"Yummy, yummy, cat in tummy" is most likely what explains your dog's staring obsession! Your dog is looking at the cat the way I look at my children's leftover Halloween candy, late at night after they are in bed; so close . . . so tempting . . . so just out of reach! In my case a tiny (really tiny) twinge of conscience holds me back, and in your dog's case an obstacle--the fence--holds him back; otherwise a different, much less passive sort of interest would be demonstrated. There it is, just out of your dog's reach--a taunting, tempting morsel of prey actually restrained in plain sight! Your dog is experiencing a strong predatory drive, which is frustrated by the barrier. Instead of running up and down the fence barking, he is waiting patiently for the cat to wander close enough to grab, if not to maim and eat, at least to investigate thoroughly!

Personally, I'd err on the side of caution and assume the worst. Maybe your dog just would like to make a new friend and invite Kitty to come over to play. But most likely Kitty would be the squeaky toy your dog very much would like to play with! Frustrated aggressive drives (including predatory) lead to a bottling-up effect known as cumulative aggression. As a dog becomes more and more tightly wound with unreleased aggression, the risk for the out-of-reach catalyst increases. If this cat and dog ever meet sans fence with the cat still restrained by its leash, the outcome could be messy.

I suggest you accompany your leashed dog outside and correct obsessive staring by redirecting him away from the cat. Some people really like using a "head collar" device for problems of this sort because they work like a horse halter, actually steering the dog by its head. When the leash is pulled (not jerked!), the dog must turn its head in the direction of the pull. This effectively breaks attention without punishment or anger. An additional correction to use, ideally at the same time the dog's attention is guided away from the cat, is a dog bomb--an empty plastic bottle with pennies in it--which can be used to interrupt the dog's focus further. The dog bomb should be dropped behind the dog as the leash is pulled to help distract it away from the cat and to make a slightly negative association. You also should practice obedience training and show your dog alternate, physically active ways to focus energy and earn positive attention to reduce its drive to stare at the cat. Spend time training and playing with your dog in your yard, and work on teaching your dog to ignore the cat. Don't leave your dog alone in the yard, and he won't be coveting your neighbor's feline!

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