My dog, Chewie, just freaked me
Kathsgrdn
2 years ago
Featured Answer
Comments (32)
lucillle
2 years agoKathsgrdn
2 years agoRelated Discussions
Just rejected some cabinet companies...and I'm still freaking out
Comments (9)I was in banking for years and can't count on all the fingers in Alaska how many times I've spent hours and hours putting together presentations and proposals for clients who went with someone else. It's the business and I expected it. I won as many as I lost :) if I'd have won all of them I'd never have had time to do my job. They're always going to try for one more push to get the business, but the fact is, that there are many companies out there with similarities and they don't win them all. No biggie. It was actually nice of you to call back. Even for multi million dollar deals I didn't always get a call back. Even big fancy CFO's hate to call and say "No" heh heh Especially if they like you but the rate didn't work etc....See MoreMy Sebastian just got killed by 2 dogs!
Comments (10)I have never allowed my cats outside because I was scared to death that something like this would happen. We live out in a remote area where there are lots of wild animals. We do have leash laws, but no one to enforce it. Animal control was called and that is when I found out that there were two dangerous dogs in our area. But that was to late to help Sebastian. I am a member of our community committee, and we have a meeting coming up in Sept. Believe me, there will be some changes made about getting word around about these kind of issues. We have never let Sebastian out without our supervision. Then he started spraying in the house more and more(he was neutered), and we tried everything to help him overcome that. The vet had him on anti-depressents, but he just laid around and didn't even function while on them. We figured that it wasn't any life for him to just lay around when he was such a outside lover. The only way we decided to give him the best life we could was to let him out during the day and bring him in at night. He would always come when I called him home, until Wednesday night. Then Thursday night my husband went to see if he could find him hiding somewhere and found him dead on the beach. I chased off the two dogs that killed him, but little did I know that they were after my baby. Thanks for all your understanding and concern. I just wish that neighbors would be more considerate also. I just don't know what else we could have done....See MoreNew dog - cats freaked out. Need help
Comments (19)daggett, I have 14 cats and 3 dogs, two of whom are herders. Pippin is an Aussie with moderate herding drive, and Tasha is presumably an Aussie mix with VERY intense herding drive. All of my cats have lived with dogs for as long as the cats have been members of my family. Even so, they are wisely nervous and cautious around dogs they don't know. When we adopted Pippin as a newly neutered young adult, he came from an Aussie rescue where he had been fostered with a cat or two. I was told he was curious about the cat but not at all pushy, so I thought he'd make a great fit for our family. When he arrived, he was, indeed, curious about the household cats and spent some time trying to follow them around until they hissed and backed him off. He took their reprimands well and left them alone. The next day, Pip and the other dogs came out to the barn with me for morning chores. The eldest cat, Billy, had gone out earlier to start his daily farm sentry duties. As soon as Pippin caught sight of Billy, he took off after him with bloodlust in his eyes. This was no playful romp. This was a hungry wolf after a rabbit. I screamed at Pip and ran after him, but he could not be called off. He was after a kill, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. He didn't know me yet and hadn't accepted me as his pack leader. He also didn't know Bill and hadn't identified him as part of his new family pack. Gratefully, Billy escaped into the hayshed before Pip caught up with him, and I eventually caught up with Pip and dragged him back to the house, screaming at him along the way. If I hadn't had Pip flown up to me in MN from TX, I would have returned him to the rescue that day. Because that wasn't an immediately available option, I decided on a different tactic. I purchased a muzzle and put it (and a leash) on Pip when he came outside with me. He continued to be fine with the cats indoors, but it took about a month before I trusted him outdoors without the muzzle. With Pip, the key was to give him time to identify and integrate into his new family pack and to understand and accept the pack order. Over the course of a month, he realized that all of the cats were part of his new pack, and he never chased one of them again, inside or out. In fact, Pip is submissive to all the cats (he's a submissive personality, anyway). It wasn't until I got Pip into basic obedience classes, however, that he fully accepted me as his alpha pack leader. Tasha was and is a different matter altogether. We adopted her as a tiny puppy, so she was raised in a household full of cats. Even so, she has always been much more problematic for the cats than has Pippin. Tasha is MUCH more intensely driven than is Pip, and she's also a very pushy alpha personality. Everything in her universe BELONGS to Tasha, is DOMINATED by Tasha, and REVOLVES around Tasha ... everything except me, that is. She knows and accepts that I am her alpha leader, but everything and everyone else breathes her air at her pleasure and mercy. With Tasha, it is obvious that herding drive is an extension of prey drive. The intensity of her herding behavior is really quite remarkable. I have no doubt, though, that she would have turned into a killer if I hadn't set very strict behavioral boundaries on her and if I didn't continue to enforce them on a daily basis. I am still constantly having to tell her to leave the cats alone. She simply wants to dictate every move every animal (or toy) makes in her world. Unfortunately because of her cruciate problems, I can not allow her to exercise as much or as vigorously as her mind requires, so keeping her behavior within controllable limits is a constant challenge. As I noted in my earlier response, herders are amazing dogs, but they are NOT easy! Now back to your dog. You made a MAJOR mistake by ever allowing your dog to chase your cats. Not only has the dog been rewarded for his bad behavior by achieving the desired effect of "herding" the cats, but the cats have now learned that you can not or will not protect them from the dog. They have lost trust in you and in the safety of their own home. They are trapped with the enemy - an enemy that they are very much aware can and may want to kill them. Of course they're hiding. Every instinct they have tells them they must hide for their self-preservation. They have no experience living with passive dogs, so all they have to respond to are their own instincts. As I mentioned earlier, you must keep your dog either leashed or locked securely away from the cats at all times until and unless your cats adjust to his presence and give you the opportunity to train him properly. Do NOT in ANY way try to force your cats out of hiding or into the presence of the dog. They must be allowed to make peace with his presence in their own time and way ... if it's going to happen at all. Most likely, they will start coming out under cover of darkness, late at night after everyone has gone to bed, the dog is securely crated, and all is quiet. Once they start reaffirming their safety under those conditions, they will probably slowly start to appear during daylight hours. If you do NOT allow the dog to approach them or intimidate them in any way, your cats will eventually get braver. It may take months or years, but if you assure their safety and work to regain their trust away from the dog, they will probably eventually come out of hiding again. You can help your cats by spending lots of time alone with them in whichever room they are hiding, trying to coax them out of hiding just to enjoy some petting, playing, and treats. Like I said, they have lost trust in you, and you're going to have to work to regain it. Let them know that they still matter and that they can safely spend time with you without risking interaction with the dog. Unfortunately, you won't be able to teach your dog to accept the cats as part of his new family pack until and unless the cats come out of hiding and start reintegrating themselves into the household. It's a waiting game now. Make it impossible for the dog to get anywhere near the cats on his own, and give the cats the supportive loving they need to feel safe again. Hopefully in time the cats will give you a second chance to be their protector in the presence of the dog. Good luck, Laurie...See MoreThis Just Freaks Me Out ....
Comments (13)This is so far beyond strange it's funny. There's so many oddities to it, where do you start? I know this much, just looking at the picture of that "water" or more appropriately, human soup, there's no way I'd set foot in it. Leave it for the manatees to bob around in during their weekly sessions AFAIC. But the last line of that article caught my eye. Friends said Joseph was a mother of five and is a housekeeper at a hotel in Newport, R.I. Don't be late to work I guess....See MoreAnnie Deighnaugh
2 years agoJudy Good
2 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
2 years agoseagrass_gw Cape Cod
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agocarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoElmer J Fudd
2 years agolucillle
2 years agoKathsgrdn
2 years agocarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoKathsgrdn
2 years agosjerin
2 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
2 years agoKathsgrdn
2 years agoAnnie Deighnaugh
2 years agopudgeder
2 years agoKathsgrdn
2 years agolily316
2 years agocarolb_w_fl_coastal_9b
2 years agoamylou321
2 years agoschoolhouse_gwagain
2 years agoUser
2 years agolikestonehomes
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agochisue
2 years agoOnt_Gal
2 years agoseagrass_gw Cape Cod
2 years agojane__ny
2 years agoAbbyJoy
2 years agoKathsgrdn
2 years agoAbbyJoy
2 years agolast modified: 2 years ago
Related Stories
PETSSo You're Thinking About Getting a Dog
Prepare yourself for the realities of training, cost and the impact that lovable pooch might have on your house
Full StoryPETSRoom of the Day: Laundry Room Goes to the Dogs
Muddy paws are no problem in this new multipurpose room
Full StoryPETSHouzz Call: Looking for Dogs in Design
Share a Pic of Your Pet, and He or She Could Star on Our Homepage
Full StoryHOUSEKEEPING10 Things Neat Freaks Know to Be True
Do you err on the incredibly tidy side? Then you probably already live by these nuggets of neat wisdom
Full StoryMOST POPULAR10 Things Clean Freaks Know to Be True
Are you completely committed to domestic cleanliness? Then you may recognize some of these spotless truths
Full StoryLIFEThe Polite House: On Dogs at House Parties and Working With Relatives
Emily Post’s great-great-granddaughter gives advice on having dogs at parties and handling a family member’s offer to help with projects
Full StoryPETSHouzz Call: Send in the Dogs
Have the greatest dog in the world? Share your best design photo featuring the dog you live or work with
Full StoryPETSHouzz Call: Show Us Your Summer-Loving Dog!
Share a photo of your pooch kicking back in the backyard, helping you in the workshop or enjoying your favorite summer getaway
Full StoryRUGS10 Tips for Getting a Dining Room Rug Just Right
Is the rug you’re considering the right size, shape and weave for your dining room? Here’s what to keep in mind
Full StoryMUDROOMSRoom of the Day: This Mudroom Is Just Plain Hot
Wait till you see what’s behind the hooks and bins in this genius family drop zone
Full Story
cooper8828