Hello again to all.

I'm sure that those of you who monitor the site are familiar with my many posts. I am a first time dog owner with 2 5 year old Corgis. What you don't know is that I also have 3 cats. They are wonderful companions, and super healthy. They practically take care of themselves.

Problem is, when Eli came home, the cats never put him in his place as a puppy. As a result(and perhaps as a result of inadequate training), he is the man of the house, and the cats are second class citizens. Until lately, he has left them alone. But, for the past week, he has been quite aggressive towards the cats. When I intervene, E is aggressive towards me. All of the afore mentioned behavior is unacceptable. I have written posts regarding people not having control of their dogs, and now my own dog is out of control. All of our previous training is not working. I am on the verge of getting a training collar, and putting the cats up for adoption, as I fear for their safety. If Eli continues with this behavior, I will take him to the vet to be sure there is no physical cause.

Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Susie, you are "one of those" that will solve the problem if doable. You are the top dog of your pack, and you do have some control over how they interact with each other, at least while in your presence.

 Of course as you correctly stated that medical issues for the behavior change has been ruled out.

Corgis are often very hardy, active, highly intelligent, obedient, protective and devoted dogs. The same characteristic that makes them devoted and protective can make them assume pack authority if they sense a gap that needs to be filled.

 Behavior toward the cats and aggressiveness towards you can be one of the same or different issues.

 You may have to reclaim some territorial and hierarchy authority so that your cues are respected, if E is sensing a need to exert his own authority.

Depending how much time you spend with the cats, there could be a jealousy component as well, or E is deciding to give in to the instinctual prey dive.

 As a member of the herding breeds, the instinct to chase and catch animals has been modified to chase and gather them together by nipping at their heels and barking. Corgis still maintain that habit when chasing each other. So you might have some of that at play.

 It's all together best to prevent the pursuit, once the chase sequence starts, the dog will not only be likely to be deaf to instructions, but the driven mental state can make a dog bite or threaten.

 There are different ways to train a dog with prey drive to coexist peacefully with cats and other small pets.

 I believe it is best to teach dogs that cats are off limits and are not to be disturbed. With the help of another person like a friend or family member you, can have several short daily training sessions.  

Have the dog wear a training collar and leash and direct him to assume a sit/stay next to you. Have the other person hold the cat on the other side of the room.

For reasons of getting a training lesson across, hopefully your dog will be very curious and on the way to building excitement at seeing the cat, but insist that he remain in the sit/stay position. Praise your dog for sitting calmly. You must judge almost instantly if the dog is going to stay with in a balanced state of mind or you have to apply correction. A sit stay may now need to be turned into a down on its side to get composure.

 Have your assistant bring the cat a few steps closer. If your dog's composure is stable and can maintain quietly at your side, wonderful! Offer Praise him for it and a high quality snack reward like meat chicken or cheese. If he tries to lunge at the cat, administer a stern and fierce-sounding "NO! LEAVE IT!" along with a short, sharp jerk tug with the lead in an effort to put him back in a more balanced state and in the sit-stay position.

 As soon as control is established again, issue praise, and maybe another treat. Continue bringing the cat closer by a few feet, and repeat the corrections as needed and making sure to praise when corrections are not needed.  

 Patience will be needed depending on the dogs level of intensity with the issue, you might only be able to gain a few feet each session. Or you can gain control in very short order. It all depends on variables that you are more familiar with.

 When the dog is able to calmly accept the cat next to or near him, you proceed with the next step.

 With the collar and leash remaining on so if necessary you can easily take control in an instant to give the necessary correction should any sign of wanting to chase the cat develops.

In order To be effective, you must be able to correct the dog almost instantly each and every time he even thinks about going after the cat.  Release the dog from the sit/stay and let him have free roam of the room with the cat present. Your supervision is critical - If an attempted chase goes uncorrected even once, you'll have to start your training over from the beginning.

 When you are in the beginning stages of coexistence cooperation, when the cats come into the room issue another high end treat, eventually, the dog may welcome the cats entrance as being associated with a welcome reward.

 Susie that is the picture as I can see it, hope some of the info fits your problem and is able to bring the order back. You will solve this.

 Jay

Hi Jay.

I wrote a response a few minutes ago, and it must have gone off into oblivion. So, I'll post again. Darn those cranky servers!

Eli is everything you have said of Corgis, except obediant. Well, he's obediant most of the time, and tests his limits the rest of the time. He has gotten better over time, and is not nearly as testy as he used to be. And, I have gotten better at asserting myself.

That said, the cats have been fighting amongst themselves. Eli has been attempting to police these incidents as much as possible. Other times he'll trap a cat in a corner, and not let them by. I know this is part of hearding behavior, but, trying to eat the heardee is not, and this is where the trouble starts.If I happen to walk into the situation, then his mind is set, just as you said. Breaking the mindset is what's hard. I have been using his training collar with a 4 foot lead to give corrections. He gets corrected for even looking like he want to look at a cat. Last night he was extremely difficult, and I had to get a bit rough and put him in a submission position. This is always difficult. I don't know if it's due to his body dynamics or my lack of strength. Either way, he is contrite this evening.

I haven't been using treats for when the cats enter the room, so will give that a try, along with all the techniques you have outlined.

Thanks for all of you advice and confidence.

Have a great night.

See, I was right. I told you you can handle the situation. You probably have it well under control. But, ahhhhh, you have another dynamic going on and E maybe doing something else that is also instinctual. And, that is doing what he knows best to ensure peaceful balance of his pack. It is totally normal for him to address any rabble-rousing. If the cats are arguing he would naturally try to put an end to it. Of course, it was difficult to put him in the calm, submissive state when he was agitated. He may be small and he may not be a pit bull, but he has considerable strength. You won't have to do that too much more or too often. As I said, you will solve this.

Jay 

Thanks Jay. Sometimes it's helpful to have another person take a look at a situation and be mindful of what a dog was bred to do in the first place. Things seem to be much better, although the cats are still squabbling. At least I can keep E from going postal with them.

I think Corgis are so amazing, as they really aren't a "small" dog. They're a big dog in a short package, and they certainly aren't dainty. E is 30lbs of pure muscle. (He is large for his breed. I never realized it til I moved to Florida and saw tiny Corgis running around) I have never been able to flip him on his back to get him to submit. So, I get him on his side with my knee across his shoulders. That usually owrks.

Anyway, I'll keep on him. I like it when all is peaceful.

Thanks, again.

 Hi Susie,

 Based on this piece of info, what do you think is going on with the cats?  If Eli is trying to control their conflict, then if you are instrumental in resolving the feline issues, you would demonstrate that you are in charge of the cats, not him.  This might change the dynamics.

 I have a Corgi, too.  My first one after years of German Shepherds.  They can definitely be uncooperative at times.  What most often works for me is using food to distract and redirect, or just a promise of going outside or doing some other fun activity.  I actually tell my dog, "If you want to go outside, then you have to come over here first." 

Sounds like Eli escalates to a high level of aggression pretty quickly.  We use blocking behaviors when our dog gets focused on something, etc., but it sounds kind of risky in your situation.

My Corgi can be aggressive around food when other dogs are present.  What seems to calm her down is to reassure her that I'm in charge of the food, and I'll be sure she gets some. It does seem to be a leadership and/or possession issue - whoever has control of the most important stuff wins!

I hope you figure this one out!  

Hi Sarah,

The whole situation is somewhat complicated, I think. The cats seem to be having their own dominance issues amongst themselves. They squabble, but don't seem to be injuring each other. If I attempt to correct  the cats verbally for fighting, then Eli jumps in as the enforcer, snarling and lunging at them. That said, I try to tweak them on the nose instead. However, the cats usually vocalize during their spats, so E gets onto them pretty quicky. Depending on the situation, I am able to block E as well. I try not to distract with food or toys, as I don't want him to associate a treat with getting aggressive with the cats. (I'm growling at those furry things, and now I'm getting food! I think I'll growl at them more often!) I will ask him to go find something, like "daddy" "Dixie" or "stick", which is usually nowhere to be found, but he looks for anyway. This gives me time to disperse the cats. Sometimes this works, some times not, as is so lately. I had to whump him the other night, and things seem better.

Eli also has food aggression with other dogs. Eli and Dixie are fed at separate "stations" in the house. E in the kitchen, and D in the sunroom. Both are tethered while they eat, otherwise the one who finishes first(E), likes to scavenge. Neither dogs gets along very well with other dogs, so we have to be pretty careful if we go to the park.

I think that the Corgi's breeding and herding heritage makes them strong-willed, hard-headed little buggers that want to be in charge of everything. So, a show of force and establishment of law is a must. I have to admit that I didn't know what I was getting into when I got a Corgi. I am still learning. Sometimes I wish I had gotten an "easier" dog, but I love the 2 I have. I talk mostly about Eli, but, Dixie can be just as hard-headed. She gives up easier, but has times when she is so stubborn! She'll just look at you and bat her eyes as if she's saying "What, did you want something? I don't know what you're talking about!" Makes me wanna scream.

Anyway, thanks for the information. I have Dr. Pitcairn's book, too, and use all sorts of ONP products. I love cooking for the kids. It's fun to figure out what foods they like best. And,they always keep me company while I'm making a batch of grub.

Hope to see more posts!

Hello!

Just an update. Things seem much better this week. The cats aren't squabbling, and Eli isn't policing as much. Still need to be sure that certain situations don't happen, but all in all, the house is peaceful. 

I have a question on this same issue.  I breed Texas Blue Lacy, a ranching, herding dog, very domineering, and very protective.  They are used to being the leader of the pack as you might say, and they are not attack dogs, more of the baying dogs.One of my new owners lives in the Austin area where there are lots of other dogs and cats.  Her Lacy who is just about a year old, and she just got him fixed, has been very aggressive lately when going out to the dog park and someone comes by with another dog and he goes ballistic.  What is funny, he has always been up to now just a playful pup, when he comes out to our ranch with 4 other Lacys he knows his pecking order.  But now that he is back in town he does not have any social skills, just that he is thinking he is in charge.  Got any ideas besides just breaking him of his natural instincts to protect?

 It is a very interesting scenario and certainly not an uncommon one. If I may ask you to imagine a police dog that is on the job. Such a dog is trained to be polite in public and at the same time under direction take control to protect his officer/master when instructed to do so. At no time would it come into question to break the dogs protective instinct. The problem sounds like it is with the owner/pack leader who is not doing their job as a proper pack leader. It maybe the wrong temperament dog for their skill level  or possibly their desire or commitment to bring about an emotionally balanced dog taking into consideration the breeds characteristics. Problem dogs usually, provided that there are no medical issues are the result of poor training and socialization. I would suggest a qualified and competent trainer who only uses strictly humane training methods.

sincere wishes for a good out come 

I'm with Jay. That owner needs to get control of her dog! Otherwise the situation may become quite dangerous. A good trainer, the proper corrections, and 100 "downs" a day are paramount. That dog shouldn't be allowed to do ANYTHING until it learns to say "please" and 'thank you". Also., why did the owner wait so long to get the dog neutered? That's  part of the problem. The hormones are raging, and it's going to be a while before they calm down. The owner should have had the dog neutured 6 months ago. If the new owner can't commit to the proper training and socialization, then perhaps the dog would be better off with you until a more experienced owner can be found. I assume these dogs are of size and can do considerable damage if not properly controlled.

We all hope for a favorable outcome.