Training, training, training. Obedience training will solve all of your problems - get a training/correction collar and learn how to use it - learn how to give correct corrections with the right timing and direction - using the right tone of voice and timing with voice, also praise tone and timing.

Do you have a trainer in your area that does private lessons, or might come to your home for lessons? Do that. The trainer can help you with what your needs are specifically (off leash recall, cat manners) - and teach you how, why and when to give corrections and praise.

basically you need to train your dog, meanwhile with the cats and recall leave a leash (long line when outside) attached to correction collar at all times, even in the house - and use it to back up your voice commands. If you say "no cat" and the dog ignores you, correction. If he listens, praise. If you say "come here" and he ignores you, correction (long line attached to correction collar) - if he listens, praise (and treat may be appropriate for coming when called training). It's pretty simple, but really it would be good to get a trainer to help you so training is maximized and you will be most successful.

Molly, this question is mostly academic - but what happens when you train an animal against his instincts?

the instincts to chase the cat you mean? prey drive? Training normally works, as long as the owner is diligent in the training and the timing of corrections is right - the dog will learn that he must not chase the cat. I have cats in the house and high prey-drive dogs. They were raised around the cats and "know not to chase them". But yes instinct and prey drive are still there - the dogs will still stare at, stalk and sometimes chase the cats (if they run). I am 99% sure that the dogs will not hurt the cats, I have never seen them try to actually catch the cat, even when they could - so training them to leave the cats alone works for the most part - eliminating the instinct to chase prey that runs can't be removed, only controlled.

Now, interesting "aside" - the same dogs who are "fine" with the house cats (mainly because the house cats don't usually run, they are 'dog savvy' - will kill one of the feral barn cats in a NY minute. The feral barn cats dash out of hiding and go running across a field or something when dogs are out - dead cat. Same dogs will then come in the house and not bother my cats. I've lost several feral barn cats over the years, never one of the house cats. I am aware that cats have no chance at all if a GSD decides to kill it -

I certainly would not trust a high-prey drive dog who showed predatory instincts (as in wants to kill the cat) even after training - unsupervised. That's what crates or fenced yards are for.

molly

I have left Keanu alone with the house cats, and he's always been fine. He sleeps with them too in his crate, or house as I call it. Its funny because Lorenzo, and Starr, two of our indoor/outdoor cats, he wont chase inside. He just sort'of harrasses them alot, but outside, he wants to chase them. He doesnt hurt them, but he likes to mouth them. Now the cat we just got, Buzz, he was a stray we took in, Keanu chases him all the time, and mouths him on the neck. Unless I catch him and firmly say no, leave it, and then I tell him to go lay in his house. I had to be ontop of the situation or he ignores me.

Thanks, i'll give that a try.

yeah its their natural instinct to have prey drive, but I still do not want my dogs chasing my cats, anymore then I would want them to chase cars, people on bikes or kids that are running, it needs to stop, and like a poster wrote, training training and more training, consistancy, my dogs will eye ball the cats, to me thats ok now that their trained, look all day, they make a movement and I say "leave it" and they stop. All of it goes to obedience and constant training.

Lem, I think gary was referring to their natural instinct to herd as in shep-herd. My male is also a natural herder. At 6 months old my dog was already spinning my 3 year old stray son around and get him to run back to us. My son is older now and doesn't run off anymore and I don't know anyone with sheep to practice herding on so we never built on this instinct much more than the novelty of his natural ability.

Lem, I encourage you to really work on the no cat command.I take my two year old GSD hiking and it is very important to be able to control predatory behavior.Recently while hiking near a lake we encountered a
muskrat.My dog was between the rodent and the water so the muskrat kept charging the dog which further
incited her.I shouted several things to no avail until I screamed NO CATS and the dog desisted.Whew!

I have been working with him. I watch while i'm on the computer doing online college work, or just watching tv . As soon as i see him eyeing the cat, I redirect him. Tell him to go find his ball or no, leave it. Now hes to the point where, if i'm laying on the bed, he'll walk up and sniff the cats. I say good boy, be gentle. He'll even go lay in his house if I tell him to. So its working, slow, but working.

Now as I meantioned before, he's just turn a year old in December. Would I beable to trust him offleash to go hiking? I mean, I know someone said to try a longer lead first, but has anyone actually had a German Shepherd that took off?

I am like Molly I would leave a line on the dog for correction and rewards .A trainer that would come to the house and work on the problem when it happens is good thing .It is some times hard to know when the dogs instincts are kicking in and why . But do not give up this can be corrected ,and you should be able to have a happy home again .