Introducing a Briard with a Cat

No matter the mistaken belief, a lot of pet dogs and cats can cohabit in harmony. Follow these simple to follow actions to know how to best introduce your Briard with a feline.

1. Make certain your Briard knows standard commands like ‘sit’, ‘stay’ and ‘down’ before meeting.
2. Make a safe area for both your Briard and cat, where the other pet can not enter.
3. Keep them separated in the beginning, for the first couple of days. Make sure both Briard and feline have had the needed shots.
4. Feed your Briard and your feline on opposite sides of a closed door. This helps make them associate each other’s presence with pleasurable things.
5. Once they both can eat calmly beside the door, start having meet and greets in a common area of your home. Keep the very first few sessions brief and calm with your Briard on a leash. Treat both family pets for desirable behaviour.
6. Carry on with these face to face sessions on a daily basis. Make sure to save your family pets’ favourite treats for these sessions. If your feline wishes to leave, let them, however make sure your Briard does not go after. Try ending the sessions before any family pet shows signs of tension or bitterness.
7. When they appear like they’re getting a long well, allow them to spend time in the room with each other. If any stress appears, return back to the previous steps and redo them.

Why do Briards Hate Cats?

Not all Briards detest cats, some get along with them. When Briards do hate cats, of the most common reason is quite simple. Like all canines, Briards still keep some of the hunting tendencies that they were originally reproduced for. This is why Briards like going after all moving things, whether it’s a toy, rodent, or a cat.

Given that the majority of felines will escape when they encounter, it’s easy to see why they are known for not being friendly with each other. Briards actually enjoy chasing felines not since they dislike them, but primarily because a quick running animal sets off a powerful, natural behavioral instinct to chase after overcomes any training or socialisation.

How to Stop Briards Chasing Cats?

Teaching your Briard to stop going after felines requires time, training and consistency, however the reward of not needing to stress over them continually chasing is very well worth it. Here are the phases of how to stop your Briard from going after felines.

1. Keep your Briard on a leash while loose when your cat is in the same room.
2. Whenever your cat is near to your Briard, stop what you are doing and get your Briard’s attention. If he pays attention, provide him a treat!
3. Keep treating your Briard until the cat disappears. If the cat remains give your Briard a chew treat or toy so they remain focused on their reward.
4. Consistently redo the above procedures and you’ll see your Briard instinctively sit and look up to you when they see the feline. Do not forget to keep treating them!
5. If they are now immediately looking at you whenever the cat is in the room, they’re prepared to be using a longer leash. If they still try to chase after the cat at this moment reel them in and go back to step 2.
6. Lastly, take the long leash off and permit your Briard and feline in the exact same space. At this moment your Briard should know not to go after the cat, but if they do go back to step 5.

How to Stop Briards Killing Cats?

The best approach to guarantee your Briard would never ever kill a cat is to raise them with cats when they’re a young puppy prior to 3 months old. At this age, they will typically want to play with the felines and won’t see them as prey.

If your Briard has eliminated a cat before, its ideal if you keep them in an open, fenced off area. When taking them for walks try to prevent going after dusk and before dawn because that’s when cats are most active and most likely to be roaming the streets.