# Saluki x Greyhound puppy aggressive to our 3 cats?!



## Nerfie (Nov 8, 2011)

Hi all,

Ok this is going to sound like "why the heck did they get a sighthound, when they have cats?!" But my partner & I had researched breeds for months before we made a decision. 

We had read so much and had advice from people on Greyound/Lurcher types and how lovely and loyal they are (plus as my partner and I both work, the dog type was a good fit as we do not have to walk him for hours, but we walk him 40 mins morning and evening and he gets to sprint)

He is now 6 months old, and we got him at 10 weeks from a local lady who owns a pure breed greyhound and a pure breed saluki (his mum and dad) She insisted that if he was brought up around our 3 cats then he would see them as part of his "pack" and not want to chase or attack them - She did however ask us to be careful with other peoples cats in the neighbourhood, as they are "fair game" apparently. (This is not a problem though as we live on a farm with no other cats around, and when out walking he gets muzzled)

He cannot be trusted around our cats STILL, and brays and pines when he sees them come in the house or sit in view of him when he is crated. He has chased and pounced at them several times in the house and the other day I was taking him out to pee in the garden and one of the cats had a dead mouse in his mouth - The dog almost broke my hand by turning and lunging/snapping/growling at the cat. I don't know what would have happened if the leash had slipped out of my hand :/

I'm constantly on edge now when he is out of his crate wandering the house and the cats are about. My partner says he's going to be fine with the cats in time and that there's nothing to worry about, but it's been a while now since we brought him home and he's not listening to either of us when we tell him "leave it!" when he even looks at one of the cats wrongly.

Sorry this is so long winded, there have been other incidents involving him going for the cats but I feel the one I wrote about was the scariest.

I have discussed finding him a new home with my partner several times, but he won't consider it because of morals - which I understand, we did make the decision.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

p.s he goes to obedience class and is generally an excellent dog - It's just the cat problem.

Cheers, Kate


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

When he pounces your cats, does he hurt them? I have a 6 month old wheaten pup... and it's kind of the same thing - keep them away from small animals, rodents..etc. I allowed my cat portions of the house, and the wheaten another section... their sections were very separated and I allowed the cat to come into the dog section when he was comfortable... and first couple times my dog went balistic... but the cat gave him a little claw action and now they get along with reservations... they're not buddy buddy but the cat will purr up next to him. As for the cats in the yard... as long as your yard is enclosed and safe... they'll learn to stay out LOL


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## Nerfie (Nov 8, 2011)

Hi, and thanks for your prompt response!

When he pounced on our smaller female, she let out a screech and he tends to use his paws a lot and has thick sharp claws! No perm damage though, thankfully. It's a weird situation because when he's tired, he can sleep almost next to one of the cats on the couch, but the moment he wakes and sees the cat sleeping, he'll go for it.


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

You might want to consider getting a spray bottle of water and when he goes to attack the female, spray him in the face. I would hate to see you get rid of your dog over something that could be corrected. My parents have ducks and chickens... every one of my dogs (and theirs) have tried to kill them. It was necessary to introduce them to the birds young in life... and correct their behavior. We're working on the wheaten now but the first time.. I thought he was going to kill her... but later in the day he just chased them around a bit. 

I love sighthounds, I wish they were bred in the USA...


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

WheatenDaneMom said:


> I love sighthounds, I wish they were bred in the USA...


There are tons of greyhounds in the US ... many available for adoption from breed rescues.

As for the cats,
Make sure the cats have a space that the dog cannot get to- such as a bedroom that is blocked by a baby gate that the cats can jump over to "escape". Consider even blocking say, a hallway or a second story to create a larger comfortable safe-space for the cats.

For right now, minimize or eliminate letting him be loose and unspervised around the cats. 

Reward calm behavior in the dog-- leash him and get him near the cat but not so close that he starts to react. Ask him to sit and reward him. Inch closer. Ask him to sit calmly and reward him. Repeat this. If he tries to go after the cat, you've moved too close. Walk him away from the cat, have him focus on you again and sit. This time, move closer but not as close as to where he reacted to the cat. Then stop the training session on a high note of good behavior.
If your cats are the lazy type, you can do this while they just lay around. If they are likely to run or dart around, have someone pet the cat or otherwise occupy the cat so it stays more or less in one place. Not running away will help keep the dog's prey drive from kicking in.

I think it CAN be done to have sighthounds around cats, BUT not always and not usually without plenty of training. My godfather alway had greyhounds (several rescues off the track over the years) and always had a cat too.


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## Dekka (Mar 20, 2010)

Raising a prey driven dog around prey does NOT guarantee they won't decide to eat the prey one day. That is like saying if you raised a kitten around mice it would see them as pack (and cats are every bit as much pack animals as the domestic dog)

It might work, but its not at all a sure thing.

I had a JRT who was raised around cats. Was fine till he hit maturity. I had to rehome my cat as I noticed he was starting to eye the cat speculatively. Fast forward 6 months and he is a confirmed cat killer (not my cat but stray cats) You could see it building. Before that I too was of the idea that most dogs when raised with cats would be fine with them.

Not always. My whippets are just fine with cats, I know many sighthounds of all shapes and sizes that are. But I know some that aren't. Some still have a fair bit of innate drive.


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## WheatenDaneMom (Nov 4, 2011)

I just rescued a dog and I had a bad experience with a saluki... LOL

I just wish I could see them more, they're such beautiful creatures.

Whatever you do just make sure the cat is never "trapped" in a room with the dog... we have a baby gate on our stairs... the cat can go up, the dogs can't.


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## Dezzoi (Sep 19, 2011)

Having him around cats could maybe be done, but it will take tons of time to correct this behavior.

My borzoi is fine with cats that he knows are part of the family. He's been around them all his life, but would hunt down any out door cats if he had the chance (even small dogs like chihuahuas.)
Raising a sighthound with cats from puppyhood -might- stop the behavior, but it isn't a guarantee. It's more like a 50/50. Prey drive is hard wired into the genes of these dogs and most are born, still with this drive inside of them.

My suggestion is to work on this behavior (every day if you can) and reward the good behavior, like: When he ignored the cats. 
Correct the behavior you do not want (even if it's just play) by firmly telling him NO and taking him away from the whole situation to his "time out" place (or whatever method you prefer)
and bring him back and do it all over again. This might work.

Never leave him unsupervised with the kitties....ever. You might also want to think about muzzling him when he is around them and while you are training him. Keep at it - 6 months old is a tough, tough stage, especially with hounds. They mature much slower then other breeds.



WheatenDaneMom said:


> I love sighthounds, I wish they were bred in the USA...


You can find almost every breed of sighthound here in America. There are actually a lot of breeders and rescues here.


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