Family old cat and youbg puppy

Question
We have had our American Shorthorn cat (neutered female) Po for 11 years. We recently ( a month ago) adopted a male Aussie Shepherd/Golden lab mix who is now a little over 4 months old.  They seemed to get along well..playing with each other,rubbing noses, etc. The last few days however, they are having a hard time: Darby the dog has grown and so place Po used to hang out are now in reach, the chase games of earlier have become anxiety-producing for the cat as the dog is getting larger and his play feels aggressive toward her...she is now hissing and batting at him with claws out. We try to keep them separated somewhat but in a small home with three adults this is being quite a challenge. Any suggestions???? We are fond of and attached to both of them,but need a peaceful household...   Thanks

Answer
It sounds like you just need to implement redirection and distraction approaches with your dog to give him something positive and time consuming instead of bothering the cat. It sounds like he is so used to playing with the cat, he doesn't realize when enough is enough.

Have you thought about training classes for the aussie? I would recommend that to help give him something else to do and help you find ways to alleviate the stress at home. If this is your first time dealing with a puppy and this mix of breeds, they basically need something to do and are eager to find things to do.

If you haven't started yet, definitely get a routine going for you as well for him. Incorporate playtime with training to both teach him new things and wear him out at the same time. The hard part may be finding the right things that will keep his attention. In this instance the loudest and most aroma-smelling things tend to do the trick.