What's the best way?

[kendalyn]

For those of you who didn't see my post in the other section, I'm getting married in August. :-)

I'm very excited but I need help with moving Buck into Scott's house. Scott owns a small house in the city and he currently has a male c@t named Sheridan.

Buck has never seen a c@t as far as I know. My every instinct tells me that Buck would just love to eat Sheridan. Obviously, this would not be ideal and may get my marriage off to a rocky start. :lol:

So how do I do it? It goes without saying that Sheridan and Buck will never be alone together, but I'd like for them to both be free in the house while Scott and I are home.

My other question is about transitioning Buck to Scott's house. This will be a major change for him. Currently Buck is allowed out in the yard off leash while I watch him and I also take him for a walk every day. When I move into Scott's house he will not be off leash in Scott's yard ever. I will look into building a fence, but it may not be feesible until next summer. Obviously he will still get his daily walk. I will probably add on another walk because he won't be able to go out as much as he does now. Do you guys have any tips for making this transition as stress free as possible?

I am pretty worried about Buck. He will have to get used to living with a c@t and a brand new house where he will have a lot less freedom. I can't change those 2 things so I want to do whatever I can to help him.

[kendalyn]

I wanted to add that Sheridan (Scott's c@t) is from a rescue and he did live with dogs in the foster home. Sheridan also has all his claws.

[CincoandDahlilasgirl]

idk what to tell ya. Dahlila never had ne transition problems when we moved from the old place to the current place or atleast none that I'm aware of. She caught on to not haveing backyard offleash freedom cuz theres no fence here but at the other place she could run free down in the lower part of the backyard as long as some1 was with her and all gates wher shut.

Wish I could be of more help...

[Carolk9s]

Congrats on your upcoming marriage!
I would take Buck over to Scotts house EVERY chance I get. Walk him around the yard, walk him around the neighborhood. Let him get to know the scene.
See if you can get something the c@t has slept on, something saturated with his scent. Get Buck tired and as relaxed as possible. Let him smell the item and talk soothingly to him, what I'm thinking of is for him to associate the smell of the c@t with being relaxed. I know, a moving c@t is a whole 'nother ball of wax!
First time Buck and the c@t are in the house together, have a closed door between them. If Buck sniffs and gets excited, ask him for some attention/obedience with nice treats and calm but happy verbal praise. If Buck does not seem to care, again with the warm, happy praise. If Buck tries to eat the door to get to the c@t, I don't know!
Just some random ideas, hope you get more info and something does the trick.

[kendalyn]

[quote name='Carolk9s']If Buck tries to eat the door to get to the c@t, I don't know! [/quote]

:lol: :lol: Me either!

[courtnek]

I have always introduced all of my pets thru a baby gate. they can see, smell and sniff each other without making contact. may need a double gate in this situation, but I feel its better than a closed door between them.
also, the scent of the c@t on a blanket is a good idea, let Buck get used to the scent.

as far as the yard, until its fenced, you can put out a runner. a long steel cable attached to two solid surfaces (like a house and a shed, or fence)
and then put buck on a six foot lead that attaches to the cable. that lets him run but not escape the yard. you do have to watch to make sure other animals dont enter the yard however, but its a good exercise tool
for the fenceless yard.

[DogPaddle]

I would suggest, in additon to the above, getting a baby gate to seperate one part of the house from another. Place the baby gate high enough off the ground that the c@t can scoot underneath but the dog can't. This gives the c@t a place to escape to. With a quiet safe place the c@t can adjust at her/his pace and may be more relaxed around the dog. If the c@t is wound up it may act in a way that stimulates the dog. Maybe think about rescue remedy for the transition period.

[mouseatthebusstop]

congratulations on your wedding
it's good the c@t has lived with a dog before- the c@t will run from Buck and jump to places Buck cannot get
I think taking Buck for a visit or too first is a good idea

[kendalyn]

Good suggestions!

I am actually considering talking to Scott about building Sheridan little walkways up near the ceiling. Sheridan has a kitty condo that is pretty tall but Buck could probably stand up on it and still get at Sheridan.

I agree that it is important for Sheridan to have some way to get away from Buck.

I also thought about putting a small doggy door in one of the bedroom doors for Sheridan to fit through but Buck can't.

Keep them coming! :D

[CincoandDahlilasgirl]

If u get a 6 ft cable and ur in a neighborhood like mine where ur kind of close to ur neighbor yardwise and depending on where u put the cable. U probably want to ask the neighbors if they mind ur dog running on to their yard a little ways. Thats why we had to get shorter cables and attach them to a post we have on the side of driveway.

[ObedienceGrrl]

I had Harley (my c@t) when I moved in with Jeremy and his two GSDs. Neither of them had even seen a c@t before and Harley was used to my parent's Lhasa Apso, not these giant dogs.

So we established rule NUMBER 1 right off the bat. NO CHASING. I don't care if that c@t runs in front of your face, absolutely no chasing.

So we started out with Harley in her own room for about 2 weeks. Then, we put the boys in a room and let Harley explore for about an hour at a time. That was for about a week. But you don't have to do that because it is the c@t's house. This was a brand new house to Harley.

Then, the dogs went into crates and the c@t had the run of the house. Again, for about an hour at a time. When she would come over to investigate them, we'd talk softly and praise them for laying down and being quiet. The rules here were NO growling, NO barking, NO whining. Lots of food was given as a reward too. The dogs learned that good things happen when the c@t is around.

After that went on without any problems (or rule braking!) we put the dogs on a leash. By now, they really showed no interest in Harley. And she knew that they weren't going to chase or hurt her.

So the transition to off leash was no problem. Now, we have 3 dogs and 3 c@ts all living very peacfully in our house!

[Horsefeathers!]

We've done kind of a similar thing to what DP mentioned. With as many as ten dogs and five c*ts in the house, we avoid trouble where we can, though they [u]generally[/u] get on well.

We have a specially designated "c*t room" that is blocked off by a baby gate, except instead of leaving it up a bit where they kitty can scoot under it, it's all the way to the floor and they c*ts have to jump it. I have some pretty small dogs who could follow a c*t underneath... not worried about them bothering the c*ts as much as they like to eat c*t poo. This room is a totally dog free zone.

I like the idea of making sure the c*t has plenty of dog free zones it can access. The idea of a high walkway sounds good as well as a designated room. I think to let them meet and "interact" through baby gates would be good as well.

In all honesty, I think a lot of it will be a training issue. I mean, I know you don't want to upset Buck in his new routine any more than possible, but that c*t is already home and is being forced into changes as well. He should be able to feel safe and relatively stress free in his own home. Buck will have to learn, whatever it takes, that chasing the c*t is not ok. We cut it off at intent staring. You know the posture... that intent stare that often leads to a chase. We do not let the dogs show more than a passing interest in the c*ts. Whatever it takes, squirt bottles, yelling, stomping feet, whatever, even if the c*t has plenty of safe places to go, you make sure Buck knows that chasing that c*t is not ok. It's much easier to stop it before it ever begins, by showing no tolerance for it from the get-go. I think, in the end, it will make is life much easier because he will know from the very start in his new environment while he's already having to make a lot of changes exactly what is expected of him. You might as well make the rules clear while he's making the adjustment. Maybe, if you're lucky, he won't be as interested in the c*t as you think he might be.

Perhaps when Buck sees that this kitty is also a member of the family, he'll learn to adjust. Perhaps, after the initial introductions through a secure baby gate, one of you could hold the kitty and pet it while the other (with Buck on leash, of course, in case there is a need for a quick bail-out) handles Buck and you can all interact like one big happy family. That way, maybe, if you're luck, Buck and the kitty can kind of get used to each other being around and learn that they are each a part of the family.

[ObedienceGrrl]

HF reminded me.....we also have a dog-free room that is done so with a baby gate all the way to the floor so the cats jump it.

[kendalyn]

[quote name='CincoandDahlilasgirl']If u get a 6 ft cable and ur in a neighborhood like mine where ur kind of close to ur neighbor yardwise and depending on where u put the cable. U probably want to ask the neighbors if they mind ur dog running on to their yard a little ways.[/quote]

This won't work in Scott's neighborhood. It's not a great area and there are sometimes roaming dogs and shady people around. I would never leave Buck on a tie out even for 5 minutes there. Plus, I just don't like tie outs.

I talked to Scott and we are going to do our best to build a tall wooden privacy fence this summer. It will be easier on all of us.

[quote name='Horsefeathers!']Buck will have to learn, whatever it takes, that chasing the c*t is not ok. We cut it off at intent staring. You know the posture... that intent stare that often leads to a chase.[/quote]

[quote name='ObedienceGrrl'] NO CHASING. I don't care if that c@t runs in front of your face, absolutely no chasing. [/quote]

I like that idea. I think we will just have to be very firm with Buck and make sure he knows that the rules are unequivacle. Scott is more worried than me about all this but I'm also pretty worried. Hopefully it will work out well!