Dog Will Not Leave Cats Alone

Question
We recently introduced our new 10 month old Rottie to our 2 two year old cats. The cats have learned to tolerate the dog, but the dog will not leave them alone. He is always leaning on his front paws and trying to engage them to play. When they retreat he follows them and licks (he is a licker) them while holding them down with a paw. He has never hurt them, but it drives me crazy. I want my poor cats to hang out in the house without being harassed. He is a smart dog; I am just unsure how to break this particular behavior, because nothing I'm doing seems to work. I thought the behavior would subside, but it's been about 3 months now.

Answer
It will take time, but you may need to give him a ''Leave it'' correction every time he starts to focus on the cats.  it may take a long time before he gives up.  

It will be easier if he understands you are in charge.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts. Dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm