Can I train my foster dog to get along with my cats?

We had that same problem with several of our dogs and foster dogs. Luckily 3 of our cats like to play with the dogs so they will come around them. We put the problem dog on a leash and then encouraged the cat to come into the room (sometimes using canned cat food). Then when the dog would go to chase the cat we would give a short jerk on the leash and a firm " Leave It". After the dog was staying put with the cat in the room we gradually shortened the distance between the dog and cat until they could be next to each other with no problem. After the dog had learned to be calm next to the cat we then took the leash off and corrected him with just verbal commands. It has never failed to work for us yet. It can take awhile...the longest time for us was about 4 weeks. But once they got the idea that the cat was not a toy or prey we stopped having the problem permanently. Good Luck!

There are a few options for you. Deciding which ones to pursue will involve looking at what your specific situation is... Crate training is one option. You may also want to contact the animal rescue that you're fostering for and ask for some ideas from them. Another option is clicker training to increase behaviors that you want more of (pretty much anything that doesn't involve chasing cats). That option involves a little more detail, but if you're interested, just email me and I'll send something to you.

Crate training involves having the dog in a crate, especially when they are unsupervised. Most dogs seem like having their own little 'den' area, and I say this because they will often go lay down in their crates, even when they don't have to be there.

Crating is probably the most immediately useful option, provided you can take the steps needed to ensure that the dog wants to be in the crate. You can do this by teaching the dog that when he goes in the crate, there is a treat for him. Toss a piece of food in there, and typically they'll go in and get the food. Don't close the door behind him the first few times! If he won't go in the crate for the food, then you might try placing the food near the crate... kind of like a little trail of food.

It can be as many steps as the dog needs to feel comfortable going in the crate. Once that happens, you'll want to close the door behind the dog, and feed him a treat. Then open it, let him come out and go back in, close the door, treat. Increase the time that he stays in the crate with the door closed, until he's good to be in there for a few hours.

There's quite a few details that I've left out, so check out clickertraining.com or YouTube (crate training dogs) for more information.

As a side note, make sure the crate is big enough for the dog to stand up and turn around in.