Cats are autonomous beings that have no desire to win your favor, but they can also be highly bright animals who are willing to pick up new actions provided there is a good reward in store for them.
Cat training using clickers is based on exactly this. To learn more about this approach to cat training, continue reading.
What is clicker training for cats?
A quick and simple method for modifying the cat's behavior and teaching them a few helpful behaviors is cat clicker training. An inexpensive plastic clicker is used to mark the desirable behavior you want the cat to learn. The unique cat treat that rewards the cat for performing properly comes right after the clicking sound. The 'click and reward' pattern is the most crucial component of cat clicker training. This will assist the cat in learning to correlate specific behaviors with positive outcomes, which is ultimately how well behavior is learned.
Why train your cat with a clicker?
There are just a few factors that make clicker use more efficient than vocal commands alone. Because mood and conditions can alter your intonation or pitch, your voice is unpredictable and consequently unreliable for a marker in cat training. It takes longer to perform the voice command. Even when you are complimenting your cat, they typically do not linger to listen to anything you have to say. A clicker sends out a brief signal that it is time to do a good deed.
What rewards should I give my cat during clicker training?
In order for the cat to instantly identify the desired behavior with the treat, successful cat clicker training correctly identifies the desired behavior. Select a tasty, healthy food that is simple to transport and easy for the cat to consume. To ensure that you control their weight appropriately, evaluate the additional calories you are going to be adding to their daily consumption. Since kibble is undoubtedly already a component of your cat's diet, it is incredibly convenient to use. Just give them a portion as their main meal, and the rest can be saved for training rewards.
How does train your cat with a clicker work?
Positive associations are the foundation of cat clicker training. As soon as your cat completes the specified activity, click on the clicker and offer them their preferred treat. Repeat until they begin anticipating the goodie at the first sound of the click. When the process of association is finished, you can start using targets.
Allow your cat to smell a target stick that you have placed nearby. Click immediately as they do, then reward them with a goodie. To make them follow, keep pulling back on the target. You can begin to include a cue phrase after a few days. Say "sniff," click, and then give your cat a treat as it gets close to the end of a stick, for instance. You will observe that after a few tries spread over a few weeks, the word cue will prove sufficient to motivate your cat to act. You can gradually cease using the clicker entirely and even start only occasionally giving treats.
What feline tricks should be taught using clicker training?
To teach your cat to sit, use a cat clicker. This is an excellent place to start and frequently serves as the foundation for teaching them additional abilities, such as how to stand on their back legs. Wouldn't it be nice to receive high fives from the pet of choice every day? You can achieve that goal as well with cat clicker training. At the next dinner party, watch as all of your guests are impressed by your cat-training prowess by making sure the cue word is "high five."
Cats can retrieve too, as seen by the innumerable cat videos online. Start clicker training your cat by gathering your clicker, some goodies, and a ball that fits in your cat's mouth. Build up their abilities progressively by instructing them to first touch the ball, then to seize the ball, and finally to return it to you.
The best cat clicker training advice
Before you start training, observe how your cat responds to the click. The clicking sound could frighten or bother certain cats.
If you clicked around the wrong time, always follow the click using a treat. This will support the development of a solid association between the noise and the treat in the feline's brain.
If you discover that your cat is not really engaged in clicker training, the treat may not be particularly appetizing to make the effort worthwhile. In order to get them to start paying attention, try a few distinct types.
Don't talk to the cat while performing the click-treat routine to avoid confusion. Let the click serve as their sole cue at that precise moment.
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