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Adolescent pup playing with the cat!
Hi! This is a relatively new client for me, a 7-month old Bichon mix pup, Finnegan. He and the cat, Bodie, have really started playing lately. The owners are worried (it’s their first dog) as Bodie has lost a little of his neck fur. They say the playing gets quite hard…but the cat ALWAYS comes back for more and chooses to spend time with Finn. This was our second lesson, and a play break in between our basic obedience skills training. Bodie watched and hung around the entire lesson.
Please ignore my background talk with the client. ????
What do you think??? I’d love to hear analysis from y’all!
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7 Replies
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Here’s the video!
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Such a neat video to watch! I’m not an expert on cats, but perhaps the swish to his tail isn’t purely joy and play…?
The puppy’s behavior looks like very nice play. Is it nibbling on the cat’s neck that’s causing hair loss?
Since you mention the cat keeps coming back for more, I think that speaks volumes. But it’s also a wonderful opportunity to teach the pup to recall out of play. That’ll be a great way of creating a little time to settle back down if play gets a bit amped up.
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My rescue is a 10 lb Terrier mix who has the same play behaviors with our 6 yr old cat as your pup. When he first came home, he definitely was chasing her. Now, they have the same interaction as yours does with the cat going back for more when the pup walks away. They also share downtime now where they lay in close approximations and chill.
Worried that the playing was getting too much, I would redirect the pup to a different activity. I think as long as you’re able to redirect , it’s all good play.
Our cat acts like a dog lol, She’s very affectionate, sits for treats, and loves to search for hides when I’m working with older guy, a 9 1/2 yrs old German Sheperd. The GS and cat coexist without much play now; I think our cat gets enough attention from our little guy lol
Take care ! Enjoy those beautiful pets
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I love this cat.
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I really like the little pauses in play -from both critters. The cat has plenty of options. He’s not cornered; he could leave. He could also signal disfavor at any time and doesn’t. I am also not an expert on cats, but I think the tail swishing is arousal. Cats in play seem to look more intense than dogs in play (IMO).
I agree that teaching an interrupt cue / recall would be great. Not only is it good to redirect the puppy and de-escalate arousal, but it gives the cat an out, without losing face.
As this pup matures, the interrupt will come in handy in other situations, too!
Thanks for sharing this video, @bernerlabreclectus ! I moved the video to your original post so it will show up as a preview on the trending page.
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Such a fun video! And if the owners are worried in a specific situation they can always try holding back the dog and testing to see what the cat does, like we learned in Catch. I’m having the opposite problem with one of my clients whose puppy wants to chase the cats when he has access to them, and barks incessantly when he can see them but can’t access them.
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Yes @grace , you’re so right! That’s exactly what I suggested. I also said they can put his harness on him to make it easier to grab him, if needed.
Funny that they say the cat ALWAYS comes back for more. He seems to really enjoy playing with the pup. And, during the times when they aren’t playing, the two enjoy hanging out together. Bode will even eat the pup’s food, rather than his own.
If the cat does finally leave the scene, the pup cries and the cat usually returns to check on him.
Inter-species relationships are incredibly unique and special… but you cannot force it…I also have to laugh that the male owner says that the cat has been less disruptive with him (the owner) while he’s asleep, since the pup plays with the cat. I guess Bode (cat) used to be a major pain at nighttime with the guy.
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