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3 years, 2 months ago

My dog, a miniature dachshund, thinks that he's part cat. Do you think that this can cause lasting damage?

We got him when he was young and we already had three cats. One of our cats taught him to open the bathroom door, when the door was partially closed. He fights like a cat, batting and swiping. He is constantly jumping up on the couch and then to the back of couch walking around. He purrs sometimes when he plays. He marks his scent like a cat, rubbing his head and neck on the object of his affection. He does this to family members and to the cats. He tries to sharpen his claws on the couch and kneads the pillows with his claws/paws before settling down.
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roterhund | 3 years, 2 months ago
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What do you mean by lasting damage? To him or to you? :) Either way the answer is no...your dog is probably exhibiting a combination of his natural behaviors and the behaviors he may have learned as a puppy growing up with cats. None of this is bad. Is any of this behavior causing concern or are you just curious? If the behaviors such as jumping on the back of the couch or opening the door are troubling to you, you can reshape his behavior fairly easily - but you'll need to either work with a trainer or do some research into positive reinforcement training.

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pazaq | 3 years, 2 months ago
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Damage? No I think he'll have no problems an neither will you. Of course if he starts trying to mount the cats the cats could find it very unpleasant.

Good Luck!

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krystyne20 | 3 years, 2 months ago
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I don't think that it will "damage" your dog in any way. I would think that it would actually be quite entertaining. If you want him to act more like a dog though, you could try taking him to dog parks or letting him hang out with your friend's dogs. Or you could just accept your dog for who he is, and put a video of him acting like a cat on YouTube, just like these people did:
videos:

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nadiraziz | 3 years, 2 months ago
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There is a saying that "Dogs have masters, but cats have staff." This is why mankind has traditionally attributed characteristics such as loyalty, service and faithfulness to dogs. But cats have acquired traits like independence and aloofness.

There is a joke about cats and dogs that conveys their differences perfectly.

A dog says, " You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, and you love me, so you must be God."

A cat says, "You pet me, you feed me, you shelter me, and you love me, so I must be God."

As long as your dog understands the difference between the two, and so do his masters, then don't worry - there will be no lasting damage!
images:

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thinsurface | 3 years, 2 months ago
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My dog, a 95 lb bulldog, also thinks he's a cat. We have tried to explain to him that he is a large dog, but he just doesn't want to accept the concept.

The only problem we have with him is he sometimes tries to get into our laps as the cat does. I don't think this qualifies as lasting damage, but some of our chairs have wheels on them, and he pushes us around the kitchen!
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darcy logan | 3 years, 2 months ago
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I think we need to get your dog together with my cat.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/3114298206_de45022618_m.jpg

My cat thinks he's part dog. He plays with my dogs. He likes to go in the car. He LOVES the vet (ran around the office like he was at home). Loves people--will jump on strangers as soon as they sit down. He likes rawhide. He even has started to beg to go outside. He often kicks my dogs off their beds so he can lay on them (despite the fact that he is allowed on the bed). For the longest time, he did not hiss. However, he eventually learned how from my other cat.

He'll even eat things most cats wouldn't even consider:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3509/3191556853_ae0dc3810f_m.jpg

Oreo is now 6 years old. He has no psychological damage that I can tell.

As long as your dog is happy, let him be.

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