ArcaMax

Dear Cathy,

I have a one year old rescue dog who came from a shelter. He is sweet and loving with my husband and kids and our parents, however, he gets nervous with anyone new coming to the home and will growl and snap. I took him to reactive dog training, but it has not gotten better. This is his second home that I know of. I do not want to give up on him but need guidance on how to train him to be OK with new people. My kids are teenagers and have friends coming and going. I feel like I am living on eggshells. — Nicole Velozo, via the internet

Dear Nicole,

While there are things you can do to increase his comfort around people, when a dog is aggressive and can’t be persuaded otherwise, it’s time to bring in a professional dog trainer. They will observe what your dog’s doing, what you’re doing, and give you a custom program to address his specific behaviors.

Until you find a trainer though, you can expose him to people gradually. Go outside and ask a friend or family member to stand about 20 feet away. Make sure your dog is on a leash. Ask your helper to toss high-value (yummy) treats over to the dog for the next five minutes while you two talk to each other. (Do not talk to the dog.) Do this twice a day for five minutes. Over time, your friend or family should be able to move closer to you both each time. The idea is to get your dog to associate good things with people who are approaching.

If you don’t see some results after a few weeks, please get a professional dog trainer to help.

Dear Cathy

When I adopted our seven-year-old cat, Darla, my wife and I were told to isolate her from our other nine-year-old cat, Columbia. Both cats are female. We were told by the shelter that it is in the best interest of the new cat to keep them separated. We found that this was the worst advice ever. We did isolate her for eight days, and when we opened the door for her to come out, Darla, wouldn’t budge.

The next day I picked up Darla and took her into the living room and put her on the floor. She found a spot to hide in the hide-a-bed couch and wouldn’t come out. We took the cushions off the couch and put her food and water bowl on the couch and waited. In the evening, she finally came out to eat. My wife and I were watching TV at the time and Darla would take a bite of food and look up to watch the television. We let the situation stay like this overnight and, as they say, the rest is history.

Darla is the sweetest most lovable cat anyone could hope for. She and Columbia tolerate each other so I guess you could say they are getting along. They chase each other through the house and have their silly little spats but nothing gets out of hand. I guess what I’m trying to say is that maybe isolating an animal is not always the best answer. We got a diamond in the rough with Darla. — Dennis, Austintown, Ohio

Dear Dennis,

With any animal, it’s always good to give deference to the animal living in the home, which means one shouldn’t just bring an animal into the home and expect the resident pet to be OK with it. Isolating new cats initially can help each feline get used to the other before a face-to-face meeting. What needed to happen is a scent swap during that time, which involves swapping out blankets and toys between the new and resident cat, so each cat gets the chance to smell the other cat’s distinct scent. You also can switch the cats — putting the resident cat into the room temporarily and the new cat into the house to explore. Scent swapping is an important way for cats and dogs to learn about each other.

This process should only take a few days. If everyone in the home seems content, then open the door and let the cats meet. There will be some initial hissing as the resident cat communicates his or her territory. As long as they are only hissing and chasing and not physically fighting with each other, things should work out just fine. Most cats quickly work out their territories, especially if there is just one other feline in the home.

========

(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)

©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(c) 2022 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.