Keep Your Dog from Eating Your Cat's Food

Cats and dogs have different nutritional needs. Cat food generally contains higher levels of things like protein, vitamin A, and taurine. If your dog eats too much cat food, your cat could end up malnourished and your dog could become overweight or suffer kidney stress from the extra protein. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your pets’ dining habits separate.

Steps

Teaching Your Dog to “Leave It”

1. Begin by showing your dog a treat that will fit inside your hand. The goal with “leave it” is to teach your dog to leave things alone that you don’t want him to mess with. To accomplish this, you will train him that he will get something better (a tasty treat) when he “leaves it” as you command. Show your dog the treat and let him see what you have.
   • Make sure you have a treat ready for him in your other hand, but don’t let him see this one.
2. Say “leave it” in a firm voice. Don’t yell at your dog, or you could scare him. Simply say it in a firm voice that makes it clear that you are issuing a command. Then, hold out your hand with your fist closed around the treat.
   • You can also connect a gesture with the command. Since you will be teaching this command with a closed fist, a fist held sideways could be a good gesture.
3. Allow the dog to explore your hand. Because your dog knows there’s a treat inside your fist, he will probably try to get to it. He may paw at your fist, nose at it, or lick you. Ignore all of this and do not say anything. Wait until your dog stops trying to get at the treat.
   • Usually, once the dog realizes he can’t get at the treat, he’ll stop pawing after a few seconds.
4. Praise him immediately. As soon as your dog stops trying to get at the treat in your fist, praise him and give him the treat you were holding in your other hand. Go over the top with your praise so that your dog knows that you like it when he “leaves it.”
5. Repeat this as necessary. Repeat this exercise at least ten times in a row. You may need to continue the training across several days or even weeks, depending in how quickly your dog catches on.
   • The key is consistency. Praise him and give him a treat as soon as he stops trying to get at the treat in your fist.
   • You should eventually be able to just show him your closed hand and say “leave it” for him to obey. Your dog will eventually move away from your hand as soon as you say “leave it.”
6. Move the training to the floor. Now you will place a treat on the floor and instruct your dog to “leave it.” It’s recommended that you use “high-value” treats (like pieces of cheese or meat) for the reward treats and something less exciting for the “bait” treat that you will place on the floor.
7. Say “leave it” and then place the bait treat on the floor. Cover the bait treat with your hand. Allow your dog to investigate. Because this is a different situation than the treat in your fist, he may not immediately associate it with the “leave it” command he already knows.
   • Wait until the dog stops trying to get at the bait treat.
8. Immediately praise and reward the dog. As soon as your dog stops going for the bait treat, praise him enthusiastically and give him a “high-value” reward treat as you remove the bait treat from the floor. This will help teach him that listening to you is more enjoyable than going on his own.
   • You will need to repeat this process more than the simple training. Repeat the process at least 40 times in one session.
9. Leave the bait treat in view. Once you have thoroughly practiced the technique with you removing the bait treat from the floor, you will progress to leaving it on the floor. Tell your dog “leave it” just as before, but this time, hold your hand about an inch or so above the bait treat so that he can see it, but not get at it.
   • Wait until the dog stops trying to get the treat. Then praise and reward him immediately.
   • Try to keep the dog from getting the treat off the floor. If he does manage it, show him the “high-value” treat, allow him to smell it, and then withdraw it. This will help teach him that you have better treats than he can get on his own, and he will not get them unless he obeys.
10. Try the training standing. When your dog is responsive to the “leave it” command with the treat on the floor, it’s time to try it standing up. Put your dog’s leash on and hold it while you stand next to the bait treat on the floor. Tell him to “leave it.” Cover the bait with your foot if the dog tries to grab it.
    • If the dog does not go for the treat, praise him and give him a “high-value” treat.
    • With enough repetitions, your dog should learn to look at you when you say “leave it” in anticipation of a tasty treat, ignoring the bait treat altogether.

Reinforcing Your Training

1. Wait until your dog starts eating the cat's food. To effectively train your dog to not eat the cat food, you have to wait until he actually does it to discipline him. Otherwise, he won't understand what he did wrong and the training won't work. When you put down the cat food, wait a few minutes and see if the dog goes for it. If he does so, then take corrective action.
2. Tell your dog to “leave it.” Using the command you’ve taught your dog, show your dog the gesture as you say “leave it” in a firm (but not yelling) voice. If your dog does not respond, you may need to use other tactics to create a negative association between an unpleasant (but not harmful) experience and eating cat food.
3. Use a spray bottle to discourage your dog from eating the cat food. A spray bottle can startle your dog so he'll associate eating the cat's food with an unpleasant (but harmless) experience and will not want to do it anymore.
   • Fill a spray bottle with water and keep it near the cat's bowl so you can reach it easily.
   • Wait for your dog to go for the cat food. Then take the spray bottle and send 2 squirts toward the dog.
4. Startle your dog with a loud noise when he eats the cat food. In addition to using a spray bottle to discourage the dog, you could also get a similar effect from startling the dog with a loud noise.This is supposed to scare your dog so he will be discouraged from eating the cat food again.
   • A few things you could use are a coffee can filled with coins, a whistle, or a magazine smacked against the table.
   • Wait until your dog goes for the cat food and then make the loud, startling noise.
   • Try to make it so that the dog does not know you are the source of the sound. You want him to respond negatively to the sound, not to you.
5. Reward the dog when he eats his own food. The other side of dog training is rewarding behavior that you want to continue. When the dog eats his own food from his own dish, pile on the praise. Tell him he is a “good boy” and pet him (if he will allow it while he is eating -- some dogs will not).
6. Avoid yelling. Yelling at your dog is ineffective, as he is unlikely to make the connection between you yelling and his eating. It could just make your dog decide that he’s scared of you, in which case he will wait until you are not there to eat the cat food.

Changing Your Cat's Eating Habits

1. Feed your cat and dog at the same time every day. The ASPCA recommends that you feed your cat twice a day in controlled portions. This helps your cat avoid overeating. If you feed your dog at the same time as your cat, the dog may be too distracted by his own food to go for the cat’s.
   • Leaving dry cat food out for your cat all the time will allow her to graze, but this eating behavior can actually be unhealthy for cats because they may not get enough exercise to balance the calories they consume. “Free feeding” is also associated with feline diabetes.
   • However, free feeding may resemble a cat’s natural feeding behavior more, so if your cat has no problems maintaining her weight with free feeding, go ahead and let her graze.
   • Feeding your cat in a “timed feeding” session can help you manage your cat’s eating habits. Put the food out and if the cat doesn't eat it after 30 minutes, put it away. Your cat will learn that if he doesn't eat, the food won't be out all day. This will teach him to eat right away, giving the dog less of a chance to steal his food.
2. Consider switching to wet cat food. Cats can usually eat wet food faster than dry food. If your cat struggles to finish eating before the dog comes and takes his meal, try switching to wet food. This way, he can finish eating quickly, before the dog can get to his food.
   • If you free feed your cat, you can’t leave wet cat food out all the time or it will spoil.
3. Use a feeding game. There are several feeding “puzzle” games that you can purchase (or make at home) that will turn your cat’s mealtime into a fun game. Simply fill the puzzle game with dry food and introduce it to your cat.
   • This method may also make it more difficult for your dog to get at the food.
   • To make a puzzle game at home, try cutting some small holes in a plastic water or soda bottle. Fill the bottle with dry food (but not all the way). Your cat will get pieces of kibble as she bats the bottle around.
4. Place the cat food in a separate room from the dog food. Putting the dog and cat food next to each other could lead to the dog scaring away the cat and taking his food. Separate the food by placing them in different rooms. This will let the cat eat in peace without getting interrupted by the dog.

Protecting the Cat's Food

1. Place your cat's food somewhere high that your dog can't reach. Cats can usually reach higher areas than dogs can, so take advantage of this by placing your cat's food out of the dog's reach. Try up on a counter or on a cat post. That way your dog won't be able to reach the food and your cat can eat in peace.
   • This method will also ensure that your cat has to “work” a little for her food, which will help keep her healthy.
2. Block off the cat's food with a gate. If your dog is small enough, a gate should successfully block him from the cat food. The cat should be able to climb or jump over this gate to reach her food.
   • Some special gates have a cat hole, just big enough for the cat to get through. Consider this option if your cat is unable to get over a gate blocking her food.
   • You could also use a baby gate to block off a doorway and set it a few inches off the ground. This will give the cat room to squeeze through, but your dog won't be able to unless he's very small.
3. Install a cat door. Like a gate, a cat door will block off a doorway and stop the dog from getting through. The door has a flap that the cat will fit through, but that most dogs will be too big for. Look for one of these in a pet store or on the internet.
   • This will only work if your cat is smaller than your dog(s). If the dog is the same size as your cat, obviously, this won’t work.
4. Try an electronic cat feeder. There are some products that electronically block off your cat's food. They operate through a microchip or electronic tag that your cat wears. A sensor on the feeder will recognize your cat and open when the cat approaches. It will then close when the cat leaves. This can be an expensive option, but it will prevent your dog from taking the cat's food without you watching him all the time.
   • Make sure that your dog doesn’t become a bully. Some dogs may sit in wait for the feeder to open for the cat, then bully the cat out of the way. Observe the feeding several times and discourage any bad behavior.
5. Designate a room as the cat room. If your dog has a habit of pestering your cat, it might be good to give the cat a room to himself. Place his food, water, litter box, and toys in here and block off the entrance with a gate that your dog can't get over or under. That way your cat can retreat in here to rest whenever he wants.

Tips

• Regardless of how you feed your pets (free feed or on schedule), make sure fresh clean water is available at all times. Your pet can wait several hours between meals, but needs frequent drinks of water throughout the day.
• Try feeding your cat while your dog is outdoors or occupied by another activity. This will give your cat the time and space it needs to finish eating.
• If you opt to move your cat's food and put up gates, do so when your dog is outside. That way, he won't be able to see you moving the food and will have trouble finding it.

Warnings

• Don't ever abuse the dog physically in any way. Striking the dog and yelling are not necessary. A hit or strike can seriously hurt your dog. Hitting will only make for a confused, unhappy, and ultimately more disobedient dog.

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Sources and Citations

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