German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

[Sandi]

I rescued my Abbie from a local pound a week before Christmas. Her age was estimated between 1 and 2 years old and she was 10 lbs. underweight. The pound was surprised to have found a stray purebred GWP and kept her longer thinking that her owner would show up. No one did.

I brought Abbie into my home which has 4 cats, a purebred Tibetan Terrier, and my little black spaniel mix (a city pound rescue).
Abbie bonded to me quickly and she is sweet, funny, smart and has a lot of puppy mischief in her!!! We are now in obedience class. She spends the day in my garage with my tibetan while I am at work --- (I had tried to kennel her -- she went crazy in the kennel - tore up her bed every day, bent the wires in her cage, and chewed the plastic tray!)

One of my main concerns is that she loves to point at my cats and chase them. She sits at the top of the basement stairs and waits for them to venture up. She also bats at them with her paws (trying to play with them) and I am affraid she will knock them out. I have been using the spray bottle on her. Will she get over this as she matures?? Is there anything I can do to get her to leave them alone?

[dualgwp]

First, thanks for taking Abbe in! it always amazes me when one of this breed gets lost and the owners never bother to find them!

to your question... YES, there is lots you can do to save the cats. Train her to leave them alone. She cannot look at them, stalk them, chase them, stare at them. If you decide she is no longer allowed to do any of those things, then it's easy. Be consistent. If you refuse to train her to leave them alone, then it will only be your fault when one day she grabs one.

Do yourself, Abbe and the cats a favor.... teach her they are not hers to play with, and do it now!



Good luck.
Dual