Dog person? Cat person? Why?

[Homburg]

I have two american shorthairs (read mutt cats.) One was given to me by a friend, she's the asocial one. Let me put it this way - I would have raised her differently from kittenhood, but her eating habits are her own quirk.

Ever met anyone who just eats salad, finds sweets gross and never tries unusual foods? That's her. She really hates almost everything but her dry kibble.

My first cat was like this. In her case though, it was because her kidneys started to slowly fail basically from birth. She didn't try new stuff because she was toxin avoidant.

--

We had a border collie when I was a child. House-pet. We had her from 8 weeks old. Only ever traind her to "sit" and "stay" and "come".

One summer we went camping on a farm - she'd never been to the countryside before. When we woke up in the morning we found she'd escaped from the tent and was running in the adjoining field, in tight circles, round a very tightly-herded bunch of cows.

Hilarious!

 

[satindesire]

Don't know about cats (although I suspect it's similar), but dogs respond very very well to hand-signals - probably cos their own "native language" is body-language.

All the commands my dog knows have both a voice command and a hand-signal. And she will obey one without the other, or both at the same time.

Yes! My cats respond to hand and voice training too! People are amazed that they do tricks but cats can be trained if one simply puts in the time.

Absolutely, cats are highly trainable with hand signals!

 

[ZRT]

The reason most people don't think cats are trainable is because it does take more time and study to do it. You've got to learn the cat's quirks and personality, and some cats are just too danged individualistic to put up with human attempts to boss them.

One of these days I'm going to take a swing at toilet-training one.

 

[Keroin]

We had a border collie when I was a child. House-pet. We had her from 8 weeks old. Only ever traind her to "sit" and "stay" and "come".

One summer we went camping on a farm - she'd never been to the countryside before. When we woke up in the morning we found she'd escaped from the tent and was running in the adjoining field, in tight circles, round a very tightly-herded bunch of cows.

The smartest dog I've ever met is a border collie. His ability to understand humans is almost eerie. The breed's herding instinct is off the charts. When groups of us go hiking with this dog, he goes into what I would describe as a state of high anxiety - constantly running to the front of the group and the back - if we stray too far apart from each other.

As for training cats, the first cat I ever owned, while living on my own, was a whiz at learning commands and had the nicest temperament of any cat I've known. You know those organizations that take dogs to hospitals and senior's homes to spend time with people? Well, I called our local one up and asked if they would consider a cat. They kind of chuckled but told me to bring BJ down for testing if I was serious.

I did. They couldn't believe this cat. He walked on a leash, didn't bat an eye around dogs, and responded to commands. He made it all the way to the final stage. This is where they engage the animal in progressively rougher play to see their reaction. Unfortunately, BJ, had a pin in his left, front shoulder from an old injury and when they tugged on that leg he made a faux-biting move. He didn't even make skin contact but they worried just him baring his teeth would panic someone, so they had to veto him.

Too bad. I think he would have made some folks very happy.

 

[CutieMouse]

The smartest dog I've ever met is a border collie. His ability to understand humans is almost eerie. The breed's herding instinct is off the charts. When groups of us go hiking with this dog, he goes into what I would describe as a state of high anxiety - constantly running to the front of the group and the back - if we stray too far apart from each other.

As for training cats, the first cat I ever owned, while living on my own, was a whiz at learning commands and had the nicest temperament of any cat I've known. You know those organizations that take dogs to hospitals and senior's homes to spend time with people? Well, I called our local one up and asked if they would consider a cat. They kind of chuckled but told me to bring BJ down for testing if I was serious.

I did. They couldn't believe this cat. He walked on a leash, didn't bat an eye around dogs, and responded to commands. He made it all the way to the final stage. This is where they engage the animal in progressively rougher play to see their reaction. Unfortunately, BJ, had a pin in his left, front shoulder from an old injury and when they tugged on that leg he made a faux-biting move. He didn't even make skin contact but they worried just him baring his teeth would panic someone, so they had to veto him.

Too bad. I think he would have made some folks very happy.

When I was younger I had the most amazing therapist on the planet - she helped me survive a lot of really bad stuff in high school, and I'm lucky to have had her influence. The last few years I worked with her, she had a therapy dog (golden lab) and a therapy cat (American shorthair). They'd both gone through specialized training to respond to client's emotions. The dog knew I wasn't really a dog person, so he'd always come over, rest his chin on my knee for a second to say hello (no licks or anything), then go to his crate so he wouldn't distract me. The cat would rub against my leg and curl up at my feet until I showed any sort of stress, at which point she'd hop into my lap and shove her head in my hands so I could stroke her to calm down. If I was still tense, she'd sit on the arm of the chair, or the shelf near my head to be close in case I needed her.

Brilliant animals.

 

[Sir_Winston54]

I'm a dog *and* cat person... it all depends on the dog's/cat's personality. IME, either can be loving, affectionate, cuddly; either can be relatively self-sufficient emotionally.

Both are trainable, if you find the right set of triggers for that individual animal. Even the most-often trained dogs, such as German shepherds, will have individual idiosyncracies in the way(s) they respond to training, though most dogs will respond appropriately to "generic" training methods, at least for the more common tasks - sit, stay, heel, etc. It's when one gets into more complex, "unnatural" or demanding tasks - to fetch the bird I shot without bruising the flesh or chomping its head off, for example - that one must look for the more subtle responses, or failures to respond, and adjust the methodology to suit the animal. With reasonably intelligent dogs - and yes, there are some breeds that are more than a few fries short of a Happy Meal - they can be trained to do almost anything their bodies will let them do.

Cats are more difficult to train to "do tricks," but a savvy owner/trainer who pays attention to his/her cats' behaviors and responses to attempts to train them, and adjusts to meet them, will be successful. Each cat has his/her own set of triggers and response mechanisms toward being trained, but they can be trained to do almost anything a dog can be trained to do. Swimming after downed ducks probably isn't in their repertoire, though.

 

[Keroin]

When I was younger I had the most amazing therapist on the planet - she helped me survive a lot of really bad stuff in high school, and I'm lucky to have had her influence. The last few years I worked with her, she had a therapy dog (golden lab) and a therapy cat (American shorthair). They'd both gone through specialized training to respond to client's emotions. The dog knew I wasn't really a dog person, so he'd always come over, rest his chin on my knee for a second to say hello (no licks or anything), then go to his crate so he wouldn't distract me. The cat would rub against my leg and curl up at my feet until I showed any sort of stress, at which point she'd hop into my lap and shove her head in my hands so I could stroke her to calm down. If I was still tense, she'd sit on the arm of the chair, or the shelf near my head to be close in case I needed her.

Brilliant animals.

And what a great therapist!

I love to watch the way kids interact with animals, I think it says so much about their personalities. An introverted child often comes to life when petting a willing dog or cat. My guess is that they are highly intuitive and recognize that the animal is not, socially, a threat to them.

I won't ever be with a man who doesn't display genuine kindness to animals. It's a kind of litmus test for me.

 

[FurryFury]

The reason most people don't think cats are trainable is because it does take more time and study to do it. You've got to learn the cat's quirks and personality, and some cats are just too danged individualistic to put up with human attempts to boss them.

One of these days I'm going to take a swing at toilet-training one.

I want to do that too and leash train one, then go around the world on a sailboat with one. LOL!

No really, I want to do that!

 

[FurryFury]

When I was younger I had the most amazing therapist on the planet - she helped me survive a lot of really bad stuff in high school, and I'm lucky to have had her influence. The last few years I worked with her, she had a therapy dog (golden lab) and a therapy cat (American shorthair). They'd both gone through specialized training to respond to client's emotions. The dog knew I wasn't really a dog person, so he'd always come over, rest his chin on my knee for a second to say hello (no licks or anything), then go to his crate so he wouldn't distract me. The cat would rub against my leg and curl up at my feet until I showed any sort of stress, at which point she'd hop into my lap and shove her head in my hands so I could stroke her to calm down. If I was still tense, she'd sit on the arm of the chair, or the shelf near my head to be close in case I needed her.

Brilliant animals.

That's great stuff right there. My daughter's last therapist had a dog that added a great deal to the sessions.

 

[Cattypuss]

I won't ever be with a man who doesn't display genuine kindness to animals. It's a kind of litmus test for me.

I pay attention to my dog's reaction to meeting new men, as much as I do to ther behaviour towards her. I am fortunate in this regard to have a dog who chooses her friends fairly carefully. If I had a dog who loved everyone, this particular test of mine wouldn't work.

 

[Netzach]

My trick-performing loves-us cat avoids new people and the more manly they are the more he avoids them. If I used him as a litmus test I'd have pitched T out on his ear.

He likes cats, they just don't like him. Whereas my other friend who's pre-op but living for years now MTF trans, the cat is like, hi, purr.

 

[satindesire]

My trick-performing loves-us cat avoids new people and the more manly they are the more he avoids them. If I used him as a litmus test I'd have pitched T out on his ear.

He likes cats, they just don't like him. Whereas my other friend who's pre-op but living for years now MTF trans, the cat is like, hi, purr.

Female 'energy' and a softer less threatening female voice maybe?

 

[Homburg]

Female 'energy' and a softer less threatening female voice maybe?

As I think I've mentioned, my buddy AP has been nicknamed "Prince of Cats" for. hell, probably ten years. He is the cat whisperer. He's also so testosteroney-manly that he frikken hums with male energy.

It is the weirdest damned thing how cats love him. I mentioned the older female, and she is as antisocial as they come. viv is her "person", if you will. Everyone else she dislikes, except AP. She looooooooves him.

 

[FurryFury]

I pay attention to my dog's reaction to meeting new men, as much as I do to ther behaviour towards her. I am fortunate in this regard to have a dog who chooses her friends fairly carefully. If I had a dog who loved everyone, this particular test of mine wouldn't work.

I so agree with you!

One of my cats who was ordinarily quite shy, fetch a toy to my current husband, bidding him to throw it. She knew waaaaay before I did what a good person he was.

 

[JMohegan]

Stop, you are killing me with cuteness!

If trained young enough, cats can be taught not to predate other animals. It's mostly about exposure. It also helps not to encourage the behaviour through play - i.e. teaching the cat to chase small, fast moving objects.

Netz is dead on about the hunting instincts of dogs being dependent on breed. Terriers just want to kill small things, that's what they were bred to do.

A friend's terrier almost killed my cat. Another friend's malamute killed all of her parent's chickens one Xmas - he waited until the chickens stuck their heads through the wire fence and then he bit them off.

Your dog sounds wonderful. I'm very jealous.

I've owned 5 dogs over the course of my life, and they've all been wonderful, yes.

Damn, chickens are stupid. What are the details of the terrier/cat incident? Where were the animals, and was the dog's owner present?

My dog training M.O. has never been to discourage chasing, but rather to teach dogs what they're allowed to chase (and when), and what they're allowed to do when they reach the target. Give them clear and consistently applied rules (so they don't get confused) and ample opportunity for authorized chasing (so they don't become frustrated.)

Fits in perfectly with this....

The lab/collie thing makes PERFECT genetic sense. Lab - go get that dead duck over there in the water and no, you can't have it, bring it to me. Collie - herd and do not injure or kill those running herbivores.

 

[JMohegan]

I have two american shorthairs (read mutt cats.) One was given to me by a friend, she's the asocial one. Let me put it this way - I would have raised her differently from kittenhood, but her eating habits are her own quirk.

Ever met anyone who just eats salad, finds sweets gross and never tries unusual foods? That's her. She really hates almost everything but her dry kibble.

He's all over our food. I noticed one of his many adorable but persistant begging gestures was to stand on his hind legs and kind of bat up, so I just reinforced it with chicken. It took about an hour maybe. Now I can walk past say "High five buddy" and get the trick and reinforce it with petting.

The high-fiving cat is a very entertaining mental image.

Are cats usually trained with food? A lot of people train dogs with treats, but I use the good boy/bad boy method.

 

[Netzach]

The high-fiving cat is a very entertaining mental image.

Are cats usually trained with food? A lot of people train dogs with treats, but I use the good boy/bad boy method.

Cats are usually trained, in the instances they use them in movies, with a handheld clicker. There's some kind of clicker/praise/sometimes food chain of events that eventually gets them on board with the clicking sound.

You never yell at the cat. You never punish the cat. It's futile. You only reinforce whatever the cat's doing right when you catch them doing what you like.

This is easy to remember when you are doing high five and very hard to remember when your cat is looking at you and peeing on the wall six inches from his litter. Again, yelling just means this is going to worsen.

I had a rough time - he had a UTI and then got better, but got used to some new spots. The fix was this litter they sell called "cat attract" which is apparently laced with kitty crack because his success rate went back to 100 percent in a minute.

 

[Netzach]

Female 'energy' and a softer less threatening female voice maybe?

I think it's smell, honestly. You get next to T and he smells like manly man. He's very soft spoken and calm, the cat just doesn't like him. Even less since he got dogs.

However, I've put a plate with a little tuna in his hand once and he got a new temporary friend.

 

[Cattypuss]

This afternoon I was walking with my beast off-lead in a park I don't often go to (just cos I have closer places). Cars are allowed on the wider paths in the park, with a 10 mph speed-limit.

Very busy there today because the weather is amazing. A woman with a labrador on a lead had just said to me "your dog is beautiful" (I get that a lot cos she's very small and an unusual breed - so people stop me and comment on her a lot...... my dog was sniffing around 10 yards way on the grass) and just after I'd said "thanks" a car appeared. The woman gave a sharp intake of breath and said "oh god".

Let's call my dog "Fido". In a very quiet, soft voice, I said "Fido, come". She came and she sat by my foot, looking at me. Again, very quietly and softly I said "Fido wait". Once the car was well-gone I said "Good girl, go on!" and she trotted off and carried on sniffing on the grass.

The woman was blown away. She couldn't believe that I had trained my dog so well.... how did I do it? After I told her that it took over two years of practice and patience before she was reliable she said "Oh mine would never be that obedient, no matter what".

And the thing is, it's not like my dog can do search-and-rescue or jump through hoops of fire. It's not like I called her away from full-on squirrel-chasing.....all she did was obey two simple commands and one unspoken one. All three of which every dog should know.

Gets me, how people get dogs and then don't train them. Not fair on the dog (no doubt this dog can never be trusted off-lead... and we tend to have small yards over here).

No offence to cat-owners, but hey, if you want a pet and don't have the time/inclination to spend hours and hours and hours training it, get a cat!

Of course, I said none of this. I just smiled and said "well, I've never owned a labrador".

PS Netz, I've seen clicker-trained cats. I did a lot of my dog's training with a clicker. Over time once she knew the command I dropped the click and just did the treat, and later I dropped the treat and just did a "good girl". They train dolphins that way too, although for dolphins the "clicker" is a whistle

 

[JMohegan]

I just smiled and said "well, I've never owned a labrador".

My first dog was a chocolate lab, given to me from the litter of a neighbor.

He would come when I called, sit on command, stop barking on "quiet," stop moving on "stay," dispel the contents of his mouth on "drop," lie motionless next to the stream while we watched frogs jump out of the water.

All that, from the time I was 7.

No yelling, no rolled up newspaper, no training treats. My approval was heaven, and my disapproval hell. I don't how else to explain it, except to say that we just understood one another.

 

[Cattypuss]

Ahhhhh... I had a dog like that once - a golden retriever. The canine love of my life.

This current dog has been a different kettle of fish entirely - she doesn't have that innate gundog desire to please (cos she's not a gundog). She's also a would be Domme (she was the alpha in her litter and it took a very long time ofr me to convince her that I am top bitch in this pack).

(my comment on "I've never owned a lab" was a bit tongue-in-cheek - I know gundogs tend to be easy to train).

 

[shy slave]

I've owned 5 dogs over the course of my life, and they've all been wonderful, yes.

Damn, chickens are stupid. What are the details of the terrier/cat incident? Where were the animals, and was the dog's owner present?

My dog training M.O. has never been to discourage chasing, but rather to teach dogs what they're allowed to chase (and when), and what they're allowed to do when they reach the target. Give them clear and consistently applied rules (so they don't get confused) and ample opportunity for authorized chasing (so they don't become frustrated.)

Fits in perfectly with this....

This sounds like pyl training to me.....

 

[shy slave]

This thread reminded me of this diary.....


EXCERPTS FROM A DOG'S DAILY DIARY:

8:00 a.m.Oh, boy! Dog food! My favourite!
9:30 a.m.Oh, boy! A car ride! My favourite!
9:40 a.m.Oh, boy! A walk! My favourite!
10:30 a.m.Oh, boy! Getting rubbed and petted! My favourite!
11:30 a.m.Oh, boy! Dog food! My favourite!
Noon- Oh, boy! The kids! My favourite!
1:00 p.m.Oh, boy! The yard! My favourite!
4:00 p.m.Oh, boy! To the park! My favourite!
5:00 p.m.Oh, boy! Dog food! My favourite!
5:30 p.m.Oh, boy! Pretty Mums! My favourite!
6:00 p.m.Oh, boy! Playing ball! My favourite!
6:30 a.m.Oh, boy! Watching TV with my master! My favourite!
8:30 p.m Oh, boy! Sleeping in master's bed! My favourite!

EXCERPTS FROM A CAT'S DAILY DIARY:

Day 183 of my captivity:
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal.
The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture.

Tomorrow I may eat another house plant.

Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded; must try this at the top of the stairs.

In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair, must try this on their bed.

Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in an attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts.

They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was.
Hmmm, not working according to plan.

There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary confinement throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the food.

More importantly, I overheard that my confinement was due to my power of "allergies."
Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.

I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches.

The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return.
He is obviously a half-wit.

The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an informant, he speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move.

Due to his current placement in the high metal room, his safety is assured. But I can wait; it is only a matter of time...

 

[intothewoods]

That's really hysterical. I can't stop laughing.

 

[Cattypuss]

This sounds like pyl training to me.....

They don't call a dog's owner its "master" for nothing