My rescued dog is aggressive to my cat. How can they live safely?

Question

We recently rescued a dog and he's been extremely aggressive towards our cat. No actual biting, just growling, barking and cornering him. How can I make it so he can stand to be in the same room with the cat? Pet's info: Cat | Maine Coon | Male | neutered | 8 months and 9 days old | 8 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

Oh dear! This is potentially a very dangerous situation for your cat, so I would definitely recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist if you want to keep both pets - he/she can evaluate your dog in person to help determine the level of risk involved, and will put together a detailed training plan to work on the problem. Generally, treatment for this problem would involve rewarding the dog for calm behavior around the cat, while also managing the situation carefully to ensure that there are no injuries - this may mean that the dog needs to be on-leash at all times around the cat, or they should be separated using a baby gate or some other physical barrier during training sessions until things are calmer. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here: www.dacvb.org

My rescued dog is aggressive to my cat. How can they live safely?

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