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Originally Posted by gracielove  There is no time like the present to train your dog not to molest the cat. The word "NO!" is very easy for a dog to learn. If he does not listen then get up and stop the activity.
Your cat has not ability to defend himself and I know how aggressive a Yorkie that wants to play can be. My little girl likes nothing better than a good fight. When she was a pup she was quite a kitten wrangler. Now that the cats are all bigger than her she won't even consider starting something with them. (They all have their claws) She does like to bark and run around them when they when they want to play with her but she knows better than to get too close.
There are lots of bad behaviors these little ones can try but it is best to let them know just what the ground rules are right at the start. Teaching him things like "sit" "stay" "down" and especially "no" is really helpful when you want your dog to stop doing something it should not do. |
Just stepping in every time for a few weeks to immediately stop the activity will, over time, send a strong message with a firm "No" and backing the dog off by walking into him or, in some circumstances, clasping the back of the neck in a firm but always non-painful(!) grip and holding it in place for several long seconds to bring him up short and convey your determination that you do not intend to allow this type of behavior - period, end of sentence. In a wild pack setting, an alpha dog who is correcting a pack-member's actions will often just put their teeth over the back of the neck of that dog and hold it still for a while until the dog backs down. When you convey your correction correctly, even the most aggressive little terrier will in time begin to police himself before you have to step in but it will take persistence on your part at first. Just take extra care to never intimidate or scare him when correcting his aggressive prey-driven biting as it's not necessary and can destroy some dog's trust in their owner or trainer.
As
gracielove suggested, teaching him basic ground rules for behavior will teach him impulse control by engaging him in fun and regular obedience training and can work wonders with pugnacious little dogs who occasionally lose control and go after the cat or other dogs and make that animal's life miserable. Before long, just a "No" will back him off or even just a stern look.