Hi Everyone ,we have a six month old rescue spayed bitch, have had a few problems with our cats,but we are making some progress ,one cat is making an effort the other is still camped out in the summer house !i am sure all will be ok soon ! we have been trying to give them all their own space ,this includes having the cats upstairs and shutting the dog out ,the moment we do this she gets upset and pees and sometimes poos outside of the door ! also when we go for a walk (which she loves,)the minuet she is out she pulls to go home , in fact the entire walk consists of her going one way and me the other,any ideas? many thanks Sue T.

i'm no expert (a dog training beginner with my own little guy, although i didn't freeload mine, i paid for him). sounds like you should really show him who's boss... that is, give that leash a good yank. it may seem like you are hurting him, but you aren't. hope this helps and good luck.

How long have you had your bitch, Sue? What breed/cross is she? Some breeds are more sensitive and demanding than others. She is clearly not yet feeling secure in her new home, but with time and patience that will come.
Can you put a stairgate at the bottom of the stairs so that the cats can come and go through as they please, but you don't have to shut the dog outside? I know my dogs think being shut outside is the ultimate punishment, and your bitch might feel the same.
When you are out on walks do you offer her treats, or squeak a toy, to get her attention on you - she'll walk better when you can get her concentrating.
Good luck with her.
:)

HI Sue,
we introduced Gus our Staffy to a cat already in our home. He still likes to chase her but as in more of a game rather than chasing aggresively . He doesnt attempt to catch her because he could if he wanted to , but if shes passing he makes as though to chase her - does that make sense ? I guess what I'm trying to say is that he does it to be more annoying rather than aggresive - rather like my eldest boy when he is winding up my youngest .
Poor Noodles sits ontop of the fridge freezer now out of the way . Fot the first few weeks she wouldnt venture down the stairs except for feeding and I was alittle concerned but now she sleeps ontop of the cupboard out of the way in the lounge . They will beome accusomed to each other in time but dont forget pups think EVERYTHING and everyone is for playing with :)
I'm sure it will sort itself out in time
Lel

Hi Sue
Do you know much about her past? It sounds to me like shutting the door takes her back to something nasty that she'd really rather forget.

I found a stairgate invaluable for cat/dog interactions as the cats can come and go at will but the dogs can't. Ash is now 14mths and still likes to chase Bonnie down the garden, but its now all in fun.

Have you got anyone with a dog that she can go out with for company?? My Chessie wouldn't walk on the lead until he went with the others, then as they were going, it must be OK, so he went too. Does that make sense?

I would also find some classes, puppy socialisation etc and get her along to them as soon as possible. Maybe click and treat so that she realises that she will get something nice (and it doesn't have to be food), not punishment. And I am not suggesting that you have punished her in any way!! From what you say it sounds like a very gently gently approach is needed.

Julia & Hooligans

Hi everyone,thanks for all of your help!in answer to your question Jeangenie, she is a westie cross with what we are not sure ,the Dog Rescue we got her from say the owners bought her in ,and only that they had children and they could not cope with her!when she first went to the rescue she did not like having her head touched and was a bit snappy!by the time we took her home some three weeks later she was a lot better, she still gets a little defensive,but its more mouthing than biting she has a very soft mouth and a truelly wonderful personality,she loves EVERYONE including children .We do have stair gates ,i am very aware that shutting her out of a room must make her feel rejected ,and i am at this very time trying to scrounge yet another gate!as for giving her treats to help her walk on the lead better,sounds so obvious doesnt it!.in fact so much so i never thought of it!!but i will try it Its so easy to forget all that is invoved in training a puppy,but we start puppy training classes tonight,wish us luck!i do think Lola has had a lot of changes in her six months ,but we love her so much and she is a very bright little pup and wants so much to please.I read here somewhere that you are able to train your puppy/dog to go to the loo in one place ,is this just a case of taking them to a designated place and waiting or what ?, any helpwould be appreciated as she does not seem to like going to the loo on her walks ,once again thanks for all of your help it really does make a differance being able to talk your worries through Regards Sue T.