I ran across this today http://sacramento.craigslist.org/pet/99946206.html Since I have cats should I just refer her to the local Mastiff Rescue or is there a proven way to train dogs not to be agressive with other animals? I was thinking maybe neutering would help bunches? I would be really interested in knowing if its possible.
Can Other Animal Agression Be Trained Out of a Dog?
- Thread starter Payge
- Start date
1. Neutering does NOT reduce aggression
2. Agression can NOT be trained out in breeds which are animal aggressive by gene's.
3. These breeds CAN get used to small animals and be very good with them.
It would probably take about 2-3 weeks for my dog to get used to a cat, but he's not a fila.
Seeing as he is still pretty young, I think it would be possible for him to be fine with a cat. Just will take a while. First he has to learn to trust you, then he has to learn with your help that cats are not food.
2. Agression can NOT be trained out in breeds which are animal aggressive by gene's.
3. These breeds CAN get used to small animals and be very good with them.
It would probably take about 2-3 weeks for my dog to get used to a cat, but he's not a fila.
Seeing as he is still pretty young, I think it would be possible for him to be fine with a cat. Just will take a while. First he has to learn to trust you, then he has to learn with your help that cats are not food.
Zeus is definately high prey drive around small outdoor animals, like rabbits and possums. I have yet to break him of it. But I can't complain since it's what he's bred to do. He's absolutely fine with my cats, but I do not trust him in the same room with my ferret running around. He hasn't tried to attack or pounce when I'm holding the ferret, but when my ferret is running amok, Zeus will "eye stalk" very intently, and go on point.
Every other dog I've had has been fine with the ferrets, including my rott mix. The vet suspects that Zeus was trained for hunting before we adopted him, so that might be the problem. I guess that dogs from more intense "working" lines have a much higher drive. Depending on where the fila came from, it may or may not get over the animal aggression.
Every other dog I've had has been fine with the ferrets, including my rott mix. The vet suspects that Zeus was trained for hunting before we adopted him, so that might be the problem. I guess that dogs from more intense "working" lines have a much higher drive. Depending on where the fila came from, it may or may not get over the animal aggression.
Fila's have basically the same predatory motor patterns as a Rottweiler. You can desensitize a dog with the full series of motor patterns to your own cat...it takes awhile (I did it out of desperation with my Rottweiler who had exceptionally intense eye stalk towards smaller dogs, cats etc.). When a dog with the enhanced motor patterns is desensitized to your cats they normally will be very good with "their" cats. The action that triggers chase motor pattern is quick movement, I was lucky I have a cat that "knew" she was being stalked and froze. I also made sure I had places for my cat to go where my Rottie could never follow her if she needed an escape route...but, when I first brought my Rottie home (she was almost a year) I did not let them meet for about 2 months and let my Rottie get used to her scent. Then the cat started coming up to the baby gate I had sectioned off the living room for the cat...when my Rottie finally stopped lunging and going crazy when she saw the cat, the cat started laying by the baby gate and my Rottie would lay on the other side quite comfortable with the cat...it was then I let the gate down. They have been perfect friends ever since. Of course, this doesn't mean I trust her with "all" cats...I don't even trust her with our own cat outside...if the cat runs the eye stalk and chase motor pattern naturally kick in.
The predatory motor patterns start with eye stalk, going to chase, to grab bite then kill bite and dissect (maul)...the worst thing with an improperly socialized dog with the full series of motor patterns is you have to be very careful as once they show eye stalk, then chase the other motor patterns naturally follow suit...only dogs that have some of their motor patterns deselected by selective breeding (for instance a retriever) has only chase-grab-bite....no kill bite and no dissect.
The only way to help this dog is to either refer the dog to the rescue center...or if you take the dog be prepared to make safe havens for your cats and to get professional help. You can also teach a dog with high prey drive an emergency down...if the dog will listen
you have better luck getting a dog in eye stalk motor pattern to down than you would ever have of the dog coming back to you...the dog can still see the prey object when in down position...I have had small success teaching down to my Rottweiler in times of eye stalk, the secret (for my dog anyway) is to catch her before she goes into chase motor pattern.
I still have to be very careful with my Rottweiler, small dogs, quick moving animals etc are prey for her. I always have to keep her on a leash unless I know the area I am hiking has no other dogs or children. It can be very hard to deal with, and prey drives are not aggression, they are a natural part of a dog...something man selected for and enhanced the drives for these sought after motor patterns...perfected for their jobs they had to do. Dogs with the full series of motor patterns do not need to be taught how to hunt, it's natural and bred into them by years of artificial selection. It's up to you if you want to take on this challenge...I did and I am glad I did, and it makes me proud when I can tell the animal behaviorist (who I was working with and who told me with her predatory drive I would NEVER get her around small animals especially a cat)...it made me very proud of how much I accomplished with her and makes me realize that as long as you understand what you are dealing with and how the motor patterns work...then you will be prepared and will never place your dog in a situation where they have to prove them selves without being desensitized to the situation first.
The predatory motor patterns start with eye stalk, going to chase, to grab bite then kill bite and dissect (maul)...the worst thing with an improperly socialized dog with the full series of motor patterns is you have to be very careful as once they show eye stalk, then chase the other motor patterns naturally follow suit...only dogs that have some of their motor patterns deselected by selective breeding (for instance a retriever) has only chase-grab-bite....no kill bite and no dissect.
The only way to help this dog is to either refer the dog to the rescue center...or if you take the dog be prepared to make safe havens for your cats and to get professional help. You can also teach a dog with high prey drive an emergency down...if the dog will listen
you have better luck getting a dog in eye stalk motor pattern to down than you would ever have of the dog coming back to you...the dog can still see the prey object when in down position...I have had small success teaching down to my Rottweiler in times of eye stalk, the secret (for my dog anyway) is to catch her before she goes into chase motor pattern. I still have to be very careful with my Rottweiler, small dogs, quick moving animals etc are prey for her. I always have to keep her on a leash unless I know the area I am hiking has no other dogs or children. It can be very hard to deal with, and prey drives are not aggression, they are a natural part of a dog...something man selected for and enhanced the drives for these sought after motor patterns...perfected for their jobs they had to do. Dogs with the full series of motor patterns do not need to be taught how to hunt, it's natural and bred into them by years of artificial selection. It's up to you if you want to take on this challenge...I did and I am glad I did, and it makes me proud when I can tell the animal behaviorist (who I was working with and who told me with her predatory drive I would NEVER get her around small animals especially a cat)...it made me very proud of how much I accomplished with her and makes me realize that as long as you understand what you are dealing with and how the motor patterns work...then you will be prepared and will never place your dog in a situation where they have to prove them selves without being desensitized to the situation first.
Good work Athe! It is hard. I did something similar with my GSD and he got so he liked our cats, but still.....death on other cats.
So, what I think is, that these things can be managed and a dog can learn how to "behave" and control himself pretty well, but you can't take all the nature out of a dog.
So, what I think is, that these things can be managed and a dog can learn how to "behave" and control himself pretty well, but you can't take all the nature out of a dog.
I've had many "high prey drive" dogs that I taught not to eat cats. Grey hounds, saluki's, ridgebacks. I taught them that the appearance of a cat/small fuzzy animal was a cue for a perfect heel and intense attention in my face. Unfortunatly, that doesn't work if your dog escapes and is triggered by a cat on the street. Once you can get a perfect heel/attention, work on changing the cue (of a cat appearing) to mean "instant down" or "turn the other way". Either way, I always use the cat as a cue to do something else, if I think the dog will never be able to be "friends" with the cat. If there is a chance at friendship, I would go slow desinsitization (definetly after I had built up a very strong recall away from moving objects).