is it normal for a dog to think cats are dogs?

[Owllady]

Because mine definitely thinks they are dogs and tries to play with them like they are and is generally confused by the response! My other dogs were not bothered by cats but they must have known they were cats as they didn't try to communicate and play with them! Is this normal? she's bloody bonkers!

How do you know what your dog thinks?

Erm :o she talks to me

I think dogs will naturally try to interact with anything they don't see as prey by using their normal communication skills - hence play bowing etc at cats. Your other dogs were probably quicker to learn that cats tend not to enjoy the same games.

I had a Collie cross who thought she was a cat when we first got her. She had been taken away from her mum at a very young age and fostered in a bedroom along with two litters of kittens. We took her on as an emergency foster/rescue at 6 weeks and she played just like a cat, lying upside down and batting at things with her paws, chasing and patting balls etc. She even moved like a cat for a while. Fortunately we had two other dogs and it didn't take long for her to realise that she was actually a dog herself.

... my dogs talk to me too. In fact the pup talks just like and .

Mine tries to play with the cats and then we encounter the language barrier.

Dog front end down, bum in air tail wagging - please play with me.
Cat same position - leave me alone.
Dog still in same position waving paw - please, please play with me.
Cat same position - what part of leave me alone did you not understand?
Short after this cat bops dog with or without claws dog runs away squealing.

Lol lone cat, it is just like that :o
I love the talking dogs. Mine does the high pitched dog chat too

My dog does this too. Bounds up to the cats to say "Hi" and goes to thump them with his paws as he does when he plays with dogs. Both cats now used to him though and either jump out of the way or wallop him back. The Maine Coon now seems to quite like him - they touch noses and sniff, cat walks under dog and has taken to following him on walks..

My dog thinks evilgingercat is a dog. However evilgingercat thinks he is a wolf, and if he were a dog would be muzzled.

Dog thinks psycotictabby and damagedblackwhite cats are cats though. Tabby thinks she is a ruthless assasin.

Like Haggis' cat, evilginger walks right under the dog, will cuddle up to him if extra heat is needed, and comes out onto the green with us all. Dog bottom sniffing is not approved of though, in the most violent way

My dog and cat play with one another - the cat is a major tease.

I don't think the dog considers the cat to be a cat. If we shout "cat!", she will run past our cat in pursuit of the neighbour's.

Moosemama We have a Saluki lurcher and she loved listening to your dog talk. She is very fussy about what breeds of dogs she bothers with!

FiveHours, sadly they aren't my dogs in the videos, I am not technical enough to get a video of mine online. I found those ones on YouTube ages ago when I was trying to work out if all Saluki crosses make the same racket my boys do.

Just had a peek at your photos. Beautiful dogs. My two are real scruffy urchins by comparison.

Pip is most likely some combination of Saluki, Grey, Terrier - although we can't be sure as he was dumped at less than a day old. Lurcherboy is Saluki/Deerhound x Whippet/Border Collie. (The original owners said the father was Grey/Border Collie, but his legs are too short for that, so it was either a very short Grey or a Whippet.)

All my collies have been mixed with all sorts moosemama. Chances are dad was a good mix too :o.

Best kind to have Owllady - I love a good 'Bitsa' (bitsa this, bitsa that etc) myself.

Have just been looking at your photos moosemama Pip is so cute.I love scruffy lurchers! Our Saluki's coat is so pointless; it gives no protection from anything.
Our 'puppy' is now almost two, he's a GSD/ rough collie X.
Will add a photo of him , I think.

Pip's coat is deceptive though FiveHours. He has no covering at all on his abdomen and inner legs and very little on his, stomach, outer legs and feet. He's constantly covered in scrapes and cuts all up his lower legs - costs me a fortune in hibiscrub to keep cleaning them all up. Lurcherboy has a really lovely thick scruffy coat that nothing gets through. Don't think he's ever had a cut in his life. They are polar opposites as Lurchers go.

GSD x Rough Collie sounds like a gorgeous mix. My girl was Border Collie x Belgian Shepherd and looked like a GSD puppy most of her life - she never did grow into her feet!

Oh they are all lovely dogs :)
I have two boys too moosemama (and a dd) and my husband always says 'boys NEED dogs' :o

Two dses and one dd here too Owllady. Your husband is a wise man!

My dog wants to play with horses when we meet them in the woods, runs around going 'chase me chase me'. Then when that does not happen or they just walk on past us, he gives a couple of barks as if to say 'well I did not want to play with you anyway', I am sure he thinks they are huge dogs

Ddog1 and cat are in cahoots with each other and have a food scam going.

Cat is fed on the washing machine. In theory this is to prevent dog eating his food. Cat looks at food. Cat considers food inferior. Ddog1 looks at cat and says "I'll get rid of it, even if it's been there all day and is a little crusty or going off". Cat knocks food on floor. Dog eats food. Cat paws at food bowl and miaows at a different family member "look, I haven't been fed". This works for them both way more often than it should!

We have a language barrier too. Ddog2 wags tail and jumps towards cat. This means "hey, small dog-like thing, are you up for a game of chase? Let's have FUN!"
Cat also waves tail. This means "if you don't back away in the next 5 seconds I will demonstrate my superior clawing skills. ON YOU"
Ddog2 thinks "yay, tail wagging, up for a game then!" No amount of swipes from the cat seem to teach her that the cat does not speak dog.