Help with a Pekenese!
 

Hi,
I bought our Pek when she was 8 weeks she is 3 now) and from the time she was tiny has hated cats with a passion...when we got her we had a huge Tom cat that we had for 4 years and she terrorized him until he left us and moved in with our neighbors:( She would stand up on her hind legs and box with him until he could not take it anymore. She loves all other dogs and people showing no signs of aggression with anyone else, be it adults, kids or other dogs! Another thing is I have done everything I know to do and can't get her housebroken...put in dog door, take her out for hours in a fenced area we made for the dogs to play and no matter how long she is out she will wait to come in and the she goes, Arrrrrhhh!! The people I bought her from was dirty and she was so invested with fleas I had to take her to be groomed right away after giving her 4-5 flea dips myself. I know other people with Peks also have cats, what could be the problem?? I want a cat again put I worry she would kill it. Anyone??

I wrote this a month ago on another forum and it was flagged and removed??? Since then she had surgery (we thought she was in labor and found out she had a bunch of dead puppies and to save her live she had to be spayed and kept in doggie hosp for a couple of days) and I have been keeping her locked in my room with her food/water and suddenly she is using doggie door and going outside (my room is like sm apt and the dogs stay back here with us) but anyway after she heals I still want to get a cat at some point....any ideas??
Thanks in advance.
Junie
I am sorry for double posting, I no longer have a empty nest, both sons and wives (one with a 3 y/o) moved back in and I am going crazy with 3 families under one roof. They don't pick up after themselves very well either:(

Hi,
My honest opinion would be that it sounds like you have your hands full with just the dog. Since your last cat "left" because of the the dog I don't think would be fair to either animal to get another one.

Thank goodness you got her to the vet in time and had her spayed.
Jules

These small dogs, people don't realise, are often as or more agressive than the big ones. My Pomeranian is the most agressive dog I've ever had - and I had a Chow, Elkhounds, etc - even a coyote mix.

He knows he's tiny, but he'll stand up to anybody or anything. Not too bright, lol.

I've been watching the Dog Whiperer and using Cesar Milan's methods, which have helped a lot.

I never liked the choke chain but if it works on Rotty's and Pits, there must be something to it. Plus, it's not about strangling the dog (although that is a fantasy)

:o

It's about a quick jerk to get his attention. And the mentality - "I'm the boss."

No agression, no anger, but assertive leadership is what they respond to.

Put the choke and a leash on the dog, and every behavior you don't like, you yank and say "No" firmly. No petting, no cuddling, no affection. Those things reinforce the bad behavior and make the dog think everything he does is good and possibly he is above you in the pack - because the lesser dog always kisses up to the dominant dog.

Timing is everything, so you have to catch the first sign of agression and yank and say no right there, and do it every time. You can let the leash drag around on the floor for the day, for as many days/weeks as you need until the dog knows the rules and needs little reminding.

Remember to do this with all the bad behaviors though - not just being mean toward a cat.

There's a lot more to it than that, and there are more ways to do it than this. But this is a start and it's helping my dogs.

If you watch Milan, he'll tell you that it's kind of like picturing how you expect them to act, not use too many words - no or shh! are good enough while breaking the bad habbits - thinking that you are in charge and keeping an even temper while you do all this. Your dogs sense if you're angry or upset and respond to that. Good luck!

I grew up with Peks. My parents got me my first pekingese dog when I was very little. I named him Snoopy. He was very laid back. I would dress him with my baby clothes mom would give me and I'd cut a hole for his tail. He'd walk around dressed up.

We had a farm with cows, etc. Snoopy would go out to the pasture and chase those cows. And they would run from him!

It's just in their make-up. But maybe some 'dog whisperer' techniques might help. Good luck!

dear junie
braingonebad is SO right. Timing is everything so you have to "catch the first sign of agression and yank and say no right there, and do it every time".

Think about this. Doing it every single time. I can't imagine that you have the time. If people tend to ignore your needs (not picking up after themselves very well), dogs are no dumber on issues of authority, and if they can get you to let something slide, they will. So, I have to imagine you just don't have the time to do what is necessary to do. The average Peke is not the quickest learner in the dog kingdom, so it may be necessary to 'remind' him every day for the rest of his life what is not acceptable and indicate what IS acceptable. Don't assume he's human and doing it on purpose, he's not THAT smart.

If you can find instances where you train by praising him/her for what is acceptable, you will succeed far sooner than if you have no option but to spend all your dog time telling him waht is NOT acceptable. Do you really have the time and energy to never let it slide? That's what people count on, including dogs!

The only thing I can add to braingonebad's excellent, down-to-earth counsel is that you need to be firm in a kind way. You need to make life LESS miserable for them if they obey your requirements, and do it with FULL CERTAINTY that they CAN do what is right, and all involved need to have FULL CERTAINTY that you feel this way. They need to know that you are sure they are capable of making you overjoyed to be living with them and they need to know that you will never rest, not a single second, until you are overjoyed by how they are to live with. Without that double certainty, nothing will change. They need to have as a carrot-on-a-stick type reward a taste of how happy you can be to be to live with; this is how you inspire them. They also need the stick-as-punishment where they know that they are never going to be left in peace until they live by your needs since you are the boss. This is called by trainers and psychologists "no other options".

Only when animals realize that there really is no other option will they change a habit that requires effort. And they need to think it's worth it, so tell them (if human) that you hope they don't move out if that's true. This is what we do with dogs and toddlers to save their lives: we teach them that "STOP" means stop, since they could be on the other side of a busy street, about to charge into traffic to come greet us. Since teaching them a very few of these critical 'ovey then think about it' commands, we know we can one day save their lives if necessary.

Good luck with your kids (both human and doesticated)
Jane

I've never mixed peke's with cats, but I do have a Lahsa (another territorial small dog), and he's stuck living with 4 cats :eek:!
What worked for us was using a small kennel/holding cage and keeping whoever was new in there, in the living room, to give the others a chance to check out the new roomie (and vice versa), and get used to being around one another. It works best between 2 cats, but it helped the dog as well. Also gave the little kittens time to get big enough to give the dog what for. He'll play & chase around with them now, but there aren't really any major fights..Hope you find your answer!