Those of us who were fortunate enough to grow up with dogs will know the blatantly obvious way a dog loves his/her master. Dogs live to please their master and respond well to repeated instructions followed by reward, as demonstrated by Dr. Pavlov who demonstrated conditioned response with his dog.
Cats are completely different and seem to be doing us a favour by visiting us. Their natural independence and their ability to access places that a dog could never get to make a big difference between keeping a male or a female. Although cats are not as blatantly obvious in their show of love, there is a 'connection' that pet owners understand is very precious.
A dog responds well to repeated instruction as well as routine. Just like our bodies respond better to a daily routine of exercise, a dog will improve his/her response to command and will more than likely improve physically as well. When taking in a dog and a cat one needs to first identify what type of dog you are going to get.
Some dogs have a well-developed prey instinct and will attack, so it is strongly advised to find out if the dog coming to live with you has lived with cats before. Dogs that grow up with cats do not attack cats and often will play together when they are bored.
Even though Dr. Pavlov proved that conditioning can change a dog he did not prove that it could change a dog's personality. Cats and dogs have separate personalities and together these personalities will be easier to manage if they were not trying to attack each other all the time.
Because cats stay at home and do not require 'walking', a dog needs to socialize if you are not living on a farm. If you live in suburbia or the city your dog needs to be socialized into having other people and dogs around. Taking your dog to the beach or the park means that you have familiarized your dog with other people and pets.
The chances that your dog will eventually stop chasing your cat will depend on your dog's ability to socialize at the beach or park without chasing everything that moves. But if your dog freaks out when you take him/her to the park because they are trying to kill everything with four legs, do not lose hope as dogs are easily conditioned with repetition.
There is often a 'connection' developed between a dog and master that allows for a communication that goes beyond words or commands. It is a mutual understanding that subtly communicates with each other that is somehow instinctive, as if man and animal have always lived together.
Cats have personalities too and one should always allow escape routes when introducing a new dog to a house. Little things like having a bare shelf to jump up to that will be clear from any dog. Or walking around the house to make sure that the cat will always have an escape route if the dog attacks.
This chasing will not last long as the two start a daily routine. Pets learn to adapt to the routine of the household quickly and within a few days you will start to see the true personality of the dog or cat that you brought home. Just like having children they are born with a personality that should be encouraged if not causing harm.
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