Apologies if this is not allowed, I read through the guide and did not see anything related to other animals.
I have a 6yr old Chiweenie. She has lived with other dogs her entire life but recently came to college with me. She has always been somewhat nasty to other dogs, and we believe it is because of a doggy daycare she was in as a puppy. None of our other dogs are like this, but she gets very driven and aggressive. She will bark and whine at other animals (never on a leash, only in the yard).
My college roommate has a cat and I am not sure about the best way to approach them living together. I am team never leaving them alone together, but that is a bridge we will cross later. However, here is where it stands:
They have not met in-person
They have swapped scents and each others toys are left out. They go in and out of their respective rooms every 4 hours. Neither one cares for the others smell or things. Both animals sniff if and then walk off to do other things.
However, when the cat and dog have seen each other (they can see each other when the dog goes potty outside if the cat is in the window), the cat hisses at the dog and the dog begins whining and barking. We separate this behavior immediately and redirect.
They have begun eating meals underneath the door. The dog is apprehensive but will finish. The cat will not finish her food and runs off until the dog is gone. We plan to remain at this step until the cat and dog are both ok.
In the last few days the dog has barked underneath the door once and I immediately reprimanded the behavior and redirected her to doing something else.
Our next steps are to have them eat through the glass patio door, then have the dog meet the cat while leashed and held, and then have the dog loose but with the leash dragging. We are planning on taking 1+ weeks per step.
But, with the dogs aforementioned behavior, is this a lost cause? She has never met a cat, will chase raccoons and squirrels, and any animal that’s been introduced before this has been a puppy. The cat is 1 and a stray, so she has undoubtedly met dogs before, and she is also a bit mean. She will push other cats into corners and force them to play with her.
Any advice is greatly appreciated as I do not want them to get a damaged relationship. They definitely haven’t started on the best foot but I don’t believe it’s been catastrophic so far.
submitted by /u/Ordinary-Toe-2814
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