Why our cat thinks he owns our dog

When DJ was a puppy we crated him. DJ is the first dog I’ve had from puppyhood on, so crating seemed very much like “caging” or “locking up”. The reality is however, as most dog experts will tell you, their crate really can become more like their room: a place for quiet time and an opportunity to rest and feel comforted.

DJ’s crate was placed in the bedroom, just below the windows which look out onto the street: an ideal location for a cat to make his habitual perch. And Charlie did. By day, he would watch the neighborhood’s comings and goings; by night, while DJ shifted and settled, Charlie would watch him intently and occasionally dangle a paw at the 20-lb, 30-lb, then 40- and 50-lb Berner puppy. DJ seemed unconcerned and was probably absorbing so much about the world, that a cat hovering above him nightly was the least of his concerns.

It seems however, that Charlie was perhaps doing something I didn’t realize. As I read NOW about how to establish and maintain alpha position in relation to a dog, I think back to Charlie's earliest training of the dog, and I consider his relationship to 138-lb DJ now. Charlie always sits at a level above DJ and when DJ comes too close without permission he gets a swat from the cat paw. This inspires the dog to get low and stay humble. Charlie occasionally leans in to DJ’s massive head and takes a nibble on his forehead—but the affection is given only when the cat chooses. Just to be sure he understands fully who’s in charge, when DJ turns away to lay down, Charlie drags his claws through the dog’s black coat, keeping a souvenir of his pet for himself.