mt dog meeting my cat

Question
Hi.. I have just moved into a new house and i have a rotiweiler and my boyfriend has a cat. The dog is 5 and the cat is 6.When ever the cat sees the dog it runs and hides and the dog will chase the cat and im not sure if she (the dog) wants to play or is being agressive but, How do i train the dog from doing this and to make them friends?

Answer
Hi Jodie.  I would make no attempt to keep these two in the same household until your Rottie has undergone extensive behavioral training with a professional.  Rotties have a very strong prey drive - they have an innate nature to hunt, which is neither a good nor bad trait.  It simply depends on what the dog will be used for.  Unless Rottweilers are raised with cats and other small animals, their general instinct is to chase and ultimately kill them.  This absolutely does not mean you have a bad dog.  A dog who is a big teddy bear toward you is not human aggressive, but the same dog can be prey aggressive, just how nature intended it.  Since you are already seeing your dog has a strong drive to chase, I think you are in for some substantial behavior modification before you can consider introducing the two.  They may, in fact, never be safe around each other.  That would be something best answered by a veterinary behaviorist.  I've successfully trained numerous dogs to live in harmony with cats, but unfortunately, the only experience I have trying to introduce a dog with a strong prey drive to a cat ended up with a cat with a crushed trachea.