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If you're trying to get your two beloved pets to get along, you may need some important tips when it comes to dog and cat training. In their natural habitat, dogs and cats are natural enemies and so of course it's only natural that they wouldn't just get along when inside a home.

Tips For Training Your Cat and Dog

Some of their behavior toward each other can be trained and controlled, but not always. It's important to understand the best ways of doing this before you put your two animals in a room together so as to cause the least amount of damage to your home and to the animals themselves. Here are some important tips to remember when it comes to dog and cat training.

Patience Is The Key

First, be patient. No amount of dog and cat training will help them to be friends overnight. Your cat and your dog both need time to adjust to one another. Remember that they both have instincts that go back thousands of years and it's difficult to just train these out of them. Let the animals go at their own pace. Also, make sure the cat has a place to run and hide as he'll probably feel threatened, and rightly so. In the wild, a cat is a tasty meal for a dog and cats instinctively know this. During your dog and cat training, don't just lock them in a room and assume they'll work things out. Remember too that cats usually like to observe a situation for some time before they move in for a closer look. Give your cat time to size up the dog before you let them interact.

Gentle Introductions

Holding on to your dog's leash or keeping him restrained during your initial dog and cat training may be best so that he doesn't get tempted to bite at the cat. Allow the cat to approach, even though he might hiss and spit at first. These are just defensive reactions that are natural. If you don't restrain the dog and he lunges at the cat, the cat will just defensively swipe at him and this could injure the dog. So during your dog and cat training, keep the dog at a safe distance for the safety of both animals.

New Tricks

Start your dog and cat training as early as possible. Kittens typically take to dogs better since they haven't yet learned to fear them and can just see them as a natural part of the family. Older cats are more set in their ways and don't want anything to interrupt their routine or home life. Also, make sure that during your dog and cat training that their food supplies are far away from one another so they don't feel threatened there, and give each one plenty of attention and affection so they feel safe and secure.

No one will tell you that dog and cat training will be easy and it will require some patience on your part, but it can be done successfully.

If you'd like more of my Cat Training Tips, check out my "Insider Tricks and Secrets to Training Your Cat".

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