This is lengthly, my apologies. I want to give as much info as I can. Please ask questions if I've left anything out!
So, at the end of this month I'm moving in with Marshall. Exciting!
Finn and the ferrets are coming with me, and Marshall has two cats: Stan and Fiora (Fi). Finn has visited a number of times and we're experiencing a bit of difficulty. I think I have a good plan in place but I welcome feedback and suggestions!
Backstory: Stan is older (9 years) and Fi is young (1.5 years). Neither of them have previous dog experience. Finn is 5, and has past cat experience with two dog-savvy cats (one he lived with, one he visited frequently).
Finn is not aggressive to cats. He is very able to live with cats. Many of you remember June Bug, my ex-boyfriend's cat, and how they would get along:
That said, he is used to cats that enjoy engaging in play with him. June Bug allowed Finnegan in her face. A lot. Finn in turn would respect her if she gave him back-off signals. They grew up together, so they learned one another's signals. I allowed their play because both animals were almost always happy with it - as soon as one wasn't, I intervened.
With Stan and Fi, Finn... fixates. He is SO EXCITED to have new cats to play with that he easily goes over-threshold. He was allowed too close to the cats once, lunged out of sheer excitement, and caused the cats to defend, making Finn bleed. (This only happened once, in my defense... we wanted to see what would happen and in turn we decided not to let it happen that way again.) He is currently leashed anytime he is around the cats.
Being a border collie, the staring is a big problem. It unnerves the cats and makes them very uneasy. Finn has the calming cap which we have used at times to put everyone more at ease, and it does indeed help a good deal... but I also can't rely on it too much - the goal is to not have to use it. The end-goal is to have everyone able to be loose together comfortably, perhaps not necessarily friendly with one another, but able to respect spaces.
So, that's the current situation. I am moving in at the end of the month. Finn will be leashed to me at all times around the cats, to start. Marshall's house has doors everywhere, so Finn will have ample opportunities to be loose in areas of the house and the pets will be able to sniff one another lots. He is crate trained as well, so being out/in bed is a non-issue. I will be working with him every day towards the goal.
I think a lot of it will simply be constant exposure - once we're all moved in, the cats and dog will be dealing with each other every single day instead of periodically. I think that, combined with lots of consistent training, everyone will settle down within a month or two.
What I have been doing thus far when we go over for visits is making use of his Thundershirt and natural calming treats as a basis, and working on positive reinforcement and shaping calmness around the cats. I've been making a lot of use of the clicker, which he responds well to even in high-threshold situations. In turn, the cats are also rewarded positively for showing interest in the dog. Lots of treat-tossing when all the pets are together.
I have Control Unleashed, as well as Fired Up, Frantic and Freaked out and have been practicing exercises from each to help us prepare. Anyone else who has those books have suggestions on the best techniques from each?
This may be controversial, but Finn responds well to a moderate level of positive punishment as well, so I welcome suggestions in that regard if anyone feels it would be beneficial in the situation.
So... thoughts on the situation? Thanks guys. <3 Bonus photos for you of Stan and Fiora. I adore them.
Stan:
Fi:
So, at the end of this month I'm moving in with Marshall. Exciting!
Finn and the ferrets are coming with me, and Marshall has two cats: Stan and Fiora (Fi). Finn has visited a number of times and we're experiencing a bit of difficulty. I think I have a good plan in place but I welcome feedback and suggestions!
Backstory: Stan is older (9 years) and Fi is young (1.5 years). Neither of them have previous dog experience. Finn is 5, and has past cat experience with two dog-savvy cats (one he lived with, one he visited frequently).
Finn is not aggressive to cats. He is very able to live with cats. Many of you remember June Bug, my ex-boyfriend's cat, and how they would get along:
That said, he is used to cats that enjoy engaging in play with him. June Bug allowed Finnegan in her face. A lot. Finn in turn would respect her if she gave him back-off signals. They grew up together, so they learned one another's signals. I allowed their play because both animals were almost always happy with it - as soon as one wasn't, I intervened.
With Stan and Fi, Finn... fixates. He is SO EXCITED to have new cats to play with that he easily goes over-threshold. He was allowed too close to the cats once, lunged out of sheer excitement, and caused the cats to defend, making Finn bleed. (This only happened once, in my defense... we wanted to see what would happen and in turn we decided not to let it happen that way again.) He is currently leashed anytime he is around the cats.
Being a border collie, the staring is a big problem. It unnerves the cats and makes them very uneasy. Finn has the calming cap which we have used at times to put everyone more at ease, and it does indeed help a good deal... but I also can't rely on it too much - the goal is to not have to use it. The end-goal is to have everyone able to be loose together comfortably, perhaps not necessarily friendly with one another, but able to respect spaces.
So, that's the current situation. I am moving in at the end of the month. Finn will be leashed to me at all times around the cats, to start. Marshall's house has doors everywhere, so Finn will have ample opportunities to be loose in areas of the house and the pets will be able to sniff one another lots. He is crate trained as well, so being out/in bed is a non-issue. I will be working with him every day towards the goal.
I think a lot of it will simply be constant exposure - once we're all moved in, the cats and dog will be dealing with each other every single day instead of periodically. I think that, combined with lots of consistent training, everyone will settle down within a month or two.
What I have been doing thus far when we go over for visits is making use of his Thundershirt and natural calming treats as a basis, and working on positive reinforcement and shaping calmness around the cats. I've been making a lot of use of the clicker, which he responds well to even in high-threshold situations. In turn, the cats are also rewarded positively for showing interest in the dog. Lots of treat-tossing when all the pets are together.
I have Control Unleashed, as well as Fired Up, Frantic and Freaked out and have been practicing exercises from each to help us prepare. Anyone else who has those books have suggestions on the best techniques from each?
This may be controversial, but Finn responds well to a moderate level of positive punishment as well, so I welcome suggestions in that regard if anyone feels it would be beneficial in the situation.
So... thoughts on the situation? Thanks guys. <3 Bonus photos for you of Stan and Fiora. I adore them.
Stan:
Fi: