Non puppy Shikoku becoming friends with a cat
Someone on the FB page was asking how I got my 1yr old Shikoku to be good friends with a cat. If anyone else has introduced their older Shikoku to pets any tips would be appreciated. These steps are just what worked for me! 
When Kiba first met the cat he was lunging and actively trying to eat the cat and to be honest I didn't think my efforts were going to be successful.
** This process took roughly 3 months.
1. Get a piece of fur and hold it in your arms like it might be a cat. Teach him to sniff the fur and NOT bite the fur. I used the word Gentle. I did this until he always sniffed it and no biting. If he bites the fur I reacted almost as strongly as if he had bitten the cat.
2. When the 2 animals are in the same room keep the dog tied up on a short leash and use a flat collar. When the dog shows any calm behavior around the cat give him lots of rewards and praise. Kiba responds very well to praise and if he was a treat dog I would have given him food rewards too. If the dog lunges towards the cat be sure to correct him so he's knows that's not acceptable. ... this was the long phase and there were quite a few times I didnt think it was going to change.
3. When they're in the same room I continued to alternate between giving the cat and dog attention and let the dog smell the cat on you.
4. Once the dog is showing calm behavior like laying in a very relaxed position (not the pounce position), and is also calm when the cat walks past then you can move on to the introduction.
5. Holding the cat, walk towards where the dog is tied and only go as close as you can with both being calm. The idea is to teach both animals to be calm around each other so they can sniff.
6. For the first number of sniffs I would sit on the floor with the cat on my lap and move the end of the cat's tale over towards Kiba and say Gentle. I was in a sitting position to protect the cat's body! By this point he knew he wasnt allow to chase the cat but still would have liked to eat the cat if possible.
7. Once the first tail fur smells have gone calmly, the dog should be relaxing around the cat. Just keep rewarding calm behavior and correcting any excited or aggressive postures towards the cat.
Kiba is now in love with the cat. They play and snuggle each other and Kiba loves grooming his fur. Surprisingly Kiba acts the same towards the cat inside or outside the house but I would test that out before having them outside together.
Hope that helps!
When Kiba first met the cat he was lunging and actively trying to eat the cat and to be honest I didn't think my efforts were going to be successful. ** This process took roughly 3 months.
1. Get a piece of fur and hold it in your arms like it might be a cat. Teach him to sniff the fur and NOT bite the fur. I used the word Gentle. I did this until he always sniffed it and no biting. If he bites the fur I reacted almost as strongly as if he had bitten the cat.
2. When the 2 animals are in the same room keep the dog tied up on a short leash and use a flat collar. When the dog shows any calm behavior around the cat give him lots of rewards and praise. Kiba responds very well to praise and if he was a treat dog I would have given him food rewards too. If the dog lunges towards the cat be sure to correct him so he's knows that's not acceptable. ... this was the long phase and there were quite a few times I didnt think it was going to change.
3. When they're in the same room I continued to alternate between giving the cat and dog attention and let the dog smell the cat on you.
4. Once the dog is showing calm behavior like laying in a very relaxed position (not the pounce position), and is also calm when the cat walks past then you can move on to the introduction.
5. Holding the cat, walk towards where the dog is tied and only go as close as you can with both being calm. The idea is to teach both animals to be calm around each other so they can sniff.
6. For the first number of sniffs I would sit on the floor with the cat on my lap and move the end of the cat's tale over towards Kiba and say Gentle. I was in a sitting position to protect the cat's body! By this point he knew he wasnt allow to chase the cat but still would have liked to eat the cat if possible.
7. Once the first tail fur smells have gone calmly, the dog should be relaxing around the cat. Just keep rewarding calm behavior and correcting any excited or aggressive postures towards the cat.
Kiba is now in love with the cat. They play and snuggle each other and Kiba loves grooming his fur. Surprisingly Kiba acts the same towards the cat inside or outside the house but I would test that out before having them outside together.
Hope that helps!
Comments
He still freaks out at strange cats though, I think there is a difference between 'his' cat and 'other' cats.
He is a very patient cat. Rollo didn't try to attack or eat him, but he wanted to play. He pestered that cat for at least an hour, got swatted at and bit on the neck after the cat had enough of his nonsense. We had to split them up. He would hit him with his paw, nibble on the cat and follow the cats every move. He was almost in a trance, he was fascinated by the 'small dog that wouldn't play with him'.
My Kishu, on the other hand... eehhhhh... they'll never be okay with cats and one was even raised with my boyfriend's cats and my grandmother's cat. I quickly found out that doesn't transfer to all cats.
It's going to be a long introduction period....because of Meitou. He gets on fine with our other cat most of the time, but his general attitude toward cats is "YAY! Cat! Must poke/chase/tackle/hump!"
When we were at his house I had to tie Kiba up or have him caged. I also kept preparing my BF for the day that the cat might walk to close to Kiba while tied inside the house. I was thrilled when something finally clicked and Kiba started to accept the cat. Now I think anything is possible! haha Perhaps one day Kiba will be an offleash dog.
There was one oops moment where somehow the two were upstairs together and Meitou chased the cat around which made the cat even more unhappy. It was an accident but I figured after that Meitou and Toby probably wouldn't ever be in the house together. And Toby was spending most of his time outdoors in the summer warmth and seemed happy enough.
Over the summer Meitou became more desensitized to Toby and finally acted calm around him and seemed to accept him as part of the family and not some strange cat to chase and poke. Toby still didn't like being inside...
But...
Once the cold late fall/winter temperatures set in Toby has been coming inside of his own free will and walking around with Meitou and my sister's Chihuahua's like there has never been a problem. Sometimes he even sleeps near the Chihuahuas on the couch. Meitou pretty much ignores him except to occasionally give Toby a sniff. So now they're inside together all the time. Time and especially cold weather really helped.