My life is dedicated to helping dogs while remaining compassionate to the wide variety of dog owners.
I saw an interesting scene between my three animals.
Dogs and cats can work things out on their own most of the time. At least that’s the case for my three.
I have two tabby cats. Scout is skittish and reactive. Beamer is confident and calm. And then there’s my Lab mix Ace.
Here’s the scene:
Ace was sound asleep on his dog bed, tucked away in the corner and snoring.
My husband was holding Scout. When he set him down, Scout ran across the room and smacked Ace right on the nose.
This happens several times per week. Scout has a low frustration tolerance, and he takes it out on the weakest victim – Ace.
Normally Ace takes it like a champ, but not this time.
Ace lunged at Scout, growled and tried to mouth him.
Watching this from the couch, my initial reaction was to scold Ace. He is 70 pounds and has no business snapping at anyone.
But if a cat is stupid enough to challenge a sleeping Lab, doesn’t he deserve a reaction like that? Maybe Ace was teaching Scout an important lesson: “Some dogs aren’t so tolerant. Some dogs will attack cats who act like you.”
And then I got my lesson: Just let it be.
Beamer calmly walked into the center of the room between the others. He looked Ace right in the eyes.
All tension disappeared.
Ace had been lying down the entire time, but now he looked away and went back to sleep.
Scout had long forgotten the incident.
And then Beamer calmly walked away, too.
They all resumed their naps.
There was nothing for me to do. No need to get involved.
There is always communication going on between animals that we humans will never understand. We say we know what they are thinking, but we do not. We say we can read their body language, but we cannot.
Conversations take place between my pets daily. Their language is foreign, and by the time I understand what’s happening, they’ve moved on.
They’re always a step ahead.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t know…if that picture was taken after the described scene, Ace looks like he intends to sleep with one eye open.
Single-pet household here so the only conversations are dog-human and human-dog. And I’d say that we can’t *always* read their body language or *always* know what they’re thinking, but sometimes we certainly can.
I think he always has one eye on the cats
I would love to think we could trust it to that as it sounds MUCH easier. Maybe soon. We just adopted a 2-year-old rescue dog into our home with existing 2-year-old and 4-year-old cats. He seems to be very mellow about them, just curious, but the cats are very wary and scared. We’ve been able to get them close very briefly with a lot of coaxing and treats, but can’t make any real progress after two weeks. As soon as he starts to go near one they freak out and run and then hide for hours. So we still don’t REALLY know what he would do if one started a fight with him and we’re afraid to leave him out when we’re not around. Overly protective?
I think it’s important to take things very slowly when first introducing animals to your home. You are doing the right thing in my opinion to separate them when you aren’t home. Your cats will come around with time. It’s great your dog is being so mellow.
When I have a new dog in the house, I make sure to give my cats some freedom every now and then without the dog. Baby gates can work well to block the dog while allowing the cats to come closer if they want. A kennel also works well.
Thanks, that’s basically what we are doing. The cats have free run (though they try to avoid the living room when Lincoln is out) or sneak through and then run like heck if he moves, lol. We keep Lincoln in the living room or foyer (where his crate is) then crate him overnight or when we’re out of the house (which is rare since my wife stays home with the kids.)
Love your blog, btw! Just found it after adopting our first dog a couple weeks ago. Your balanced views have been very refreshing in the midst of all I’ve found while researching how to be a good dog owner.
Thanks so much for reading!
I definitely think adults interfere far too much in the lives of pets and children. They have their own language and we will never master it. Unless there is a pending emergency room situation, I think adults should let their world go on.
Body language says a lot even among animals I guess. It’s interesting your first reaction was that you should come to the rescue. It’s hard sometimes to wait things out a bit. (It’s even harder when children are involved) Conflict resolution is an important skill, even among animals!
Our two dogs and one cat communicate daily too. Once in a great while there will be a snarl or even a snap from the dogs toward the cat. I haven’t quite figured out what the “tipping point” is, but their communication system seems to be working for them. Great post.
My uncle’s favorite saying applies here, and we use it in all kinds of situations we want to stay out of – it’s a matter between cats and dogs. In our house, it’s a matter between dogs and ducks. I should probably apply your wisdom in my own back yard.
Both my cats want to nurse on the dogs. Kaya finally reached her breaking point and snarled at Marty. I did scold her because I didn’t want it to become an escalating problem. Now she just uses her paw to push the cat away or smothers her in kisses which I much prefer. Now Norman is the one who gets nursed on, he doesn’t mind but I always push the cat away and she’s getting better about it.
Ha! Your cats are so funny! I’m glad they all get along so well overall! They are such a cute bunch!
Scout’s reaction to being scolded is hilarious! I don’t blame Ace for reacting the way he did. I think you’re right in that he was only giving warning. I believe dogs should be allowed to give a warning. Without being allowed to give a warning, he might go to more drastic measures next time. My Lab Maya has been relatively quiet why my pesky Aussie mix Pierson plays rough with her. But she’s finally decided to take a stand. Now their play is more gentle. Except when dealing with someone else’s pets (because the reaction of other pet parents is unpredictable), I agree that we should just let them sort it out for themselves.
Good points. I also think dogs should be able to give warnings.
I like how the cats bed is bigger that the dogs bed.
This is typical at our house!