Aggression in dogs

Question
We have just acquired a 3  1/2 year old male cross - golden retriever, golden lab and white shepherd.  He is a wonderful dog and very obedient.  You can tell that he really wants to please.  We very quickly established our Alpha position with him.  Our problem is two-fold.  We have two cats.  This dog has not been with cats.  He chases the birds and the squirrels in the backyard.  He seems to be accepting of the cats after several days of barking and growling at them.  We have a baby gate to keep him in the kitchen.  How can we introduce this wonderful guy to the cats?  We are so worried that he will chase them.  We have also noticed that when we walk him, he has, in the past two days, started to lunge and bark at dogs that we meet on leashes during our walk.

Thank you for any help you can give us.  We have only had him now for five days and have not yet taken him to our own vet.

Sincerely,
Tuula  

Answer
Hi Tuula,

Put him in a crate for several hours in the day and let the cats have free run of the house.  Also, during the introduction, never let them unsupervised and keep him on a leash so you can control him.  Make sure the cats have a cracked door or small cat door to escape into a private room that he is not allowed in.  It will take time and ALOT of patience.  Make sure to tell him NO when he goes to the cats and hopefully the cats can give him a bat or two to help put him in his place.  You can also fit him with a wire basket muzzle if you are concerned about him biting the cats.  Most likely the cats will hide and try to avoid him.

Good luck!