure you know what you want, and that they know how to perform the behavior, so that it does not become a confusion of training.

[Punkygirl0101]

I have 7 dachshunds, and they would do the same thing when the cats were in the backyard, but now the cats are not allowed to go back there anymore because we have had cats injured, and one killed by the dogs. Inside, the dogs don't bother the cats at all.

Dachshunds have a very strong urge to chase cats.

[puppylover1089]

thanx for the advice

[trainingrixie]

I'm in the same boat as you actually! Trixie will not stop chasing poe!!! I've tried the water...she likes it. the pennies don't phase her.

[Novel]

An e-collar or citronella collar on a remote may be the next step you need to take trainingrixie.

A very good police dog trainer says the most important thing any dog trainer/owner needs to know is exactly what level of correction is necessary in any given situation. Mother dogs correct their puppies often, but very rarely for the same offense more than once or twice. There is something to be learned in that.
An appropriate correction will stop a behavior. An inappropriate correction will either make the behavior worse, or create another bad behavior. For example, when a puppy is being mouthy too little correction and the puppy keeps right on biting, an over correction and you may damage the puppy mentally and emotionally, but the correct correction will stop the behavior. The closer to perfect the correction, the quicker the unwanted behavior ceases.
So, even a somewhat mismatched correction will work with persistance, in my opinion, but a finely tuned correction will work the fastest.
Another thing to remember though is that an incorrect correction, especially too soft of one, will actually make the behavior worse and cause your dog to brush you off. No correction should ever be used lightly... I only suggest the e-collar or citronella collar (or a spray bottle with lemon juice or citronella in it) as a step up in the correction as the other two do not seem to be working for you. Once you get the attention with a stronger correction, you may be able to dial it down again to the spray bottle or penny can.
It's so hard with these prey drive behaviors though because you are going directly against instinct. A very difficult area to train in.

[trainingrixie]

If I'm right there, Trixie obviously wants to chase Poe, but she doesn't go after her. but if I'm in another room, forget about it! I honesly do think its getting better, but its taken so long to get even this far...a quicker solution would be WONDERFUL. like you said, if I find the right correction, I should only need to use it a few times. Just haven't found the right thing yet.

i've never used a citronella collar, but that sounds like something definitely worth trying. I tried vinegar water in the spray bottle, and that didn't work and just made the hosue stink....hehehe. With something as instinctual as prety drive, its hard to guage how tough to be, know what i mean? but I'm ready to try anything at this point. She hasn't hurt Poe at all yet, but it really scares her and she gets obviously nervous when trixie is around, and she spends most of her time upstairs. I was planning on doing some shopping this evening, so maybe I could track down a citronella collar or something to that effect.

[roman]

the citronella collars work GREAT my co-volunteer at the shelter used it on her dog 2 times and when she says "Button" her dog stops doing whatever she is doing bad.

i've been trying to get niko to stop being crazy with little kids at first he will be licking but i guess they taste good because he starts chewing on them and tried the pennies they worked for a while so a citronella collar might be the next step.

[trainingrixie]

sounds like that's the best thing! I hope they have them at one of the pet stores down in the town! otherwise I'll have to order over the internet! UGH! I HATE doing that, I get so nervous because I did a big article for a magazine on identity theft. Every since then i am sooo leary about ordering online