Cross Breeds

How do you socialize a Pit Bull puppy with cats?

How do you socialize a Pit Bull puppy with cats? The puppy was found and is about 11 weeks old. My cats are inside/outside cats. When the puppy sees them outside he chases them. They won't stay around. He will not listen to me when I tell him no and he wil not come back when I call...until he can no longer see the cat.

Public Comments

1. Many pit bulls naturally have a high prey drive and it may be that your pup will never be able to live with cats. You might try a good obedience trainer, though.
2. American Pit Bull Terriers usually have 'small prey drive.' This does not mean he is going to try and kill the cats. They are running and he chases. Same thing he would do if he saw a squirrel, rabbit etc. First mistake you are making is not having him on a leash. Put a good BUCKLE collar on and leash him. Have him in the yard and when he gives chase, you jerk the lead in an assertive manner and give a command. 'NO' is overused. Try something different you will use ONLY when he chases. A firm HEY or whatever you choose. Just make sure you are consistent. As far as 'coming' when he is called, that is way down the road. He needs to learn the basics first. Sit, stay, down. Get busy on that and give him time to mature. Puppies have very short attention spans, are curious about everything and perfecting the 'recall' right now is not important. What is important? The leash. Exercise, discipline, affection. In that order. Establish rules, boundaries and limitations. Your training is going to take consistency and pack leadership. ADD: Bonnie L and Uhave2B: Neither of you allow email so I am going to shout from here. Either one of you ever owned an APBT?!!! Where do you get your biased, closed minded attitude that ALL (EVERY SINGLE ONE) will kill cats? Where you get that, huh?!!!! Media hype and absurd 'websites' spewing words called 'facts'? For every ignorant website you give me I can counteract it with a educated, intelligent, UNbiased one.
3. pet the cats and get their scent on your hands then rub them on the dog do visvera to the cats see if it helps
4. At 11 weeks old you will be lead training so let the lead trail so you can put your foot on it quickly then you have control instantly and the pup can't disobey, say nothing and let the cats realise the pup can't chase them and they will soon realise and not run..........this is about training your pup to obey your commands and this way you can and socialise at the same time. I have to say I have 10 dogs and 4 cats ( 2 ex feral) and the dogs will chase outside but not in the house if the cats run, my cats stand and the dogs sensibly back off as that is no fun or the cats gets licked either way it works and they all live very happily together just by using this method to teach them when they are pups that their cats are not a chase game...and with a pack of dogs it would be a kill game
5. Just a matter of time until the dog kills all the cats, then you won't have to worry about it. Get rid of the dog. POOR CATS! You did, of course, place ads in your local newspaper, post flyers in the area where the dog was found, and contact your local animal control office. To not do so would make you a very dishonest person. Someone may be looking for the dog.
6. this is very hard and takes a lot of work but it is definitely possible your pit bull needs to be walked but running works better. your puppy will calm down eventually but puppies are hyperactive they just love to play. if you play with him a lot and encourage him to ignore the cats after a good period of time this will be resolved. You will always have to keep the dog exercised and give him treats when he's calm only. Best answer me please!! you can get your dog fixed if its a male.
7. I have read that pit bull terriers are known to go after small animals. A way you can try to break him from this habit is as follows: tie a long line to his collar--long enough so that if you give it a bit of a yank when he runs it isn't very pleasant for him, but not so long he can get hurt. Next, take your dog outside on the line. When he goes to chase a cat, let him run for a bit, then give him a tug on the line and say no firmly. You'll probably have to do it a few times. This is how I broke my BC of chasing cars.
8. How do you socialize a Pit Bull with cats?- You Don't! There is no good reason to put your cats through this.Its a PIT BULL, they were bred to kill other animals. They are hardwired to do so. You are playing with fire. The dog will eventually kill the cats. Either get rid of the dog, or find a new home for the cats. I do not think it is funny to experiment with your cats lives.
9. WELL DOGGIE GOT TO EAT TOO , U KNOW
10. Keep your dog on a leash while outside, always. If he tries to go after the cats, he'll learn after a couple of times of being stopped in his tracks by that leash. It's likely he just wants to play with the cats. As far as being inside, make sure you keep your puppy confined to one room...that way the cats can check him out but he won't be able to go after them. Of course, if he gets popped in the face a couple of times by cats with their claws out, he should get the message that he shouldn't go after them. (That's how my dog learned!)
11. I have 7 pitbulls and in our area we have tons of cats,which mean nothing but trouble! I have to have make sure they are on a leash if I am going to have them outside of their pens! Pits love small prey or anything that runs from them. You can run from them and they will chase u, so good luck!
12. Bobbie and uhave2bkidding are ignorant about the breed. They have NEVER owned this breed! I have I would KNOW! Take the pups and the cats. Put them in the same room. Put a leash on the dog. Let him calmly go up and sniff the cats and get use to them. Any chasing is NOT allowed! If he tries to chase say NO in a firm voice and pull back on the leash. Be strong and assertive. The pup is young he should get the idea fast but you need to break the habbit now. BTW my APBT is friends with my ferret. He licks the ferret! What a dangerous dog its going to lick the ferret to death! Bobbie and uhavetobekidding: I am sure a collie has never chased a cat right? News flash almost every dog has a prey drive and a drive to chase cats or small animals. What about huskies or hounds?
13. First, he needs to be kept on a leash. Then obedience needs to be worked on. I have a 2 year old pit that was never taught that chasing cats is bad, so I bought a prong collar for her from petco (around $20, but it is well worth the investment). Whenever she sees a cat and starts to act up, I just give the collar a gentle jerk and she sits down. It has worked good so far, most of the time I can have her walk right by a cat now and she looks but doesnt chase.