Question:

How do I stop my recently adopted Chihuahua from growling at my cats when they jump onto bed. The Chihuahua is in a dog bed on my bed. The cats sleep next to me, but come and go. Whenever they jump on the bed Lola (the dog) growls and will even jump at them, Her previous owner had two other dogs and she did the whenever they approached her in her bed. The cats are being good about it, but it wakes me up and I’m afraid she might bite them. Thank you.

ANSWER:

If your cats didn’t come and go during the night, you could get the cats on the bed first, then call the dog up. But we’ve got a little trickier situation with them coming and going.

Sleeping on the bed is a privilege, not a right. So I would approach this from two directions.

1. Cat on Bed means good things. Arrange it so that the cats can jump up at the bottom of the bed and the dog is at the top (or vice versa), so it’s not as stressful for the dog as being jumped on. When the cat jumps up (you may have to help him/her make this happen), the Chihuahua immediately gets a really good treat, like a small piece of chicken, or three. When the cat goes away, the treats and attention. Wait 10-30 seconds and repeat. Don’t do a ton in a row, but as the week goes on, move the cat closer and closer. If you feel there’s any safety risk, have the Chihuahua in a crate, though that will make things a little different.

2. Bed Privileges. In the meantime, the Chihuahua can sleep on a dog bed or in a crate near your bed. Once you’ve done the training above, put the crate on your bed at night. Keep giving the dog one treat immediately after the cat jumps up. If the dog growls, say ‘too bad’ and set the crate on the floor. That can either be for the rest of the night (if you’re done training) or for a few minutes.

By the way, how is your sleep, with the cats coming and going? Another way to fix this would be to keep the cats out of your bedroom at night. :)
Grisha Stewart, MA, CPDT, CTP

Voted as Seattle’s Top Dog Trainer by the readers of CityDog Magazine, Grisha Stewart is the owner and founder of Ahimsa Dog Training in Seattle, WA. Grisha is a Certified Training Partner from the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior, a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and since 2002, an active member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She attends several training and behavior workshops each year and is a certified Pet First Aid attendant and evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen program.

For more information on Grisha and Ahimsa Dog Training in the Seattle, Washington area, visitwww.ahimsadogtraining.com.