When the puppy is exhausted is an excellent idea. And not for just the first meeting - I would do it for the first half dozen or so times, or until you feel your puppy knows how to interact with them properly.

Thanks, Weed!

I, too, think that exhausting the puppy is a wise strategy. I would caution you against making the same mistake I made with Tasha, though. When Tasha (maniacal herder) was a puppy, I had somewhere between 6-10 cats. I figured they would teach her the appropriate behavioral boundaries and lessons she would need to learn to live peacefully with them. I kept waiting for them to lay down the law with her, but they never did. They wanted nothing to do with maniac puppy, so they avoided her as much as possible. As a result, Tasha grew up believing that she could push the cats around as much as she wanted, and she maintains that attitude today.

If I had to do it all over again, Tasha puppy would have remained leashed to my side at all times until she learned and consistently obeyed the "leave it" command, and that command would have been consistently applied to the cats. I would have set the boundaries that the cats never did instead of allowing Tasha to mature into the bane of their existence.

If your cats are willing and able to set down the law with your puppy, let them. If not, then do it for them. Teach your puppy the "leave it" command immediately, and reinforce it frequently. Consistency is the key to all training. Don't allow your puppy to whine at, growl at, bark at, lunge at, chase, stare down, or in any other way intimidate or antagonize your cats. Teach your puppy the rules early, and you won't end up with a Tasha of your own.

Laurie

Thanks, Laurie : )

I am supposed to use spray bottles of water and vinegar to reinforce corrections.