Jasper, our 12 week EM, wants nothing more than to play with our cats. Whenever they're crazy enough to come down off the counter (which is happening less and less these days), he chases them and, if he has the chance, tries to pounce on them. If they manage to climb up on something out of reach, he barks. One of the cats will swipe at him, but it doesn't seem to be much of a deterrent. All of this happens with waggy tail. He's approaching 40lbs with, oh, another 160 to go ;-), so I'm concerned about this pouncing behavior and don't like, in general, that the cats are being terrorized.
So, I want to train Jasper to leave the cats alone. I'm trying to learn as fast as I can, but am new to puppy ownership (had a border collie previously that we got as an adult, already trained) and to EMs. I'd love some really specific advice about stopping this behavior. Do I give him treats to sit while the cats walk by? What if the chase is already on before I have a chance to react? How do I intervene at that point?
Thanks!
So, I want to train Jasper to leave the cats alone. I'm trying to learn as fast as I can, but am new to puppy ownership (had a border collie previously that we got as an adult, already trained) and to EMs. I'd love some really specific advice about stopping this behavior. Do I give him treats to sit while the cats walk by? What if the chase is already on before I have a chance to react? How do I intervene at that point?
Thanks!