If the dog has such a high prey drive towards the cat as you have stated, it is not safe for him to be around your indoor cat. Do not let the rescue guilt you into keeping him if it's not a fit and for me out of everything you listed--the risk to the cat is a deal breaker. I have fostered ~40 goldens and only 3 were returned to boarding due to their "I want to eat the cat" desire. Most certainly needed to learn manners around my cat who was very dog savvy, but those 3 meant to do harm.

Thanks, I'll definitely bring this up with them again. Our cat is "dog savvy" too; he's lived with a dog nearly his whole life.

The Golden rescue in our area doesn't have a physical location. It's a group of organizers that work with foster families and other volunteers to rescue Goldens from the streets or the pound. George wouldn't have anywhere else to go if there aren't any other foster families available, but I can let them know that he would be better off in a different home when one does become available.

They may need to shuffle fosters or board him at a clinic or kennel until another foster home can open up. Based on his anxiety I realize a foster home would be best, but at the same time the rescue owes it to you not to make you put your own pets at risk.

I applaud your decision to foster but in light of the need to keep your cat safe I agree that this might not be the right situation for your household. I had planned to foster for a GR Rescue. The dog was assigned to me and I was going to pick him up from the kennel in a couple of days when I realized it would not be a good situation for my 18 year old cat. Not only does she not move that well but I had concern for the added stress on her failing health. It was difficult but I had to tell the rescue that I could not foster at this time.
Perhaps the rescue could trade your dog for one with a foster that doesn't have cats.
Please monitor the situation closely and do not put your kitty at risk.

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"Beau" Mr. Beaujangles Dancin on a Wim CD, RN , ASCA CD, CGC (RIP my shining star 1-17-11)
"Baylee" UCD Baylee Golden Butterfly Wings CDX, RN , ASCA CD, CGC
"Baxter" U-Ch Promise's Purpose Driven Vision CGC (looking toward the future)
"Blayze" Promise's D'Best Aim For The Goal'd(the new kid on the block)

I have one of the few dogs that was completed cured of his "frustration" behavior by neutering. Overnight. Given it supposedly takes a few weeks for the hormones to go away, I'm not sure why it stopped so quickly. But he was at it every night, and then stopped. The other issues you're working with are more important, so I might ignore this one for now and see if neutering fixes it.

George sounds alot like my Buddy when I first rescued him. It does get better and Buddy is now proof positive. He is now a CGC and TDI (paperwork pending) dog. He did everything your George does plus he would escape the house and run away. Buddy went through months of professional training something I never had go do with any of my previous dogs but I had raised them from puppyhood. I would look into training classes- I think it helped me more than him because I would get so frustrated by him with something not working and they would give he helpful hints to get what I wanted but a different way.

While he thankfully did not have heartworm, Buddy was physically a mess he has gained 25-30 pounds since I got him- I stopped weighting him and just go by how he looks and rib feel. I neutered Buddy as soon as he was medically cleared since I could not keep him in the house since he would let himself out- He had no self control and it took months for him to learn it. He now knows he can go outside as much as he wants- Before I got him going outside even to pee was a treat!

I don't think your George is 'sexually frustrated' as much as has no matters. I did not neuter my previous golden til he was 10 and he never humped a person, furniture, or other dog. Buddy who is neutered does hump other dogs after they hump him first.

Buddy still mouths my cats but he is not doing it to harm them and they know that. My cats are used to a mouthy Golden since my previous one did the say thing to them. He has learned to not chase the kitties overall but the 3 yorkies do egg him on. Baby gates are great- Just elevate them 6 inches off the ground so your cat can easily get away from George. I still have them up in my house. My cats and dogs get along but I still give the cats their own dog free spaces- Litterbox, food, and beds. My cats decide when and if they want to come near the dogs. Buddy is not a fan of the cats, primarily Mika, hitting him on the nose- He has learned if kitty growls leave her the heck alone or you will have a sore nose. I did keep Buddy on a leash one at all times connected to me because of his poor behavior and not being housebroken when I got him. If he can't get 6 feet from you- He can't corner the cat.

Buddy would not just beg for food he would also steal it and counter surf several times a day when I rescued him. He still begs but on my terms only- with everything it took time. If I am making food he sits or lays 3 feet from me so I am not tripping over him. When I am eating he must lay down and wait quietly otherwise he gets nothing.

Buddy has mild separation anxiety now but it used to be severe. I changed my whole work schedule so that he was never alone for more than 1 hour at first. My parents and brother doggie sit for me when I go to work so I change my schedule to mirror their schedules. Buddy did not destroy actual things with his anxiety but he would rip his own skin off from licking, chewing, and scratching because he was upset.


You can't fix everything overnight. Pick one or 2 areas to really focus on. For
Buddy I worked on 'training'- Sit, stay, down, etc.- Throughout the day instead of formal training type sessions. It kept us both from getting board and frustrated. Buddy is very smart! And it seems like George might be the same way.

Food and praise was the only thing that worked for Buddy at first since he did not know what play or toys was. Buddy lead a totally different life before I rescued him and what he has not and I imagine the same is true for George.
Buddy came from a trailer with 2 other male unneutered dogs (lab and pit bull/Boston terrier mix) where he was left for at least 16 hours/day plus, not housebroken, had to find his own food in the house or he would bot eat that day, his owner was an alcoholic so he probably did hit him even though he denied it but Buddy was very head shy and neck sensitive when I got him. If my brother who Buddy loves makes a quick motion over his head he will still cringe and go to hide- My brother under penalty of his own death would never hit any of my dogs!

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I do what I like and like what I do. Yorkies- Cozy (4/1/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/11/08), Lucy (4/6/09); Golden- Buddy (4/13/09- Rescued 12/11) Maine Coon cats- Mika (1998) and Tallulah (2000)

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/...lden-long.html (Help- Trying to rescue golden- Long). This is Buddy's thread from when I first got him- I have not updated it since he is an official member of the family now.

As a side not when I got Buddy I was fostering 2 kittens/6 month old cats in addition to having 2 cats of my own and 4 yorkies. Buddy could have seriously injured or killed any of them. I have on top of him at all times it seemed! I stopped cat fostering after I got Buddy and the rescue had to take the kittens back. If he hurt one my personal furbutts I would have dealt with it but he injured a rescued I don't know what I would have done!

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I do what I like and like what I do. Yorkies- Cozy (4/1/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/11/08), Lucy (4/6/09); Golden- Buddy (4/13/09- Rescued 12/11) Maine Coon cats- Mika (1998) and Tallulah (2000)

Thank you for your thoughtful response!

I agree, and he seems to have settled down. I haven't caught him doing it in a while, but my wife says he did earlier today. He didn't get his usual exercise, and he was alone for an extended period for the first time (it was a long day... I had to help a friend who had her dog euthanized this morning), so I think that explains it. Overall, he's been much better lately.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm culpable for some of my frustration. I haven't trained a dog from the ground up in almost 15 years. My pet dog, and our last foster, responded to "yelling" (by which I mean admonishment using a deep tone of voice) in addition to praise; George simply doesn't. Once I wrapped my head around that, and realized the real power of positive reinforcement, getting him to behave the way I want was much easier.

Unfortunately the two areas in which George really needs improvement are begging for food and aggression toward the cat. We have set up dog-free zones using baby gates, but our cat is older and he knows that running is the worst thing he can do to end a chase. Consequently, escaping to one of the dog-free zones never works out.

Now that George has gotten a better grasp of the basic commands, I'm going to try more positive reinforcement techniques during his interactions with the cat. I still think he, and certainly the cat, would ultimately be happier if George found a new foster home, but I'll do all that I can in the meantime.

That's rough. I know George hates being alone, but fortunately he isn't destructive to the house and I don't think he barks or is otherwise disruptive -- my neighbors haven't complained, at least.

Indeed, George is smart. As I'm learning, it's all about speaking his language. He's quick to learn and eager to please, I just have to show him what I want in a way he understands.

That's absolutely terrible. I have a zero tolerance attitude toward animal cruelty and neglect. Why even bother getting a dog if he or she will be alone all the time? I'm so happy Buddy is in your care now.

George seems pretty fearless. He pulls hard on the leash (we're working on that), and he's not scared of me, the cat, the vacuum, etc. I definitely think he was neglected, but I don't think he was abused. If he was, he got over it pretty quickly.

How is George doing today?

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I do what I like and like what I do. Yorkies- Cozy (4/1/06), Roxy & Zoey (2/11/08), Lucy (4/6/09); Golden- Buddy (4/13/09- Rescued 12/11) Maine Coon cats- Mika (1998) and Tallulah (2000)

He had an accident on the carpet, but I think that was because of yesterday. Otherwise, so far so good.