Why does my dog go for my cat?

[juliew]

Hi Ive just got a weim a couple of days ago and hes 3yr old. The previous owners didnt have a cat and said that he has never had any contact with cats before.
I do have a cat and im trying to introduce them to each other, at times they seem to be ok with each other and then after a while the weim goes to snap at the cat. He knows hes done wrong after he has snapped. The cat isnt that fazed that much by him and she will hiss at him but she has never gone to claw him.

Any suggestions as to what I could do to help them get on with one another would be helpful as he is going to have to come across cats as we have quite a few in the area.

Im also unsure if he would actually bite her when he snaps.

any suggestions?

Thanks
Julie

[Wetdog]

Hi Julie, welcome to the board! We'd love to hear a little bit about you and your new dog and get acquainted---how about leaving us a post in the introductions section too?

Since he hasn't been around cats---he's testing the waters now, deciding if this is something to chase or leave alone. You need to be VERY firm with him that the cat is something to leave alone! Supervise meetings---and be ready to give a good hard correction if he starts to get aggressive.

One thing to do, is tie him securely with a leash not over 2 meters in a room where the cat has plenty of room to be out of reach---then put the cat in there and leave them there together a few hours at a time for several days. The exposure should allow them both time to get comfortable with having the other around and tolerating their presence.

Once he's used to your cat---don't count on that having much meaning about the other cats in the neighborhood. Dogs VERY quickly learn the difference between MY cat and THOSE cats. You need to keep an eye on him and give him a good correction when he starts eyeing the other cats.

[tasha]

Welcome to the forum and well done for taking on a rescue ;D

I'd be more than careful a cat will easily be killed by a weimaraner.

Its much harder introducing an adult dog to a cat than a puppy but it can be done if your careful about it. Always make sure they are supervised, make sure the cat has an exit that is safe where the dog can't get to it, NO CHASING whatso ever as thats effectively hunting and can lead to disaster. Lots of praise when he ignors it.

Does the dog have a strong hunting instinct???

[Weims]

Julie,

Did you know that the weimaraner was originally bred to kill cats? The wild cats that lived in the forests in Germany were a threat to the family and the weim was bred to protect the family and kill the cats.

With rescue/ older weims we will not put a dog in a home with a cat if he/she has never lived with a cat. Even then I always say that I cannot guarantee that the dog will accept your cat.

I rehomed a young (18 month old) weim a while ago and he had always lived with cats. I put him in a home with 2 cats and he killed one within 24 hours!

Our Administrator on rescue has always had rescue weims and cats. Her last rescue took over 6 months before she could let then be any where near each other. he got the cat and it had to be stitched back together... She has over 10 years experience of getting weims and cats to live together.

Just be careful and be aware that it can take months and months. Personally I wouldnt have a lead on the dog I would use a crate so that the dog and cat can be alternated. If the dog is in the crate encourage the cat to have a sniff and the other way around.

Wherebouts are you Julie?

Lynn

[juliew]

weims said:

Julie,

Did you know that the weimaraner was originally bred to kill cats? The wild cats that lived in the forests in Germany were a threat to the family and the weim was bred to protect the family and kill the cats.

With rescue/ older weims we will not put a dog in a home with a cat if he/she has never lived with a cat. Even then I always say that I cannot guarantee that the dog will accept your cat.

I rehomed a young (18 month old) weim a while ago and he had always lived with cats. I put him in a home with 2 cats and he killed one within 24 hours!

Our Administrator on rescue has always had rescue weims and cats. Her last rescue took over 6 months before she could let then be any where near each other. he got the cat and it had to be stitched back together... She has over 10 years experience of getting weims and cats to live together.

Just be careful and be aware that it can take months and months. Personally I wouldnt have a lead on the dog I would use a crate so that the dog and cat can be alternated. If the dog is in the crate encourage the cat to have a sniff and the other way around.

Wherebouts are you Julie?

Lynn

[juliew]

Hi Thanks for your messages. I dont think he has a strong hunting instinct, he occasionally gets his nose down and will follow a scent and thats about it. At the moment we are having him sit whilst the cat is in the same room and he is ok till the cat moves but then occasionally if he is being fussed he doesnt seem to really be bothered about the cat. As the cat is quite old she is nearly 15 she isnt fazed by him at all and she will occasionally hiss at him when she has growled at him he has jumped backwards as though he is wary of the noise. I am in Halifax. Thanks julie

[tmander67]

Weimaraners were not bread to kill cats!! They were originally bread to hunt large game! When the large game hunting started to die off they were trained to hunt birds, which is what they are primarily used for today (other than a companion dog).

[marjolein]

I'm not sure if you're informed properly tmander67. Follow this link (use a translater) as I think this describes it well: www.weimaraners.dk/ideal/schaerfe.html