Monday, February 20, 2012

Fate just has a way..


Bindi and Kya (my full-grown 2 year old 8lb kitten) had a routine in which they would both jump on my bed each morning after the morning feeding and walk, and catch an early morning snooze while I got ready for work.  Not even the blow dryer would disturb their slumber.   When I was ready for work, I'd say, “Let’s go potty!” and Bindi would jump up, along with Kya, and race downstairs.  Now for what? I don’t know.  Kya doesn’t get to go out, and chooses instead to sit in the window and play with the blinds, and Bindi hated the swampy, cold grass that she was being asked to pee in.  Regardless, they had this routine down to a science.  
When I first brought Bindi home, I hoped for peace.
  I didn’t know that I’d get harmony.


                           

Many people have asked, “How did you do it?” or “My dog still has issues with my cat, what can I do different?”  Bindi was very eager to please and didn’t like to be in trouble so she was fairly easy once she understood what I wanted.  The following process may not work for every dog – i.e. the leash corrections that I did religiously with Bindi for 6 weeks to walk on a leash just did not work for her.  I changed technique and found something that worked for us.  Please, please, take this idea and tweak it to create something that fits your life and your dog.  With enough time and effort, every home can live in peace.
With consistency, you might even find harmony.


NOTE: *Click* refers to clicker training, a way of saying “Great Job!” to your dog.  You can also use a word like “Yes” or “Ok”, which tells your dog that he’s doing something you like.For more information on that, click HERE.

*I used bacon bits, sausage crumbles, goldfish crackers, green beans, bananas, anything that Bindi found utterly amazing, I used it. I wanted the understanding ‘Cats=Awesome treats’.  If you are worried about your dog gaining weight, you can use green beans or the kibble from their next meal. Just measure it out and after training, they get the remaining kibble in their dish.



Desensitizing a dog to cats:

1. Leash pressure. If your dog is strong (like Bindi was), I suggest using a gentle leader.  Makes your life much easier!  Otherwise, snap a leash on your dog.  With no cats present, and holding the end of the leash, begin walking.  When your dog gets interested in something and is out at the end of the leash, simply stop, turn to look at your dog, move the leash down so it is even with your dog and parallel to the floor and keep steady, gentle pressure on the leash.  No words, no whistling, no commands.  Just wait.  The split second your dog turns to look at you, *click* *treat* *lots of praise and petting*. Continue walking.  Use the distractions around your house as opportunities to work on leash pressure.  Important: NEVER tug, yank back or give negative attention for pulling.  The idea is for them to associate looking at you and coming towards you with wonderful praise and rewards.  The better you and your dog get at this step, the easier it will be when cats are in the picture.

2. Distance leash pressure with cats.  Create a situation where your cat will be staying still.  I used a tuna juice treat in a container or a baby gate in a doorway when the cat was lying on the bed in view.  The idea of this step is for you to continue the leash pressure; the goal is for your dog to hold focus on you.  Your dog will most likely go to the end of the leash, pulling toward the cat. Again, stop (I used to squat down), and hold steady pressure.  Be patient! The second/minute the attention goes from the cat to you, *click* *treat*.  When your dog begins to understand the relationship between the cats and the treats, they will begin to easily look at the cat, then back to you, expecting a treat (and for good reason!). Continue this for 5 minute sessions a few times a day, and you can move to the next step when you see the attention turn more to you instead of the cat.  You may even stay on this step for a week or so.  Depending on how curious your dog is about the cat, this is a great step to hold steady on until they’ve got it down pat.

3. Walking past the cat. Again, create a situation where the cat is still. I would take advantage of times when the cat would be sleeping on the back of the couch or the mantle of the fireplace.  At this point, the dog is probably realizing that you have wonderfully tasting treats in your pocket, so the attention might already be on you. That’s great!  As you walk, walk backwards facing your dog so your dog is essentially walking towards you for the treat.  If your dog notices the cat, and inevitably darts toward it or even just stares intently, do not yank or get frustrated.  This is part of your dog’s learning and is a fantastic opportunity to intervene and teach an appropriate behavior.  Calmly stop, hold steady pressure and again wait for your dog to focus on you, *click* *treat*.  The more you walk by your cat, the less attention your dog will give it because you, Holy Treat Holder, are way cooler! You may also hold treats in your hand so they can nibble at it as they walk, but not receive the whole thing.  Once past the cat, they may eat the rest of the treat.  You can move to the next step when your dog easily looks at the cat and back to you.

4. Moving Cats. Choose a time in which your cat is not overly active, but is walking and moving about.  Ignoring your cat, turn all attention to your dog.  Ask for his full attention using a “Watch Me” command or reviewing basic commands such as “Sit”, “Down” or “Paw”.  Your dog should be able to look pretty easily at the cat and then back to you.  If at any time the focus on the cat changes from a curious glance to a hardened look, walk in the other direction in a calm, slightly excited “Come on! Follow me!” attitude.  Once the attention is back on you, begin the commands again.  At this point in the process, you should be able to walk pretty freely around the house with your dog on the leash and your cat in the room.  Your dog should be able to look at the cat and back to you while walking without causing much distress or intensity/body position changes. 

Body language positions to avoid/signs of crossing the threshold:
          -stiff, raised tail (curled over their back or wagging above their backbone)
          -tense body, unresponsive to commands or leash pressure
          -hardened stare at the cat
          -ears perked, facing forward
          -jaw closed and tense
          -no use of their nose/no sniffing
          -hackles raised

5. Off Leash In this step, you probably won’t start out completely trusting your dog. Pretend you do for his sake though, and be sure to act confidently.  [[Please note: in order to successfully complete this step, you must have a sturdy foundation built from the previous steps as well as a great handle on your dog’s body language.  By this time, you should be able to describe your dog’s calm body language and at-threshold body language.]] I set up 2 escapes for my cats, a baby gate they could jump to leave the room, and then a high place in another room that a dog could not reach.  Keep a constant eye on your dog -- don’t start unloading the dishwasher or putting away toys or bills.  With clicker and treats in hand, catch his good behavior every time For example: looking at you instead of the cat, laying down, watching with a calm demeanor as opposed to focused glares, responding to his name or commands, or following you as you move around the room are all great things to treat for.  I did not let Bindi ever approach my cats.  She was able to smell them from afar, or if they walked near her she could smell them, but anything more than a gentle sniff was an immediate “Leave it” (don’t forget to teach this command first!).
***

Time, patience, consistency and knowing the threshold level for your dog are the most important aspect of desensitizing your dog to a cat.  You may have to start with a door closed between your dog and cat in order for your dog to be under threshold.  This is ok! Understand that your vigilance will shorten your desensitization training immensely.  Remember: Consistency is the key! If you only practiced eating with a fork once a week, it would take a pretty long time to master eating a meal.  But small spurts of practice, multiple times a day would have the skill mastered in just a few short days. 







 In the beginning, the only goal I set was that I wanted Bindi to be able to be in the same room without it causing over stimulation or stress.  Not only did she learn how to become completely calm around my cats, but she learned how to live harmoniously with them.  Through this process, Bindi taught me patience and she taught my kitties how to trust.  In the 4 months she was with us, she helped our household and I unwittingly did the best service to her than anyone could, because by helping her live in harmony with my kitties, I was preparing her for her forever family more than I would ever know…

((...Stay tuned for her adoption blog…))





Check out Bindi and Kya in action below!