Need Help with Puppy and Cat Aggression Issues

Seeking Advice on Dog-Cat Conflicts

I recently moved to Alaska with my two pets, a Mini Schnauzer puppy who’s almost a year old and a four-year-old cat. We adore them both, but they’re having serious problems living together, and we feel lost on how to resolve it.

Our puppy often goes after the cat, biting his neck or limbs aggressively, and it doesn’t seem like play—he bites hard and won’t let go. At times, it feels like he’s hunting the cat. Sometimes he gets excited and runs back and forth when the cat chases him, but we can tell the cat isn’t having fun. Most of the time, the dog is right up in the cat’s face, and the cat hisses, hides, and gets stressed.

We’re also worried the dog might have learned bad behavior from us. Whenever the cat misbehaved, we would give him a gentle spank, and the dog would bark and seem anxious, almost wanting to join in. We’re not sure if this has made the dog see the cat as something to attack or chase.

Things got worse today when the cat suddenly attacked the dog, and in return, the dog grabbed the cat by the neck and shook him hard. It was intense, with the cat screaming, and I’m really concerned about one of them getting hurt.

We don’t want to rehome either pet, but we also don’t want to wait for a serious injury to happen. We’re really not sure what to do. If anyone has tips, resources, or advice on handling this kind of situation in a new home, we would really appreciate it!

You should either train the dog or find him a new home. Honestly, rehoming might be the better choice since it sounds like things keep getting worse between your pets. If one needs to go, it should be the aggressive one.

Schnauzers are basically terriers bred for hunting, and cats don’t do well living with something that sees them as prey. Tough decisions may need to be made here. If they’d been raised together from a young age, it might have worked out differently. Also, a gentle spank will not help a cat behave better; it only makes things worse. Don’t use spanking as a training method.

You really need to keep them separated. Were they like this before moving? I hope someone else can give you better advice.

Beckett said:
You really need to keep them separated. Were they like this before moving? I hope someone else can give you better advice.

Yes, unfortunately, this has been an ongoing issue. We’re really hoping things improve, but they keep getting worse.

@Luca
I’m sure the move hasn’t helped at all. Training the dog could be a good step.

What you’re doing is actually harmful to the animals. It might be time to find a new home for one of them. Dogs can snap unexpectedly, even after being trained. You’re lucky your cat is still safe.