Hi Dr. Phil!



I have this pit bull mix dog that goes nuts looking for cats outside. I let her in the house at when I get home, but immediately wants to go back outside to "see" if any cats have suddenly taken advantage of her lack of presence and come in the back yard. At other times (when she not trying to break down the back door), she is looking out the front window to see if there are any cats out there. How can I break her of this habit. She's driving me nuts and I'm afraid she will break a window!

Hi,

Here are my recommendations for your dilemma. With ANY behaviour problem, a lot of time and effort is required on the part of the owner. The more you can work with your pet, the better the results will be.

First, you want to make sure she knows her obedience training. Does she know sit and stay perfectly??--not just two times out of three. Even better, does she understand come? If you have don't know anything about obedience training, then you should take a course together. Look into a halti or a promise collar. These devices give you a lot of control.

Along with the obedience training, you want to increase the amount of exercise you give her. Does she always seem to have abundant energy? Take her to the park or find a dogpal neighbour who can give her some playtime. The idea is to take the edge off her energy level.

Provide her with more distractions. Does she have toys which keep her interest? Look into the kong--which is a toy you can stuff with all sorts of goodies. There are treatballs which you can try with her too.

You can try desensitizing her. Make sure she is on a leash and find someone who has a cat which isn't afraid of dogs. Put the cat on a leash too. This is when your obedience training will come in. From a fair distance away, show the cat to your pit. If she gets all excited, tell her to sit and stay. Ideally, you should also teach her the "no bark" command too. If she sits and stays and is good, then give her a treat. Obviously, this may take a lot of work. Sometimes, you just have to wait until she settles down which, in her case, could be quite a while. Remember to ONLY reward good behaviour. Gradually bring the cat closer over several sessions but NEVER get so close that there could be contact between the cat and the dog (for obvious reasons.)

And finally, if all else fails, try keeping the cats out of the backyard. Is there a fence which you can build higher?

You may also want to consult with a behaviourist in your area. They will usually work one-on-one with you and arrive at the best solution.

Good luck. Hope this helps.

drphilvegasvet

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Replying to:

Hi Dr. Phil!



I have this pit bull mix dog that goes nuts looking for cats outside. I let her in the house at when I get home, but immediately wants to go back outside to "see" if any cats have suddenly taken advantage of her lack of presence and come in the back yard. At other times (when she not trying to break down the back door), she is looking out the front window to see if there are any cats out there. How can I break her of this habit. She's driving me nuts and I'm afraid she will break a window!