February 13, 2025 • 10 mins
Bringing a new puppy into a home with resident cats can be a recipe for chaos—unless you have a solid plan! In this episode, we dive into strategies to help your puppy respect your cat’s space using smart management techniques and positive reinforcement. Learn how to set up safe spaces, use leashes and barriers effectively, and reinforce calm behavior to create a peaceful, pet-friendly home. Whether you're introducing a new puppy or trying to ease ongoing tension, this episode is packed with actionable tips to help your pets become respectful roommates. 🐶🐱✨
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today we are talking about helping your dog respect
cats that are already in thehome.
So you already have a cat.
You're bringing a new dog home.
How do you help them get along?
Let's talk about it.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter Bella, the online puppy
school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
(00:22):
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
tricks, all aimed at fostering ahappy, well-behaved dog who
truly feels like part of thefamily.
So if you are ready to enjoythe journey and strengthen the
bond with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hello and welcome to the puppytraining Podcast.
(00:44):
I'm super glad you're hereToday.
We are talking about cats, sothis could also apply to other
pets you have in the home maybea rabbit or a bird but I'm going
to specifically speak aboutcats and then I'll let you
generalize that.
So introducing a new dog intothe home where you have a
resident cat can be achallenging transition.
(01:04):
Now dogs have what's calledprey drive.
Some dogs have a high one andsome dogs have a low one.
All dogs have some of it.
But puppies can also bring someenergy and some curiosity, and
while many cats prefer apredictable and calm environment
, they can learn to live withdogs, and dogs can learn to live
with cats if the resident catsare not excited about the puppy
(01:27):
to be there.
It's really important that westart with management techniques
.
So we'll start there today andthen, yes, we can use positive
reinforcement to train theanimals to be in the same room
together, which will ensure asmooth and respectful
relationship, hopefully now.
The disclaimer to this is theprey drive factor, and some dogs
do have such a high prey drivethat this training is really
(01:49):
difficult.
But for a large number of dogsit's very possible.
By setting up clear boundaries,supervising their interactions
and rewarding calm behavior, wecan help foster mutual respect
between your pets.
So let's start with management.
Management involves controllingthe environment to prevent
negative encounters andgradually teaching our dogs how
(02:09):
to behave appropriately aroundcats.
That natural prey drive isgoing to kick in and they're
going to want to chase right.
So first we use physicalbarriers Before allowing our
dogs and cats to have directinteractions.
It's important to provide thecats with a safe space that's
completely off limits to thepuppy.
Baby gates, pet pens likeexercise pens or cat trees allow
(02:30):
the cat to observe the puppyfrom a safe distance while
maintaining control over theirown space.
If we can ensure the cat hasaccess to these high perches or
areas that they can get up andout of the way, these hiding
spots can reduce stress andprovide them with an escape
route if they start to feeluncomfortable.
The second thing would be touse a leash indoors.
(02:51):
So keeping our puppy on a leashor a house line, especially
during the first few weeks,prevents them from chasing or
pestering the cats.
The more they chase and pesteryou guys, the more fun this
becomes and it feels good to ourdogs and then they're going to
want to do more of that.
So we just want to prevent thatfrom the get-go.
We don't chase cats and thisallows our puppy to observe the
(03:13):
cat calmly from a distance whilepreventing any unwanted
interactions.
Over time, the puppy can learnthat being near the cat does not
mean they get to play or chaseit.
The third thing you can do is tocrate train and use tethering.
So crate training is aneffective tool, not only for
house training but to help ourpuppies learn to settle while
still being present in the home,where there might be
(03:35):
distractions like other pets.
When the puppy's in their crate.
They get their chew toys, theyget their favorite things.
That's where mealtime happensand the cat can then explore the
room safely.
So I call this rotating thehousehold, where sometimes the
cat will be out and the puppywill be doing crate time, and
then other times the puppy willbe out and the cat could be in
another room or somewhere wherethe puppy can't access them.
(03:57):
So we just rotate who's gettingthe out time, I guess you could
say.
But we're helping both animalsbecome more comfortable with
each other's presence andthey'll do that by feeling safe.
So using these boundaries withthe crate training or the
leashes can really help fosterthat safety for both animals.
Next let's talk about positivereinforcement to shape behavior.
(04:18):
We like to use positivereinforcement here at Baxter and
Bella.
This focuses on rewarding thebehaviors that we like to see
rather than punishing unwantedones.
By consistently rewarding calmand respectful behavior, the
puppy will learn that ignoringthe cat leads to good things.
Now, in the beginning you'regoing to have to show your puppy
what you want them to do, andas we show them and they get
rewarded for that, they start tochoose that behavior on their
(04:40):
own.
So first we want to reward calmbehavior Anytime your puppy
remains calm in the presence ofthe cat, toss a little food
reward their way, or maybe tossit a few feet away from them and
they get to go chase thatlittle treat.
That's a good idea.
Or maybe that gets them accessto their favorite toy and you
can get out a squeaky crinkly, afun long toy and play a little
game of tug with your puppy.
(05:01):
So, for example, if your dogsees the cat and remains still
instead of lunging or barking atthe cat, we can immediately
mark yes and then pay the dog afood reward or play their
favorite game or use the toy tointeract with them Basically
anything they view as a rewardwe want to give them when
they're able to look away fromthe cat.
Now, along those lines, numbertwo is teaching a strong leave
(05:22):
it cue.
If beforehand or if when yourcat and we work to generalize
the leave it cue to manydifferent tempting things, we
can then progress that leave itbehavior to the cat.
So when your puppy sees the catwe can say leave it and they
know, oh, leave it means lookaway from that.
(05:43):
Focus on Amy and I get a foodreward for that.
Now, that's not going to happenon day one of training your dog
to leave it right.
We have a four-step processhere at Baxter Bella to teach
your dog how to leave it, but onthat fourth step it is using
items that they actually want togo get and then they generalize
that behavior.
So start by teaching what it isand then we'll help you
(06:05):
progress that to using it withyour cat.
But we want to reward your dogsfor breaking their attention
away from the cat and focusingback on you.
Number three is to encouragealternative behaviors.
Instead of simply telling thepuppy what not to do, we want to
redirect their energy towardssomething we want them to do, so
leave it.
Is great.
We start there, right?
I want you to look away fromthe cat, look at me and then
(06:28):
don't just stop there.
I want you to continue onasking the puppy to do things.
If your puppy gets excited whenthey see the cat, we can cue a
sit or a down or maybe some funthings like spin, roll, high
five, shake all of those funthings that we can reward then
the puppy for complying.
Now teaching a solid place orgo to bed.
(06:48):
I love using this behavior andgeneralizing it to these
distractions such as cats orother pets in the home where we
say go to bed, and the puppygoes to a designated bed or mat
or rug or whatever place youwant to use.
It just has to be identifiable.
This provides a structured wayor something for them to do a
job, really to remain calm inthe cat's presence, and then
(07:09):
we're rewarding the dog forgoing there.
So not only are we asking thedog to leave it and take their
attention away from the cat,we're then instructing the dog.
Here's what I want you to doinstead.
We're paying them for doingthat instead and making it worth
their while.
We can also train the cat.
So while training our dog isessential, we can also reinforce
our cat's positive response.
(07:30):
Giving treats or affection whenthe cat remains relaxed near
the puppy helps create positiveresponse.
Giving treats or affection whenthe cat remains relaxed near
the puppy helps create positiveassociations.
So you could have your catsitting on the left side of you
and your puppy sitting on theright side of you.
You could eat.
Just feed each of them a foodreward intermittently.
Now, that might not last superlong, but you can do that for a
few seconds and then build upthe duration of time as they get
(07:50):
better of being in oneanother's presence.
But that way you're reinforcingpositively both of them for
sitting calmly at your side.
Make sure that you're havinggradual, supervised interactions
.
Once our dog has learned toremain calm around the cat and
respects their space, they canstart to have some supervised
off-leash interactions.
But we wanna make sure thatthey're showing good body
(08:10):
language, that they're not toointense, that they're not all
about just chasing this cat.
We to make sure that they'reshowing good body language, that
they're not too intense, thatthey're not all about just
chasing this cat.
We want to make sure that theycan redirect their attention
away with that leave it cue andlook at us when asked.
We want to keep these sessionsshort and positive.
It helps build trust betweenboth our cat and our dog and if
our puppy becomes too excited wejust want to calmly redirect
(08:31):
them away, give them a break,let them calm themselves down
before trying again and overtime our dogs can learn to
coexist peacefully with the cat.
All right, you guys, rememberthat helping a puppy respect the
resident cat does require acombination of thoughtful
management and positivereinforcement.
We can create a safeenvironment for both of them
(08:52):
simply by controlling theseearly interactions, setting them
up for success and rewardingcalm behavior with patience and
consistency.
You hear me say that a lot.
I know the puppy will learn tocoexist with the cat in a
respectful and peaceful mannerand all will be well, ideally,
right Now.
Remember, you might start thisjourney and realize you know
(09:12):
what this is a lot of work.
My dog has a really high preydrive and this might not work
out.
Please reach out to us if youneed any help with this during
the process and we would love tocoach you through it, answer
any questions that you have andreally help you get started on
the right track.
All right, you guys.
Happy training, have a greatweek.
Thanks for tuning in to thepuppy training podcast.
(09:33):
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a littlepatience and consistency, you
can create a loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.
(09:57):
Until next time, happy training.
Today we are talking about helping your dog respect
cats that are already in thehome.
So you already have a cat.
You're bringing a new dog home.
How do you help them get along?
Let's talk about it.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter Bella, the online puppy
school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
(00:22):
experience raising a puppy, fromtraining tips to practical
tricks, all aimed at fostering ahappy, well-behaved dog who
truly feels like part of thefamily.
So if you are ready to enjoythe journey and strengthen the
bond with your dog, let's getstarted.
Hello and welcome to the puppytraining Podcast.
(00:44):
I'm super glad you're hereToday.
We are talking about cats, sothis could also apply to other
pets you have in the home maybea rabbit or a bird but I'm going
to specifically speak aboutcats and then I'll let you
generalize that.
So introducing a new dog intothe home where you have a
resident cat can be achallenging transition.
(01:04):
Now dogs have what's calledprey drive.
Some dogs have a high one andsome dogs have a low one.
All dogs have some of it.
But puppies can also bring someenergy and some curiosity, and
while many cats prefer apredictable and calm environment
, they can learn to live withdogs, and dogs can learn to live
with cats if the resident catsare not excited about the puppy
(01:27):
to be there.
It's really important that westart with management techniques
.
So we'll start there today andthen, yes, we can use positive
reinforcement to train theanimals to be in the same room
together, which will ensure asmooth and respectful
relationship, hopefully now.
The disclaimer to this is theprey drive factor, and some dogs
do have such a high prey drivethat this training is really
(01:49):
difficult.
But for a large number of dogsit's very possible.
By setting up clear boundaries,supervising their interactions
and rewarding calm behavior, wecan help foster mutual respect
between your pets.
So let's start with management.
Management involves controllingthe environment to prevent
negative encounters andgradually teaching our dogs how
(02:09):
to behave appropriately aroundcats.
That natural prey drive isgoing to kick in and they're
going to want to chase right.
So first we use physicalbarriers Before allowing our
dogs and cats to have directinteractions.
It's important to provide thecats with a safe space that's
completely off limits to thepuppy.
Baby gates, pet pens likeexercise pens or cat trees allow
(02:30):
the cat to observe the puppyfrom a safe distance while
maintaining control over theirown space.
If we can ensure the cat hasaccess to these high perches or
areas that they can get up andout of the way, these hiding
spots can reduce stress andprovide them with an escape
route if they start to feeluncomfortable.
The second thing would be touse a leash indoors.
(02:51):
So keeping our puppy on a leashor a house line, especially
during the first few weeks,prevents them from chasing or
pestering the cats.
The more they chase and pesteryou guys, the more fun this
becomes and it feels good to ourdogs and then they're going to
want to do more of that.
So we just want to prevent thatfrom the get-go.
We don't chase cats and thisallows our puppy to observe the
(03:13):
cat calmly from a distance whilepreventing any unwanted
interactions.
Over time, the puppy can learnthat being near the cat does not
mean they get to play or chaseit.
The third thing you can do is tocrate train and use tethering.
So crate training is aneffective tool, not only for
house training but to help ourpuppies learn to settle while
still being present in the home,where there might be
(03:35):
distractions like other pets.
When the puppy's in their crate.
They get their chew toys, theyget their favorite things.
That's where mealtime happensand the cat can then explore the
room safely.
So I call this rotating thehousehold, where sometimes the
cat will be out and the puppywill be doing crate time, and
then other times the puppy willbe out and the cat could be in
another room or somewhere wherethe puppy can't access them.
(03:57):
So we just rotate who's gettingthe out time, I guess you could
say.
But we're helping both animalsbecome more comfortable with
each other's presence andthey'll do that by feeling safe.
So using these boundaries withthe crate training or the
leashes can really help fosterthat safety for both animals.
Next let's talk about positivereinforcement to shape behavior.
(04:18):
We like to use positivereinforcement here at Baxter and
Bella.
This focuses on rewarding thebehaviors that we like to see
rather than punishing unwantedones.
By consistently rewarding calmand respectful behavior, the
puppy will learn that ignoringthe cat leads to good things.
Now, in the beginning you'regoing to have to show your puppy
what you want them to do, andas we show them and they get
rewarded for that, they start tochoose that behavior on their
(04:40):
own.
So first we want to reward calmbehavior Anytime your puppy
remains calm in the presence ofthe cat, toss a little food
reward their way, or maybe tossit a few feet away from them and
they get to go chase thatlittle treat.
That's a good idea.
Or maybe that gets them accessto their favorite toy and you
can get out a squeaky crinkly, afun long toy and play a little
game of tug with your puppy.
(05:01):
So, for example, if your dogsees the cat and remains still
instead of lunging or barking atthe cat, we can immediately
mark yes and then pay the dog afood reward or play their
favorite game or use the toy tointeract with them Basically
anything they view as a rewardwe want to give them when
they're able to look away fromthe cat.
Now, along those lines, numbertwo is teaching a strong leave
(05:22):
it cue.
If beforehand or if when yourcat and we work to generalize
the leave it cue to manydifferent tempting things, we
can then progress that leave itbehavior to the cat.
So when your puppy sees the catwe can say leave it and they
know, oh, leave it means lookaway from that.
(05:43):
Focus on Amy and I get a foodreward for that.
Now, that's not going to happenon day one of training your dog
to leave it right.
We have a four-step processhere at Baxter Bella to teach
your dog how to leave it, but onthat fourth step it is using
items that they actually want togo get and then they generalize
that behavior.
So start by teaching what it isand then we'll help you
(06:05):
progress that to using it withyour cat.
But we want to reward your dogsfor breaking their attention
away from the cat and focusingback on you.
Number three is to encouragealternative behaviors.
Instead of simply telling thepuppy what not to do, we want to
redirect their energy towardssomething we want them to do, so
leave it.
Is great.
We start there, right?
I want you to look away fromthe cat, look at me and then
(06:28):
don't just stop there.
I want you to continue onasking the puppy to do things.
If your puppy gets excited whenthey see the cat, we can cue a
sit or a down or maybe some funthings like spin, roll, high
five, shake all of those funthings that we can reward then
the puppy for complying.
Now teaching a solid place orgo to bed.
(06:48):
I love using this behavior andgeneralizing it to these
distractions such as cats orother pets in the home where we
say go to bed, and the puppygoes to a designated bed or mat
or rug or whatever place youwant to use.
It just has to be identifiable.
This provides a structured wayor something for them to do a
job, really to remain calm inthe cat's presence, and then
(07:09):
we're rewarding the dog forgoing there.
So not only are we asking thedog to leave it and take their
attention away from the cat,we're then instructing the dog.
Here's what I want you to doinstead.
We're paying them for doingthat instead and making it worth
their while.
We can also train the cat.
So while training our dog isessential, we can also reinforce
our cat's positive response.
(07:30):
Giving treats or affection whenthe cat remains relaxed near
the puppy helps create positiveresponse.
Giving treats or affection whenthe cat remains relaxed near
the puppy helps create positiveassociations.
So you could have your catsitting on the left side of you
and your puppy sitting on theright side of you.
You could eat.
Just feed each of them a foodreward intermittently.
Now, that might not last superlong, but you can do that for a
few seconds and then build upthe duration of time as they get
(07:50):
better of being in oneanother's presence.
But that way you're reinforcingpositively both of them for
sitting calmly at your side.
Make sure that you're havinggradual, supervised interactions
.
Once our dog has learned toremain calm around the cat and
respects their space, they canstart to have some supervised
off-leash interactions.
But we wanna make sure thatthey're showing good body
(08:10):
language, that they're not toointense, that they're not all
about just chasing this cat.
We to make sure that they'reshowing good body language, that
they're not too intense, thatthey're not all about just
chasing this cat.
We want to make sure that theycan redirect their attention
away with that leave it cue andlook at us when asked.
We want to keep these sessionsshort and positive.
It helps build trust betweenboth our cat and our dog and if
our puppy becomes too excited wejust want to calmly redirect
(08:31):
them away, give them a break,let them calm themselves down
before trying again and overtime our dogs can learn to
coexist peacefully with the cat.
All right, you guys, rememberthat helping a puppy respect the
resident cat does require acombination of thoughtful
management and positivereinforcement.
We can create a safeenvironment for both of them
(08:52):
simply by controlling theseearly interactions, setting them
up for success and rewardingcalm behavior with patience and
consistency.
You hear me say that a lot.
I know the puppy will learn tocoexist with the cat in a
respectful and peaceful mannerand all will be well, ideally,
right Now.
Remember, you might start thisjourney and realize you know
(09:12):
what this is a lot of work.
My dog has a really high preydrive and this might not work
out.
Please reach out to us if youneed any help with this during
the process and we would love tocoach you through it, answer
any questions that you have andreally help you get started on
the right track.
All right, you guys.
Happy training, have a greatweek.
Thanks for tuning in to thepuppy training podcast.
(09:33):
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a littlepatience and consistency, you
can create a loving bond and awell-behaved pup who's a joy to
have in your family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review and share it withfellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visitBaxter and Bella online.
(09:57):
Until next time, happy training.
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