According to American Veterinary Medical Association, there are 76,811,305 dogs and 58,385,725 cats as of 2021. With the numbers rising there will inevitably be encounters between dogs and cats.
Some cats and dogs get along well but some don’t. If a cat and dog fight is inevitable, there are ways to stop a dog from killing a cat. Train your dog not to go after the cat and they will be less likely to set out on their own. Train them through proper obedience training.
Why Dogs Chase Cats
Dogs are predatory animals. They naturally chase smaller animals to catch them, or they have been conditioned to hunt certain types of animals. Some experts believe, dogs are conditioned to kill cats through training via games such as “Fetch” where they remove the satisfaction of catching by breaking off their attack before killing the cat, chasing it into a corner then allowing the dog to maul the cat while it’s cornered.
Another reason may be that the dog sees the cat as prey. Your dog may think of your cat as smaller or weaker than them and therefore less threatening. Also, cats don’t understand if a dog is just playing or if it is serious. If a cat senses any type of threat they are going to run, which will trigger the dog’s prey drive. To avoid any type of accident, you should train your pets from a young age that it is not acceptable to chase or harm others.
Methods to Train Your Dog to Avoid Killing Animals
If your dog is attacking other animals, it is important to train them properly because, if you wait too long, they may become more aggressive and harder to train. Make the training fun for your pet by incorporating their favorite treats into the training.
You can use a leash or just have your dog on a collar, but do not get physical with them because this will not work in the way that you are hoping it would. It may just make them more aggressive towards you or other animals including cats. Following are some methods of training.
Teach Between ‘hunt’ And ‘play’
Teaching your dog the difference between hunt and play can be very difficult. For this to work, you need to catch them in the act, and it may seem like they are playing with little interest.
Once you see your dog chasing a cat or any other animal around the house, try to give a very high-pitched and excited voice and turn on all of the lights. This will show your pet that you think that what they are doing is not appropriate. If your dog comes towards you looking for some sort of attention, ignore them until they stop chasing whatever animal was outside running around your house.
Create an Out of Sight Rule
When you go outside with your dog, keep them on a leash so that they cannot chase anything down right away. It would be best if one person went out alone and then called the other person out once the animals are away from the house. Make sure everyone knows what to do and make sure you keep your pet on a leash to avoid any incidents.
Put an End to Unwanted Behavior
Training should be something that you do every day because they need to understand what is expected of them. Dogs often need to be taught how to behave in certain situations, so they know when it is okay or not okay to chase cats or other animals. With enough practice, your dog will have learned its lesson, and this behavior will cease altogether. This can take days, weeks, or even months depending on their history of chasing after small prey items outside of the home.
Do Not Use Physical Force
If you feel as if your dog is not listening to you, it is important to start by changing your tone and the volume of your voice. They need to understand exactly what it is you are trying to communicate. Do not ever hurt your dog because this may lead to more aggression towards other animals including cats.
Once they have learned what is expected of them, they should respond accordingly. If your dog does attack another animal again, do not physically punish them because this will only allow them to become more aggressive which can lead to worse things happening in the future.
Understanding why dogs go after cats can help us prevent these problems from happening before they happen or stop them altogether when they do occur. Training your pet can also help with this problem and will help prevent any future accidents.
Dogs can be trained to learn what is considered appropriate behavior and what is not through positive reinforcement of the behaviors you want and ignoring the ones that you don’t.
Training should be something that is done daily until your dog comes to understand what is expected of them when they are outside the home with other animals, including cats. If you’re unable to train your pet on your own, some professionals can get your dog on the right track again.
Early Training Works Best
If you raise your pets together, you should start training your dog early to learn what is considered appropriate behavior and what is not. This way you can prevent them from chasing after small animals outside of the house. It also helps if you keep their leash with you when you go out so they cannot run off in any direction before you can stop them.
The recommended age is 3 months, but you can train them at any age unless your pet is aggressive towards other animals from the beginning. In that case, you should take them to a professional who can teach them how to behave to avoid future accidents from happening.
Good Management
If you are not able to control your dog while you are outside, it is important to make sure that your pet cannot get out of the house on its own. You need to make sure that you leave food and water inside the home so that they don’t go looking for any sort of sustenance elsewhere.
If your dog does not like cats or other animals, you should keep them away from your cat when they’re outside because this will only cause a problem in the future. If they do attack another animal, it’s important to stay calm and not punish them with physical force because this will only lead to worse problems in the future.
Training is Important for All Dogs
Any dog needs training and positive reinforcement of the behaviors you want and ignores those you don’t even if they have never shown a particular interest in chasing cats before. If your dog does attack another animal again, do not physically punish or yell at him because this will only make things worse by causing more aggression problems.
What Would Cause a Dog to Attack?
According to a report that 4.5 million people are attacked by dogs each year in the United States. The dogs are either not properly trained or poorly socialized which leads to them attacking other dogs, people, and cats. Following may be the reasons why a dog may go after another animal to attack.
Territorialism
Wild dogs are known for chasing anything that is not their own when they are in an area where they think it’s their territory. In the same way, domesticated dogs may chase after any animal if they feel as though it’s something that does not belong there.
Protectiveness
If your dog thinks that the cat is another animal that’s trying to attack its owner, it may try to protect itself by attacking the cat. Some dogs are taught to be protective animals and if they mistake an animal for a threat, they will try to get rid of it so it doesn’t bother their owner again.
Attention Seeking
A dog may attack another animal to seek more attention from its owner. If they are doing something wrong, trying to seek more attention will make you think that they are good doggies and give them the affection that both of you deserve.
Breed Traits
Some dogs have genetic traits that make them more likely to want to chase other animals.
Fear
Animals don’t always attack with the intent to harm another animal. Sometimes they do it to make the other one go away out of fear or because they are scared of being hurt by the other animal.
Dogs are amazing pets who can be trained to protect you and your family, play with the kids, exercise, and much more. If they have never shown any interest in chasing other animals before it’s important not to assume that this is going to make them start attacking or go after another animal because of their breed.
Training your dog can help stop a dog from attacking a cat. Train your dog not to go after the cat and they will be less likely to set out on their own. If you have a problem with a pet who is going after another animal, contact your veterinarian right away so they can determine how badly hurt the other animal may have been in the attack.
Let’s move forward to some frequently asked questions.
FAQ
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions:
Q. What Should You Do If Your Dog Killed Your Cat?
Ans: The first thing you need to understand is that it’s not the fault of the dog. Punishing the pet is not going to solve anything, although it can lead to further aggression issues. The first thing you need to do is notify the veterinarian right away if your cat was killed by a dog because there may be internal injuries that cannot be seen at first glance.
Q. Is It Normal For Dogs To Kill Cats?
Ans: Yes is it normal because the nature of dogs is to chase anything that is not their own. However, you can train them not to do it by following some tips on this article.
Q. Can Cats And Dogs Live Together?
Ans: The short answer is yes, on the internet you can see a lot of cat and dog videos that show them living together in perfect harmony. However, if they have not been trained this may cause some problems.
Q. How do you keep dogs away from cats?
Ans: Creating separate spaces in your house for your pet is the best way to keep cats and dogs away from each other. It may be impossible in some cases, but you need to give them enough space so they can’t go after each other.
Q. What Should You Do If Your Dog Killed a Neighbor’s Cat?
Ans: Sending condolences is the best thing that you can do if your dog killed a neighbor’s cat. If the cat was on the property of the neighbor, it is not your dog’s fault because they are just protecting their territory.