Is cat remembering past abuse?

Dear Cathy: Six months ago, I adopted Joey, a 3-year-old mixed breed dog. My vet thought he had probably been poorly socialized and possibly neglected for a while. He was terrified of just about everything — for a while even being touched, and he was aggressive for the first two weeks.

One by one, with lots of attention and positive reinforcement, he has overcome those fears and become a wonderful little companion. All in all, he’s a star. There’s just one last problem: He is predatory around Chica, the resident cat.

Early on, Joey’s predatory body language scared me. He got hard-eyed, stared at her, stalked her and never took his eyes off her. He still does this. I put up a baby gate. I keep him tethered when she’s roaming the house. I make sure their meetings are always happy.

After six months, I’m wondering if it’s possible for a dog who behaves this way towards a cat to ever get relaxed and tolerant about it. What else should I do? — Eileen, Tucson, AZ

Dear Eileen: I applaud you on how you have handled this situation so far. Making sure you’re always monitoring their encounters, making their encounters positive. These steps have already helped Joey make progress. When Chica strolls by, he is turning his head to ignore her, which is exactly what you want him to do.

The goal is to get Joey to ignore the cat and focus on you. First, train him to “sit” or “lie down” when Chica is in the room. Second, when he looks at the cat, say his name and reward him when he looks at you. Then, give Joey a toy to play with to keep him further distracted.

Finally, train Joey to “stay” when the cat walks across the room and reward him when he listens. Keep him on the tether for the training.

Remain vigilant until you are absolutely sure he won’t harm her.