Killed a Cat

[Elisabeth_Alee]

Hello, our names are Elisabeth and Alee, and our dog is about 1 1/2 years old. We got her eight months ago from the local animal control. She is half husky and half shar pei (see picture in attachment).

It has been a miracle to see Lyra socialize and learn commands since we got her, however, it became immediately apparent that she had a problem with cats. We thought it was just the normal chasing scheme, but when she got hold of our cat we decided not to take a chance and have kept them separated ever since. She's well trained in everything but 'come'. She gets along fine with our other, 25 lb dog, Peanut, who is on an invisible fence. Lyra cannot be on the invisible because it's worth the shock to chase a cat. We walk her (not as much as we'd like to) and she does fine on the tie-out in our yard. A regular Houdini, she has slipped her collar, her harness and snapped her lead to escape a few times. Up until yesterday, a joy run through the neighborhood would suffice and then she'd return. Yesterday, however, she simply would not allow even us to get near enough to capture her. Our worst fears came true when we learned that she attacked our neighbor's cat. Our neighbors brought their cat to the vet however the vet was not able to save the cat. On one hand, she killed a cat and would probably kill another given the chance, but on the other, she is a very sweet, family dog.

She is very timid of people. If we're around she won't come near them and barks at people she doesn't know. She's not aggressive, though, and would rather run away than attack. She also, after awhile, will completely ignore treats, which makes training very hard.

Please respond and help us, we've just about reached the end of our rope and don't know what to do. Thanks.

[thepennywhistle]

Lyra is a beautiful girl. It's funny -- If I think Husky when I look at her picture I see that, and
when I think Shar Pei, that's what stands out in her. She has such a unique and lovely face.

I have known other huskies who had such a high prey drive that they would kill cats and other
small fast-moving creatures. Sadly, it doesn't sound like something you will be able to stop,
either, so vigilance on your part is the way to go, and never, never trust her with something
that runs.

I understand how hard it is for you right now, loving Lyra, but not the part of her that kills.
I had a foster rescue guy for a while who was the most wonderful dog, but he turned out to be
part wolf with a prey drive that scared me. He killed several of my barn cats, and was always
sorry after, but once that chase-the-prey switch in his brain flipped on, there was no stopping
him, and he just couldn't stop himself either.

There are experienced trainers on this list that can better advise you. All I can offer is much
sympathy during this tough time.

Skye and the white collies

[emmabeth]

Your only option here, to keep her safe and to keep other peoples pets safe, is to build a solid and secure fence.

She knows how to get out of collars and harnesses, you need a fence that she cannot dig under, climb over or jump, or in all honesty she is going to kill something else, or get herself killed.

With her breed mix, shes not a dog I would ever contemplate allowing off lead in an open space, so fencing your yard will provide her with somewhere safe to be off leash to train and play.

The other advantages would be that when your two dogs are out there, no one elses pets can come in and frighten or harm your animals and of course, you much reduce the risk of an animal coming in and getting killed too.

[Nettle]

And be sure to have the top of the fence angled inwards, because these guys can jump.

Commit to exercising your dog every single day. It makes all the difference to how they behave.

[***Melissa***]

She gets along fine with our other, 25 lb dog, Peanut, who is on an invisible fence. Lyra cannot be on the invisible because it's worth the shock to chase a cat.

And if you do put up a fence Peanut won't have to be on the invisible fence either...even though it *works* (with some dogs), it can do a lot af damage (not only physical) to a dog.

[Liz & Koa]

Hi Melissa,

Sorry to hear that. It is very difficult with a dog with strong prey drive. I have a GSD who is the same.

I totally agree with the fence idea, even without the cat chasing problem a fence is a must. Even if it 's only part of the yard, considering how expensive they are. I feel even the best trained dog would be tempted, it's not fair. I have a good sized yard and it's fenced because we have a pool, but I still have to take Koa out on a leash at night because we have bunnies under our shed and I KNOW, maybe not the first time, or the second time, but there will be a time when he catches one and I would feel terrible. My friends think it's crazy, having a fenced yard and still taking him out on a leash, but that's what I have to do. I also don't want him to catch one and get the feaver for it. Once I know the rabbits are not out, I let him go and play.

How has your neigbor taken it?

[***Melissa***]

We live in apartments, and I have 2 (small breed) hunting dogs. Other people in our apartment complex have cats, birds...you name it. When we decided to get a dog(s) we had to put up a new fence (the old one wasn't going to keep them in) and we had to do that at our own cost. Unfortunatelly it's just one of those things...

Anyway, I do understand what you mean, but I think you will really have to invest in a fence (even if it's just part of your yard), to keep everyone safe and happy. And like Nettle said - let the fence be angled inwards.