Help wanted please. I have a rescued 6 month old Lurcher pup. Had him for five days now. I need him to leave the cat food alone. He knows the command leave, but the cat food is SO tempting. He is fed Burns 3 times a day. I refuse to pick the cat food up, as he has to learn to leave it. I use a sharp voice, but as he is timid anyway, (still very much a baby) I don`t want him to cower. He is also jumping up at worktops. He has plenty of treat toys.
Any help with this will be gratefully appreciated. Thank you

If I had a choice between allbran and something like cream cake I would not leave it either.

Your cat needs to be fed somewhere the pup cannot get to the food.

Cat food is far more nutritious and tasty than dog food because cats are obligate carnivores and their food needs to at least seem to be mostly meat. and be very palatable or cats will not eat it.  they have usually the choice and can hunt themselves up something more appealing.

Brainless is right I'm afraid. You couldn't expect the best behaved dog to leave cat food alone, unless you're standing over it 24/7 :D Everyone I know with cats and dogs feeds the cats either at the back of a worksurface or in a room with a petgate on the door that only the cats can get through, that also saves the dog from eating the cat poo - another delicacy :rolleyes:

Edited to say my borzois still steal anything they can from work surfaces - and they're 6, you learn not to leave things out.

>I refuse to pick the cat food up, as he has to learn to leave it.

What you're doing is the equivalent of expecting a child to eat dry cream crackers while leaving the chocolate cake alone! He won't, I'm afraid. You're setting yourselves up to fail and it'll ruin your building relationship. Cat food is higher in protein than dog food, so will always be tastier. Heavens, even cat poo is higher in protein than dog food and the contents of litter trays is considered a gourmet treat!

You're going to have to be realistic - what you don't want him to get you must keep out of his reach, at least for several months until he's settled in with you and starting to grow up, but most probably until he's too old and arthritic to be able to jump up against the worksurface.

This reminds me of when people bring their dogs to my training class and refuse to train with rewards, insisting that
" only want him to do it coz I say so".
I'm astonished by how many owners feel that they are 'giving in' when training by positive methods.

I only work for my boss because I get rewarded (paid!). Although I enjoy the job I don't do it for love. Dogs need a more tangible reward than "because I say so" as well.

Well I've had both cats and dogs living together since 1981, and I have had some fairly highly trained dogs -but I would NEVER expect a dog to leave the cat food alone. That's what baby gates are for. :) Same with the litter trays yes.

I feed my cats on top of the snake vivarium which is on the kitchen work top and my boys (Setters) still try to get up there to get the food !!

We've had experience of both (food an poo!) We now have food on back of work surface and litter tray behind a gate!

Thanks to everyone who has replied to me. I really hadn`t put myself in his place. The cat will now be fed elsewhere.
Merlin, (the pup) Is a little sweetie.

Even if you trained Merlin not to eat it, he would probably wolf it down as soon as your back was turned! Mine do, they never touch it when I am present, bit it's a race when I leave the room! Hubbie put a cat flap into the conservatory & the cat food is in there.

so thats why my parents dog loved cat food, there mongral who is now 16 would not eat anything other than cat food a few years back and i always wondered why!!!