What is the natural relationship?
"They fight like cats and dogs."
This saying reflects the commonly held belief that dogs and cats just can't get along because they are natural enemies. People who share their homes with both species, or who have read The Incredible Journey, know that this is not true. Dogs and cats can form fast friendships. It is life experiences with members of the other species, and not an inborn animosity, that determines how cats and dogs feel about each other
Today was a wonderful spring day at the Bulgarian village Lazartsi in Stara Planina mountain. The temperature raised up to 21C degree. I was laying down on my hammock when i heard rustling. Then I saw this view.
My dog is very kindness with my two cats. They are inseparable, they play together, sleep together. The only way to get fighting is for food because they are so greedy.
How can humans help?
Pet owners can help to enhance the relationship through classical conditioning. Put the dog in a wire crate with a delicious bone, and feed the cat in closer and closer proximity to the caged dog. This will help them associate each other with the good feelings that accompany eating.
Clicker training is another effective way to help the dog and cat learn to be civil and, eventually, friendly to each other. Clicker training the cat and dog separately and then moving to joint sessions (with the cat on the counter or otherwise separated from the dog) is a good way to start.
Teach each animal some easy behaviors, such as touching a nose to a target, sit, or shake a paw. Practice in various locations around the house so that the animal is happy to play the game anywhere. If the cat and dog will tolerate being in close proximity, train them together. Ask one of them for a behavior, click and treat. They will figure out whose turn it is!
If the cat and dog are suspicious of each other, devise a way for them to be separated yet still able to see each other. Click and treat for any behavior that is even the tiniest bit tolerant or friendly—or for any attention to you in the presence of the other. In turn, give each animal a long-lasting treat, something that takes a few minutes to finish, to give you time to work with the other one.
Raise your criteria in small increments, keeping it easy for them to win. For example, click the cat for looking at you rather than glaring at the dog, or for putting her ears forward rather than laying them sideways. Click the dog for anything that involves all four feet on the ground, or for anything that does not involve barking or whining. Gradually move from basic tolerance to offering you attention, and then to responding to cues they have already learned. If you have a helper, each of you can train an animal at the same time, gradually moving closer together.
With some instructive inter-species experience, patience, and timely clicker training, cats and dogs often become loyal "siblings,"
supporting and defending all members of the family into old age.
