My new dog, Fox, growls and snarls and my old cat, Holly, but only when he's on the couch or bed *and* with us and she is interacting with us.
Fox is nine months old. He's got some Pomeranian and Chihuahua in him as well as some other breeds. We're his third home. The first owner had a stroke and the second owner only had him for a month because their bigger dog was bullying him. She was jealous and would take all his toys and pin him down. This has left him very anxious which we're working on.
Holly is my 19 year old cat. We have had her for four years after a neighbour moved away and left her. She has always been okay with dogs and we always wanted a dog and now was the right time. Mostly Fox is very good with Holly. He ignores her. But sometimes it gets a bit too much and he tries to play with her. She hisses and bats him over the head and then they both carry on with their day. (Holly has a safe room she can get to but Fox can't, with her food, litter tray and a comfy bed.)
Holly used to sit on my lap in the evenings. Since getting Fox she has been a little wary but she's starting to settle around him and looks to want to sit with us again. My ideal situation is that they are both on the sofa with us in the evening. However if Fox is sitting with us and Holly looks to want to come up on the couch, or if I go to stroke her, he snarls at her. On the floor I make him sit when I give Holly some fuss, or I fuss them both together and Fox is fine. He will even sit calmly while I feed her treats and wait his turn to get treats too. They get ham, only when they're sat together. So I think it might be jealousy or him trying to keep us to himself when we're on the couch (it also happens on the bed).
My first instinct was, if Fox snarls at Holly then he looses his place on the couch and I immediately placed him on the floor. However this caused him just to chase Holly and scare her away from the couch. My next idea (which I haven't done yet) is to immediately put him in his dog crate. However, this is supposed to be his safe space and I don't want to associate it with punishment.
Fox is intelligent and obedient. All his bad behaviours stem from insecurity and fear. Other behaviours include barking at people passing the house, barking at strangers (and shaking and nipping if they try to stroke him) and barking at other dogs. I have been working on all these behaviours and he is improving so much even though it's only been three weeks. Strangers bring treats and dogs at a distance mean treats. It will take time for him to adjust and settle down and I aim to have a happy and confident dog who is fine around strangers and dogs. I know this will take time given his breed and history.
If anyone has any advice regarding what to do with Holly and the couch I would be so grateful. I miss having my cat on my lap in the evenings. Thanks.
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