I had to laugh when I read Kirsten's answer. This really is so typical, especially of the American Bulldog. This past weekend, my 10 month male discovered my daughter's cat while we were visiting. He's usually pretty good about staying close by, but one look at the cat, his selective hearing clicked off and the chase was on. It was a playful chase, which was a relief to me, but the frustration of trying to catch him was still there.
My daughter has an 8 week old female that we just got for my granddaughter for her birthday. She's had some of the same problems between the puppy and the cat that you are experiencing. I recommended the drag to her and she's using the ah-ah method as well. For some reason, the ah-ah really gets the attention of the ABDs when it's used with consistency. Even in this past weekend's chase, it got me a look at least. She's been using the method for a week now and it's paying off. The puppy will leave the cat alone for at least a few minutes.
The key is consistency and timing. You have to catch the puppy at it's first sign of interest in the cat. That first glance in the cat's direction is crucial.
Enjoy your puppy. You'll never regret your decision to share your life with an American Bulldog.
You could try a drag line. Tie a bit of clothesline to her collar, with no knots anywhere else in its length to catch on things. Don't hold on to the drag line. Just let her drag it around with her. Remember to keep an eye on her any time she is wearing a drag line so she doesn't get hung up and strangle. Drag lines are also good leash training. They get her used to the feel of the leash and teach her she can control when it tugs by backing up when it gets tight.
When she goes after the cat, step on the drag line.
For what it is worth, most cats will do a decent job themselves of training puppies not to chase cats if left to their own devices. A few good swats across the nose is enough for most pups.
You can also try teaching her to come when called. It's an important safety skill anyway. Keep some treats in your pocket and when she shows interest in the cat, and also at random times throughout the day, call her to you and make a fuss over her and give her a treat. You don't want to call her in for a treat just when she's chasing the cat, or she'll learn to chase the cat to get a reward. So make sure you call her other times as well.
I'll tell you what I actually do, though this kind of answer tends to frustrate people. I have a youngster who will turn and look at me with a goofy grin on her face and proudly say, "Look ma, there's a cat claw stuck in my nose." In other words, the correction from the cat has no effect on her. So my frustrating answer is quite simply: I don't let her. I know, but how. I decide not to let her do it, then I do whatever is necessary in that moment to stop her.
I teach my dogs a verbal correction from an early age. I know it's not popular with the purely positive crowd, but frankly, sometimes you have to tell a child or a dog, "no." You don't have to beat them to teach them the concept of, "no." With my guys, I say, "ah-ah" then catch them with my hands and stop them doing whatever it was. The instant they stop, I praise for the new behavior. It usually doesn't take them long to put together the rules that when mom says, "ah-ah" they're not going to get to do it anyway, 'cause she's going to stop 'em, but if they stop on their own, they may get a reward. I also use a special command for cats. It's "no kitty." It means simply "step away from the cat." I use it not just for chasing cats, but for poking them, licking them, sucking on their heads, swatting them, flipping them, sitting on them, or mashing them with soaking wet stuffed raccoons.
Good luck. Some puppies are more persistent than others.
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