This Is Why Your Dog Needs Training for Your Cat to Live Safely
If you have a cat and want to bring a dog into your home or already have, your dog needs to be trained. There are no two ways about it: even the most friendly dog can potentially pose a hazard to your cat. That doesn't mean that there's any ill will, though. Read this simple guide to understand the hazards that a dog can pose to a cat and how you can mitigate them.
Don't Mean Harm
The average well-behaved dog isn't going to intend any harm upon a cat. If anything, they'll probably see them as a playmate, whether or not the cat wants to be one. This is where the problem starts. Most dogs are larger - some significantly so - than cats. A dog's rough-housing with you or another dog might get a little intense at times, but a cat is far smaller. Play rough-housing could quickly turn into an accidental injury. That wouldn't make your dog a bad dog, but it would mean potential medical bills and a lot of fear over the condition of your cat.
Stress
Cats typically like the quiet and want to be left alone from time to time. Unfortunately, bringing a dog into your home could cause problems for this, too. A dog that's intensely friendly, overly loud (by barking) or simply extremely active can stress a cat out. Stress is bad for a cat, just like it is for anyone. It can lead to problems like pica, which is a condition where cats try to eat things that aren't food, like strings or even their own hair. It can also potentially cause health problems like increased blood pressure. High blood pressure is a big problem for cats because it can cause damage to the kidneys and even the eyes.
What to Do
It's important to remember in all of this that your dog isn't bad, and they probably don't intend anything bad to happen to your cat. They're just too friendly for their own good! The good news is, you can have your dog trained to help keep better control over their behavior. This won't mean that they become any less affectionate with you, but it will give you a handle to get them to obey you immediately. This can be useful in getting them to leave your cat alone, to calm down, or to be quieter, which you'll probably enjoy, too.
Dogs and cats can get along with a little help from a pet trainer service like Ridge Side K9. If your dog hasn't undergone any kind of pet training, it's time to change that, for your cat's sake. Let your kitty and dog live a long, happy life together by making this one simple change.