lvnMattie

As Mattie is getting older she is getting more aggressive. For example... Mattie is a begger when we eat, but the cat is also. Yes, I said the cat. But in the last couple of weeks, when we are eating and Mattie is begging for food, and the cat walks up to beg to.. Mattie snaps and tries to bite the cat's head off, so it seems. I don't know what has cause this. Mattie has got horrible about this. She only does it when she begging for people food.
Cause when it is time for Mattie to eat her dog food... she won't eat until the cat comes to eat with her. And Mattie does not snap at the cat or anything, they share the dog food.
(yes, i think the cat thinks he is a dog too.)
If Mattie kepts acting this way, we might have to put Mattie outside while we eat. I don't want her hurting herself or the cat.

mydawgz

My 14 year old cat Charles is the alpha and my 7 year old 80 pound Basset Daisy is well aware of her 2nd place order in the pack. We have a 2 story house and at night the cat will come upstairs and sit on the top step while poor Daisy sits at the bottom and whines until I get up and make the cat move out of the way so this poor dog can come upstairs with me. The cat will block every room so the dog cant get in or out. If the dog tries to go over and get a drink of water from their "community cooler", the cat will rush up and jump in front of the dog to get a drink first! My boy Basset Benny, died a few weeks ago and he seemed to have an understanding with the cat. They seemed to be friends and they got along really good. The only time Daisy was ever aggressive towards Benny was with bones or treats.
It sounds as though your dog is trying to establish his order in the pack. Have you had a recent change in your house? Adding or removing another pet maybe?

lvnMattie

We did get a new kitten, but the new aggressive behavior has been going on before the new kitten came about.

My cat, Jack, he does the same thing Charles does to Daisy. Jack lays in the doorways just cause he knows Mattie won't walk by him. He also lays at the end of the bed on the hope chest blocking Mattie from jumping on the bed.

It is crazy how a 90lb b hound is afraid of a 18lb cat. But Jack is the ruler of this house as far as animals goes.

mydawgz

You are right.. I think we would be amazed at what they really think about us and about their furry roomates. Charles will lash out at Daisy sometimes. (most of the time just for walking by). Daisy will take the long way from one room to the other just to avoid Charles! I wish I could help more with the aggression. Let us know what you find out.

Mikey T

If mattie intent to injure the cat then that is eactly what she she would have done. The intent is move the cat away An it is porpably effective at doing so which is why she continues to do so, and is therefore in a more prime spot to get food.

as for solution consider the following.

I have never met a dog basset included that persist in "begging" behavior if the begging is not reward at least on a occasional basis. Stop rewarding the begging behavior and the begging stops and the need to protect the most valuable resource people food. I would be remiss however if I did not point out a phenonenom that occurs when you try creat a behavior extincting by not rewarding a previous rewarded behavior, That is know as an extinction burst. That is the behavior gets worse much worse and more persistent and aggresiviely applied before it goes away.

Another alternative to to teach an incompatable behavior. That is simply have her sit or lie and wait for you to finsh eating at a greater distance for the table and the cat at some other location doing the same thing. See Table Manners For the cat you are likely going to need a better reward than stinkified cherrios however.

Change the prospects of being rewarded to the vaciniety of the cat. That is do not reward the beging behavior unless the cat is near by. And consistently reward the behavior when the cat is close. What this does is fundamently change the association the dog as made in regard to the cat and people food. Currently the dog associates the cat as a threat to its supply of people food. By reward the dog only when the cat is nearby we change the associate so no the pressence of the cat signifies people food gates will be open and the dog will become more tollerant Dare I say encouraged to have the presence of the cat while begging


There is never a perect solution just some bettter than other given the particulars of the situation it is why I provided variety of solutions than you chose from keeping in mind the obvious consequences of each.

Which is precisely why the cat continues in the behavior. Because it is generally effective. If it did not affect the dogs behavior the cat would stop this behavior. That is not say it would not try something else to obtain the same results.

you really don't want me to go their do you with the thousand of links and reason why the most learned and trained behaviorist find the whole pack heirarchy a myth when applied to dogs and dog training. Dog do not seek status. If fact if you had so called experts in pack heirarchy observe the same group of dogs they would reach different conculsion in which dog was alpha and the rest of the so called pecking order. The fact this can not be reliably done should be suficient reason enough not to buy into the notion, The dog is not seek higher status over the cat, no it is simply seek to gain more people food for it self. It is us humans that build the artificial and erronious constructs of status because they are important to us, not so for the dog what is important to him is the resource. Never mind the fact there is no evidence for interspecies packs as well.

lvnMattie

Thanks Mikey T, your always full of all the infomation we need!!