The Cat Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [81]
Clicker training is a positive technique that relies on operant conditioning to shape a desired action or behavior without force or cajoling. The premise is simple: encourage the animal to perform desired actions by rewarding appropriate behavior. Clicker training works because there is no punishment involved. You draw attention to the behaviors you’re seeking in your cat and ignore other actions.
As for your own cat, here are some ways you can bring out his true talents through clicker training. You can buy a small, plastic clicker at most pet supply stores, or you can use a ballpoint pen. Whichever you use, it is important that you stick with it so that its distinctive sound serves as a cue for your feline student. Make the clicking sound and then offer a small treat. In the first few sessions, you are merely introducing the clicker sound to your cat and establishing that the sound equals a treat.
Timing is key to clicker training’s success. When your cat does something you want, for example raising his front paw, you need to press the clicker, hand over a small treat, and immediately say “paw” to reinforce the desired behavior. In time, the light bulb will turn on inside your cat’s head as he starts to recognize the link between the word “paw” and the sound of the reinforcing click.
To use a clicker to teach your cat to sit on cue, start by luring him into a sitting position with a food treat or target stick that you slowly move over his head toward his back. Let gravity be your ally. As his head follows the treat, his back end will naturally touch the floor. When this happens, click and hand over the treat. Clicking signals “mission accomplished.” If he doesn’t sit, do nothing. Do not give a treat or say a word. Let him figure out what provides him with a tasty dividend and what doesn’t.
You need only invest a few minutes each day in clicker-training sessions with your cat. Felines learn best in mini-sessions, not marathon lectures. Their attention spans tend to evaporate after five or ten minutes. Conduct your training sessions in a quiet place where you can work without distractions. Time the training before a meal, so that your hungry cat will be more motivated to learn.
Using a clicker, you can train your cat to perform a few basic commands as well as other things limited only by your imagination and your cat’s preferences. You can teach your cat to do the cha-cha, for example, if he likes to walk forward and backward when he follows you into the kitchen. You can also train your cat to move in a circle, shake with his front paw, or even meow on cue.
The beauty of clicker training comes in the payoff. You end up with a more mentally stimulated cat and a stronger friendship bond with him. Once your cat is consistently completing some clicker-trained tricks, stage a performance for your husband and watch his amazement at these feline feats.
(See Strays Turned Stars, page 160, for more on performing cats and Master of the Ring, page 302, for information about cat agility.)
TOP 10 RULES FOR TRAINING CATS
1. Always say your cat’s name to get his attention before giving any command.
2. Be consistent with your verbal and hand signals.
3. Pay attention to your cat’s mood. Train him when he is receptive to learning, not when the lessons fit your schedule.
4. Select a quiet time and room where you can be one-on-one with your cat.
5. Be positive, patient, and encouraging.
6. Provide small food rewards and enthusiastic praise immediately after each success, no matter how small.
7. Start with the basic commands of come, sit, and stay.
8. Break the desired behavior into smaller steps and build on each one.
9. Teach your cat only one new trick or behavior at a time. Cats are not multitasking masters.
10. Keep training sessions simple and short — no more than five to ten minutes at a time.
Make Way for Feline Athletes
Q For the past few years, I have enjoyed competing in agility with my Australian shepherd. It is good exercise and a lot of