Hi MaryPhill,
Does your dog play fetch? I have a blue heeler with a very high prey drive who used to chase anything that moved. However because of his love of fetch I can now redirect his prey drive to a ball being thrown especially out of a ball thrower which makes it a faster chase. I carry a ball whenever we go somewhere of leash and he knows I have it, as soon as he sees anything I call his name to get his attention then throw the ball in the opposite direction for him to chase. It has got to the point now that as soon as he sees something he would previously have chased he defers to me automatically. This means he is now fully under control because I have become at least as exciting as the sheep or other animal he has seen.
As Letsplay said prey drive is hard wired into the brains of most working dogs. Preventing all chasing of every kind can lead to a huge amount of frustration for the dog so redirecting it to appropriate chasing is important.
Along with providing an outlet for prey drive working with cats requires some extra training. Dogs are naturally predatory animals and so it can be difficult for them to understand that other pets which they may normally consider prey, are actually part of their pack and must be treated as such. There are however a number of things you can do to make it clear to your dog that other pets are not dinner!
Safe meet and greets
Have your dog on a lead and head collar or muzzle and normal collar if you prefer. Also have on you a pocket full of highly prized treats or a very special toy. Ask the dog to sit and then praise and treat him. Have someone else bring the cat into the room but remain at a distance. With your dog safely on the leash ignore any inappropriate reaction to the other pet and wait for your dog to calm down. As soon as he is calm praise and treat, then ask him to do some basic commands praising and treating again. Once your dog is reliably focusing on you with the cat in the room the cat should be brought closer. Again everyone should ignore the dog until he is calm. Once he is calm praise and treat then run through a few more commands.
The overall aim is for your dog to find listening to you more interesting than the other pet, in fact your dog should eventually find the other pet rather uninteresting once he is used to having it around a lot. Once your dog can be calm with the cat in the room have the dog on the head collar and leash in the lounge lying by your feet as you relax on the couch. Have the cat loose in the room and continue to praise the dog for ignoring the cat. Play games with the dog or do tricks etc to distract it a little and praise it for focusing on you. As soon as it makes a fuss over the cat withdraw all attention. After a few days your dog should become used to the cat and the problems should be greatly reduced.
Using alpha training
Alpha training is a useful tool for helping your dog understand that not only is the other pet part of the pack but it is also a more dominant pack member than him. You can show your dog that the cat is more dominant by giving the other pet first access to resources such as food, toys, sleeping places and your attention.
Things you can try:
-When you come home ignore all the pets for ten minutes and then greet the pet you want to be dominant first. After a few minutes greet your dog.
-Once you have eaten your meal, let your dog see you feed your other pets. Do not feed your dog until the other pets have finished.
-Allow your other pets to access prized areas such as the bed or couch but do not let your dog.
Set your dog up for success not failure
Especially while you are still training your dog make sure that you do not leave your dog in a situation where it can fail, for example do not leave your cat and your dog alone in a room together where you cannot respond to your dogs behavior and where your cat has no safe place to retreat to if necessary. Only allow your dog access to the other pet in a safe and controlled way until you are 100% sure they are safe together and that your dog understands the other pets place in the pack.
I hope this helps and let us know how you get on.
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