Dogs can be one of the most entertaining pets that you can keep in your home. They love to be around people and crave the affection that humans give to them. Once they get used to you, they will wait around for you, and if you take care of them properly, they will care about you and be loyal to you in the same way. Dogs can easily make for excellent companions, and they are a joy to be around. If you bring a dog into your home, it becomes your responsibility.
Properly Feeding your Dog
There are a few things that you will have to take care of in terms of the dog. For starters, you have to pay proper attention to what you are feeding the dog. You cannot feed it just about anything and expect it to be as strong and sturdy as any other dog. Dogs have specific requirements in terms of what they need and what they are eating for energy. You have to do your research and take proper care of what you are giving to your dog as food. Do not rely on hearsay and find out yourself.
Dogs are known to be obligate carnivores. This means that dogs can eat and digest plant-based foods, but plants and vegetables are not what should make up most of your dog’s diet. You have to know that dogs require meat to get the energy that they need. They will need meat that is good for their muscles and their bones, and however healthy plants may be, they are not going to give your dog the strength that it needs to be able to go about everyday life. For that, they are going to need meat.
You also have to keep in mind that dogs should not be given meat that is raw in its form. This is very likely to make the dog quite sick because of the looming threat of bacteria that comes with raw meat. Raw meat is not entirely good for any animal because there is also the risk of salmonella that comes to raw meat. You have to remember to cook the meat before you do decide to give it to your dog. You can boil the meat or bake it, it is up to you, but you can not include spices.
Dogs do not need much else. As long as you pay enough attention to their needs, they won’t act out, and they will be on their best behavior around you. It is important that if you see anything which is out of the ordinary, you take your dog to the vet and get it checked up. Regular check-ups are also quite important when it comes to a dog. Giving it regular baths and checking its fur for ticks are a few things that are considered necessary when you bring a dog into your home, and they become your responsibility.
Entertainment for your Dog
Apart from that, dogs like to be kept entertained. They like to have interaction with the people that are around them, and they prefer that over being on their lonesome, which is the case with cats. They like to have something to play with, and you will often find them trying to play with you, their owner. They may look for other playmates as well, like other dogs. They will look for something to keep them occupied as best as they can. Often some of the activities that they engage in will find them in some trouble in terms of what they do.
Why Dogs Chase Cats
One of these things is chasing cats. Dogs quite enjoy chasing cats, and there may be multiple reasons as to why they would be doing so. Cats are usually calm and don’t attack unless they are being provoked. When it comes to dogs, which are much larger animals, they may be quite terrified because of the size of the dog. They do not like being unnecessarily bothered, and dogs do exactly that. Most of the time, dogs may just be trying to be playful and have a good time, but chances are the cat might not see it like that.
This will cause chaos within the home, especially if you are someone who likes to keep both cats and dogs in the home. Many people who do so look for ways to maintain harmony between the cat and the dog. Doing it in such a way that either party does not get disheartened or become indifferent to them. Most people want their dog and their cat to be friends. This can be made possible if the dog and the cat have been living together from a young age. They will probably be used to each other, but if you suddenly decide that you want to bring a cat home, chances are there will be a certain amount of disruption in your home because of the nature of either animal. They may not get along, and the dog might chase the cat around.
There may be reasons as to why a dog may be chasing the cat around.
Chances are the cat might seem like a new entity to the dog, and it may want to explore. Many dogs are quite curious. Cats generally do not like to be irritated, and this may start a fuss between both of them.
However, there may be other situations in which the dog will decide to chase cats, and that is usually when you take your dog outside for a walk. Its curiosity will get the best of it, and it will want to chase the cat around that it sees roaming. This is the most likely circumstance when it comes to a dog chasing a cat. There may be a few things that you may be able to do to stop this from happening when you decide to take your dog outside.
How to Stop Your Dog from Chasin Cats?
Conditioning may help your dog more than you can think. When you take your dog outside, there are a few things that you will need to make sure that your dog does not run off. You will need a leash that is between 4 feet and 6 feet. This is the right size for the leash; it is not too long and not too short either. It will keep your dog in check. You can not let your dog off the leash.
There is an option for a hands-free type leash that you may attach to your belt to keep your dog in check. When you go outside, and your dog sees a cat, it may get excited or worked up and want to run after it. Whenever a cat is in the vicinity of your dog, turn the dog towards you and ask your dog to sit and pay attention to you. When it does this, you should give it a treat. Sooner or later, the dog will become accustomed to not running after a cat because it will be trained to focus on you each time it does see a cat near it. This will make the dog more well-behaved.
You should scratch the dog behind the ear and continue rewarding it until the cat moves away and the dog remains calm. This will teach the dog that running after cats is not something that we should be doing under any circumstances. Dogs do tend to be quick learners, and they may understand what you are trying to teach them in a concise amount of time. The dog will not run to the cat the next time it sees it walking around.
Keep the dog on the leash, and if it tries to run away, reel it back in, and repeat the above steps. Gradually increase the line of the leash. Keep it short at first and the more well-behaved the dog gets, the more you can let the line loose and let the dog go. Finally, when the dog begins to get relaxed around the house with the cat, you may be able to let the dog loose and let it move around. You can slightly punish the dog and maybe yell at it if it continues to do so, but a better option would always be treating the dog with kindness and teaching it what to do and what not to do with a little compassion.
Dogs are quite smart and have good memory. They can recognize what you are telling them.
Conclusion
Do not use methods that are too harsh or too unnecessary when the option of softness is available to you. Remember that your dog will take very strongly to negative reactions, and it may take the dog a significant amount of time to warm up to you all over again. However, if your dog ends up getting too aggressive, a better option would always be to take it to a professional. The chances are that its actions are being caused by something else.