Hamsters and Dogs? - Page 3

racinghamster · 08-25-2015, 04:34 AM

It`s never easy and a lot really depends not so much on the dog, but the way the owner makes the decisions. Reads the dogs behaviour in otherwords. If she was mine and she entered the room with me or just trotted in and was making a beeline for the cage, I would immediately say (not shout) "Hey in a commanding voice and click my finger" and stand in the way and make the dog back away. This needs to be reinforced at all times. It`s like you saying to the dog, when I click, you listen.

Just an example. x

WoodFamily2012 · 08-25-2015, 09:12 AM

Thankyou all for the great advice!
Hes always in our bedroom as i said previously (Hamster) and the dog comes in every now and again, as i refuse not to let her as it isnt fair on her, she now doesnt go for the cage, she gets a clap of each of us and leaves or she lays on the rug.
We click and tell her no if she goes near it or we stand in front of her (as the last reply suggests) and it seems to have worked!
Thankyou all for being so concerned about our little Mr Bojangles and Our Tara, great advice as always

x

racinghamster · 08-25-2015, 10:21 AM

Just be aware of any attention she makes towards the hamster. For example, if hammie comes out to play on the wheel and the dog hears her and gets up to go over, snap her out of this immediately. She will soon learn that the hamster is a no touch area. But you need to be consistent with it. x

**GoldenBears** · 08-25-2015, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WoodFamily2012

Thanks for all the advice guys!
Shes always kept out when handling and like i said previously, does not bark.

It is when we get up to remove her that she nudges the cage. She ignores us vocally.

Oh right, okay. My dog is very similar to yours and I have found that he instantly calms down as soon as he physically sniffs whatever animals I am handling. The pets I will only let him interact with without any protection is my rabbits as long as supervision is involved at all times (the rabbits and dog don't bother each other and are doing just fine). I only got to this stage due to introducing them with protection and slowly relaxing things. Perhaps my story could help you to help your dog to learn acceptable behaviours around small animals?

WoodFamily2012 · 08-26-2015, 01:38 AM

Thankyou guys!
We are being consistent and it seems to be working, shes going near him less and less now.
When she has learned fully that is he a no go area, we will try GoldenBears suggestion and do slow introductions.

Thanks again x

racinghamster · 08-26-2015, 02:57 AM

Em....slow introductions contradict what I said regarding the `no go` area and being consistent with that. The dog doesn`t need to see or smell the hamster to know he isn`t allowed near it. Gun dogs for example have specialist training to `mouth/hold` wild fowl rather than rip it up when fetching one that`s been shot. So as an example only, dogs instinctively know there is a small furry around, but need to be taught boundaries. Not have a sniff and you say `no touch`. It doesn`t work that way. You have allowed the dog to get too close if you do this.

A small live hamster could panic if a large dogs nose was to approach it while being held. A dog that is in a yard where ducks or rabbits or other larger pets run about needs the same training, but to be honest, it`s not something that`s done overnight. x

WoodFamily2012 · 08-26-2015, 10:27 AM

Problem solved. Dog cant reach

**GoldenBears** · 08-26-2015, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by racinghamster

Em....slow introductions contradict what I said regarding the `no go` area and being consistent with that. The dog doesn`t need to see or smell the hamster to know he isn`t allowed near it. Gun dogs for example have specialist training to `mouth/hold` wild fowl rather than rip it up when fetching one that`s been shot. So as an example only, dogs instinctively know there is a small furry around, but need to be taught boundaries. Not have a sniff and you say `no touch`. It doesn`t work that way. You have allowed the dog to get too close if you do this.

A small live hamster could panic if a large dogs nose was to approach it while being held. A dog that is in a yard where ducks or rabbits or other larger pets run about needs the same training, but to be honest, it`s not something that`s done overnight. x

I feel we need to agree to disagree on this topic. I strongly believe that all animals living in the same area should be introduced to each other depending on what the animals are like providing protection is in place at all times. If the personality of predator and prey don't match, they mustn't be introduced under any circumstances to prevent any freak outs or incidents from happening. Dogs and cats who display behaviours around other animals which are unacceptable must be corrected and training should always be continuous.