tl:dr: Roommate-landlord got a puppy without consulting us. She doesn't pay enough attention to him so I end up caring for him a lot. He plays way too hard with my cat and I think he needs a trainer. What do?
Hi r/pets! I'm hoping you can help with a problem that is part animal behavior, part human ettiquette...
I adopted my two year old cat from a shelter about 7 months ago. Three months ago, I got a very last-minute job offer and moved to a new city. Luckily, I immediate found available housing with a live-in landlord who loves cats. My cat was a little freaked out by the giant house at first (lived alone in a small apt before) but she is very adaptable and started coming out of her shell about two weeks in
THEN, landlord texts me and the other roommate that she is bringing home a rescue puppy the next day at 9am. Apparently she had been on a waiting list at a breed-specific rescue (he's half dachsund half corgi) and took the chance as soon as it arose, without consulting us first.
He is 3 months old. I love the little dude, but he's a typical three month old puppy: crazy amounts of energy, some potty accidents, and an affinity for bites (not break-the-skin bites, just annoying why-won't-you-play-with-me bites). The first time we introduced him to our cat, he was barking like mad and snarling at her. Okay, clear no go. We made sure they were never in the same room. Eventually, we tried again and they started sniffing each other and were definitely curious.
My landlord works 9-5 M-F and keeps him in a kennel while she's gone. I typically (try to) work from home MOnday and Friday, and I almost always let the little dude out. He yelps and whines so much in there and it feels cruel to leave him when I'm home, knowing otherwise he won't get walked or played with again until briefly at lunch time and then around 6. I have a baby gate separating him from me and my cat's "half" of the house, so theoretically that should be good. However, the cat can squeeze thru the grates of the baby gate.
He clearly wants to play with her like she's a dog. She has high places to jump up to, so usually she can get away, but when he has the chance, he'll legit tackle her! He doesn't bite or scratch, and I've been around plenty of dogs to know that this is what dog playing looks like. However, she's obviously not a dog. She'll hiss and swat at him but is also clearly afraid and will yelp. After getting chased by him, she'll meow sadly until I cuddle with her and make her feel better.
I'm confident that they could get along with proper factors. She does seeks him out, and he clearly loves her. But I also know that training and other factors must be taken care of. First, my landlord doesn't play with him!!!! She walks him in the morning, on her lunch break (unless I do it, which I often do) and after work. But then she just usually watches TV and goes to sleep. Dude is desperate for play. I play with him, but again, I'm trying to get work done at home. My cat comes by when he hasn't been played with in a long time and of course wants to play with her.
Also, training. I've been wanting to bring up the idea of getting him a puppy trainer to her but can't think of a polite way to do it. (Is there one?) I can try to train him when I'm around, but it will be inconsistent and I assume just confusing if she reverses whatever training I've tried to do.
Wow, this is long. I guess I probably just needed to rant about it. Any advice, yall? Thanks!
[link] [comments]
from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/ducpac/roommate_cat_dog_problem/
No comments:
Post a Comment