Expert: Jill Connor, Ph.D. - 10/9/2008

Question
Hi, I have had two cats for about 3 years, along with a Lab mix dog which I adopted 2 years ago.  Dog and cats always got along great.  Recently, I adopted a 1 yr old male Silky Terrier.  The Silky does not like the cats but will generally leave them alone if he is by himself.  The problem is that when the two dogs are together and a cat appears they will attack it, barking and acting crazy.  Alone, both dogs are fine.......they just act like this when they are together (which is most of the time).  Now my cats are living in the basement and won't come upstairs unless I carry them up at night after the dogs are in my bedroom with the door closed.  I don't know how to properly introduce the cats/dogs with this behavior going on.  Any advice?  Thanks.

Answer
Terriers are bred to go to ground after smaller furry animals.  Your Silky is most likely reacting with a mixture of this genetic propensity and fear (for lack of socialization to cats), since he does not actively pursue the cats without the presence of the other dog.  Two dogs are a pack.  It appears your Silky needs "backup" in order to act on his fear but then the genetic prey drive takes over; the Lab joins in rather like humans in a mob might join together, when singly none would actually act.  The cats are reacting as prey animals.  THEY ARE RUNNING and this is a huge part of the problem.  At this point, rehabituating the cats even to the Lab alone might be a problem (and for this you need a cat behaviorist, this is an entirely new dimension to your problem.)  You need to repost this problem to a cat behaviorist after you have addressed the problem with the dogs' behavior.

You are clearly not in charge in this household, as you have no obvious authority to stop this behavior BEFORE it escalates, in the mind of either dog.  You need to learn about positive reinforcement training, and learn about running a multiple dog household.  Your choice of second dog was a huge error and it may not be possible to rehabilitate this situation so long as the Silky is in your home.  Teach each dog (separately, then together) one strong behavior over the course of the next three weeks, in multiple short sessions throughout each day.  Use a unique word, but the same word, for both dogs.  Use that word to make each dog earn interaction with you and all rewards (being fed, being let in/out, etc.)  Meanwhile, rehabituate the cats to the presence of the Lab by confining the Silky and bringing the cats back upstairs.  If the Lab begins to show response perseverance (meaning, he has learned to chase the cats even without the Silky), use your command to make him work while the cats are present (ONLY AFTER he has obtained 100% compliance and performs every time), offering constant food reward, until he has reobtained his former acceptance of the cats.  He may be OK with them from the start, but I think it's more likely he will persist in his new found behavior of over excitement and chase response.  Put a long, lightweight training leash on him; do NOT ALLOW him to CHASE the cats for any reason.  The cats will perceive the restraint (sooner than later) and (hopefully) begin to relax in his presence.  Once the Lab has begun to behave normally with the cats present, introduce the Silky SEPARATELY on a short leash so he cannot demonstrate any chase behavior.  By the time you get to the Silky, he should also have obtained 100% compliance to your command, but he WILL ignore it when the cats are present.  So you must use an aversive.  Purchase a can that emits currents of air (as you would use for dusting.)  Every time the Silky demonstrates any excitement toward the cats (remember he's on short leash) spray him with the air.  This will stop his behavior (truncate it) and make him pause; during the pause, ask him for his trained behavior and reward him.  Repeat this over and over again until the dog begins to demonstrate displacement behavior when he sees the cats (looks around rather than focuses on the cats.)  you may have to move to a stronger aversive (such as a sound device) for this dog.    He must learn that the presence of cats means: he cannot chase; if he does not chase, he is rewarded; eventually the chase response should be extinguished.  There's no guaranty any of this will work as I cannot determine temperament or evaluate the situation in person.

If you re-establish and maintain the Lab's accepting relationship with the cats; and if you are successful in extinguishing the Silky's response to the cats; and if you absolutely 100% do NOT ALLOW these dogs to repeat their pack related reaction to the cats, you can solve this problem.  It will take time; it will take work and commitment; it will take a great deal of patience.  It may also require the presence of a certified applied animal behaviorist.  You might seriously consider finding one.