Agression towards cats

Question
I have a 1 1/2 year old German shepherd cross. We rescued her from the SPCA when she was already housebroken and knew her basic manners. She was a great dog and fit perfectly into our household that consisted of 2 adults and one cat. Recently my sister has had to move in bringing her 3 year old lab cross, 17 year old cat, and 4 year old daughter. The dogs were already playmates and although they seem to get along just fine they sometimes seem to have a few altercations over food and toys that my dog always seems to win.
The other night I was having dinner, one of the cats approached my food (while both dogs were looking on) and tried to take a bite. At this point my dog grabbed the cat who went flying and began barking at him. I instinctively yelled at her and she went straight to her crate to hide where I left her for the rest of the night.
I have never seen her react like that before even to the other dog. My fears are now for my poor cats and young niece. Any suggestions?

Answer
The dogs need to be put away whenever you are eating. Your dog reacted to the cat approaching your plate (what on earth were you doing letting him get that close to your food anyway?!) as if the cat had approached HER meal, and instead of letting you handle it, as the pack leader (which it seems you are not), she took it upon herself to 'discipline' the cat.

I would suggest that you and your sister immediately begin the Nothing in Life is Free (NILIF) technique with both dogs. You can find tons of information about NILIF by doing a search for it at http://www.google.com so I won't go into the details here.

You should not leave toys or chewies laying around the house for the dogs to get into altercations over. Toys should come out when YOU (or your sister) decide to play, and then go back up again when you're through. Treats and chewies should be given either in crates, or by separating the dogs via baby gates, etc., so that they do not have an opportunity to fight over them.

The dogs should not be allowed to 'look on' as you eat. They should be put away in another room, or in their crates. Begging is something that I do not feel should ever be tolerated. My dogs all know better than to sit and watch while I eat. They don't even bother my plate if I set it on the floor, unless I tell them it's okay.


Has this been the only time either dog has 'gone after' one of the cats? If so, it was probably an isolated incident that can be prevented by putting the dogs away during mealtimes. However, I would not leave the dogs and cats loose in the house together when you are not there, just in case. After a few weeks of NILIF, the dogs should start to settle down a bit (the fights between them should also become less and less as they begin to respect you as the pack leader).