Aa
Not Good!
I have two very sweet med/large dogs. Up until recently they get along with everything, ie other dogs and cats. In June we were horrified when they killed one of our cats. Since then they have killed 3 more. Our whole family is in complete shock. I am at a loss as to what to do. When the dogs are in the house with the cats they are fine but if any cats get in the yard they kill. Is there any hope to change them back to "cat lovers"? Please help...
You might want to hire a behaviorist to work with you and your dogs on this issue. Your dogs obviously don't understand that cats in your home are part of their pack and aren't to be touched.
Your dogs likely do not understand where they stand in the pack order of your home. In their minds, they think they're doing a good thing and protecting their territory from interlopers. If they live primarily outside with little human leadership, they will never understand that humans are the top dogs. Dogs have a genetic prey drive, but it can be controlled with time and effort. I'm not talking about screaming at them or beating them when they make a kill. You want to stop the behavior before it happens, and I think you'll need professional help in this area.
Your dogs likely do not understand where they stand in the pack order of your home. In their minds, they think they're doing a good thing and protecting their territory from interlopers. If they live primarily outside with little human leadership, they will never understand that humans are the top dogs. Dogs have a genetic prey drive, but it can be controlled with time and effort. I'm not talking about screaming at them or beating them when they make a kill. You want to stop the behavior before it happens, and I think you'll need professional help in this area.
What breed of dogs do you have? I would be very concerned about any dog that would kill another animal.
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