Question:
Since we got our Pom Coho he constantly chases one of our cats around. He chews on her and drags her by the tail. I have tried stomping my feet and making loud noises and it doesn't seem to help.... he will go away from her but then two or three minutes later his is doing the same thing again.
How can I stop this behavior? Owner: Christine, Pomeranian: Coho
Answer:
Hi Christine. This is your Pom's instinct to chase after "prey". It's hard to believe that small toy dogs like the Pomeranian have such basic canine instinct such as chasing prey, but they certainly can. In most cases, it is not a matter of pouncing on a cat to do any real harm, but more of a game in which one animal chases the other for satisfaction of being able to 'win'.
Your Pom is seeing your cat's tail as the "goal" of the game. From the 1st day that your Pom chased your cat, and your cat ran, this told Coho that chasing the cat was a game and catching her by the tail is his "reward" for catching her.
Now, you must train your Pom that chasing the cat is:
1. Not a game
2. Something unacceptable that will need to life= no fun
3. Not chasing the cat = fun, rewards and life is good.
There are several things that you can do.
We would suggest beginning in a way that gives you much more control over Coho, until he learns. Therefore, we would recommend a harness and 6 foot leash. We suggest tethering the end of the leash to you.
In this way, he must stay within a 6 foot radius of you at all times. If he tries to lunge and go after your cat, having a harness instead of a leash will make sure that your Pom is not injured. (Most commonly we would be worried about a collapsed trachea).
Each time that the cat walks by, give Coho the command to "Sit". If Coho sits, immediately offer him a doggie treat and pats from you to show that you approve of how he remain being nice. Every know and then, you should also give Coho a nice, new dog toy when he does not chase the cat.
Any time that he tries to chase after the cat, being tethered to you will not allow him to. If he does try, do not bother reprimanding him... he will not understand.