My pug Theo is 10 months old, and is a very sweet boy. He goes to doggie daycare while I'm at work, and gets along well with all of the dogs there. He's been going there since he was a young puppy, so he's used to all of the other dogs and has no fear--if there are a few big dogs sleeping on the couch at daycare and he wants to cross the couch, he'll walk on top of the other dogs. He'll steal a toy from a dog, and then keep away from it by hiding underneath another dog's tummy/legs, etc.

I adopted a cat about a week ago. The cat had been raised in a home with two small dogs and children. The kitty is starting to adjust to our house, but Theo and the kitty cannot be anywhere near each other without Theo acting up. Theo is pretty stubborn, and as a result he's not the best trained dog in the world. He'll sit and stay if I make him or if it is crystal clear that he'll get a treat if he does, but there's no way he'll come when I call if he doesn't feel like it. Theo is also a barker--he'll bark like crazy if he sees something on TV that catches his interest, he barks and lunges at squirrels and rabbits, and telling him "no" is not effective.

Theo's been barking and growling at the new kitty and I can't get him to stop. I've only let them interact when supervised, and either keep a baby gate at the stairs so that Theo can't get upstairs where the cat is, or kept Theo on leash the few times the cat ventured downstairs when Theo was out. I've tried rewarding Theo with treats if he's quiet around the kitty, and putting him in his crate for a time out if he won't stop barking at the kitty, but so far it's not helping. If he's in the crate and he hears me talking to the kitty in the other room, he growls or barks, which scares the cat. The kitty is not very dominant, so is not swatting or hissing or doing anything to tell Theo no--he just runs upstairs and hides.

Any ideas on how to get a stubborn dog to stop barking and growling at a cat? It might be that Theo is not meant to be in a house with cats, and that the cat will have to find another home, but I feel like I need to give it a try and don't know what to try.

Thanks