Things You Must Know About Clicker Training Your Cat!

A “clicker” is a tool for marking and rewarding desirable conduct in animals that relies on behavioral psychology. A “clicker” marks desirable behavior by making a short, distinct sound when the animal does the right thing.

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What Is Clicker Training Cats

Clicker training is a safe, effective, and humane method to teach a cat or any animal any desired behavior with clear communication and positive reinforcement.

As your cat becomes accustomed to the sound of the clicker, she becomes much more likely to repeat the behavior you want. Be sure to use high-value rewards. ‘If you give your cat a treat she really enjoys – like chicken – then she’ll work harder for it.

How to Clicker Train A Cat

It’s important to remember that for all sessions, you’ll need patience, treats, and a cat that’s hungry and energetic. Train your furry friend only for five minutes at a time to keep it fun.

• Start out by sitting on the ground and holding the clicker out of her sight while holding a treat in your other hand. Once she comes to you for a treat, ‘click’ and reward her immediately. Repeat the process for one week.
  You will eventually train your cat to associate the clicker sound with the reward she will receive when she performs the correct behavior.

• The clicker can be used to call your cat in from the garden once she has mastered Step 1. Once your cat reliably comes to you at least nine times out of ten, you can use the clicker to call her in from the yard.

Call her from short distances at first, and gradually increase the distance. A few different training tricks can also be introduced, for example, ‘give me your paw’ or ‘sit.’

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The Easiest Tricks You Can Teach Your Cat

Cats will learn to sit and give paws if they’re given the right motivation, and this is nothing more than expanding their natural abilities. Here are some easy tricks you can teach your cat.

Fetch

Throw her favorite toy just out of reach and rub some water from a tuna can on it. Your cat will begin to hunt for it. Give your cat a treat when it approaches the toy or picks it up. You may need to repeat the session a few times until your cat gets the idea.

Sit

Keep the clicker and treat out of sight of your cat while sitting on the floor. Once the cat acknowledges you, call it. Keep the treat just above your cat’s head. Once the cat sees the treat, she’ll sit automatically. Once she’s sitting, click and reward.

Reward your cat only for excellent sitting when he or she becomes proficient. Add the word ‘sit’ to your pet’s vocabulary when he consistently sits 9 out of 10 times.

High-five

Make your cat come to you by rewarding him with a high-value reward, such as a piece of chicken. When your cat reaches up for the treat, you can engage his or her natural ‘paw’ action.

Wait for your cat to reach up with a paw to reach the piece of chicken. Praise them and reword the command word “tap” once they have completed it.

Final Words

Make sessions short and enjoyable if your cat loses interest during the training. Your cat will only have good associations with the clicker if you end the session when things are going well.

This article was written by a friend of the blog, Albert and Mia the Bengal. For more cat training, you can always hire help from a clicker training expert.

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