Clicker Training And Cats

Cats are notoriously hard to train. Or are they? Maybe it is not that they are hard to train, but that the methods that have been used in past years are not well suited to a cat’s independent personality. Clicker training is a system of training that is particularly effective with cats because rather than working against their nature it works with it. Clicker training encourages them to repeat correct behaviours because they want to, not because they have to.

Clicker training is a method of animal training that is based on positive reinforcement. There are no punishments or corrections involved in clicker training. Trainers have been using this system to train animals and birds for more than fifty years.

With clicker training you use a conditioned reinforcer (the clicker) with a primary reinforcer (usually food) to get the animal to do what you want. The advantage of clicker training is that it is very accurate and precise and lets the animal know exactly when it has done something right. Praise is great, but is not nearly as quick as a clicker sound. Frequently, by the time you offer praise the action is already done and the animal is not sure exactly what you are praising it for. Using a clicker gives you, as a trainer, the ability to mark the exact moment when the desired behaviour is achieved.

Clicker training also allows the animal to take an active part in the training process. The animal is actually encouraged to learn. You are not simply asking your pet to respond and follow a command, you are asking your pet to learn and understand that what he has done is a good behaviour and it will earn a reward. The more often that the animal repeats the behaviour the more rewards the animal will earn.

Once the animal has a grasp of the behaviour you start using a vocal command or a hand signal to replace the clicker sound. As the animal progresses you can use the clicker to make corrections or modify the trick you are trying to train. Instead of getting a sloppy sit you can get a perfect sit every time.

Do YOU know the best way to train YOUR cat? Click here for information and tips

This method is very effective for training cats. As you probably already know you can’t make a cat do anything that it does not want to do. However, you can teach a cat that if it does certain things it will get rewarded. By using clicker training you can train a cat to do almost anything,. You can also use clicker training to curb unwanted behaviours.

If you are a cat owner and you are interested in teaching your cat correct behaviours you may want to investigate clicker training. Clicker training has been around for many years and is gaining in popularity. Why? Because it works.

About the Author:

Unknown

Back to Cats Training Main Page

Click here for the definitive collection of QUALITY Pet Ebooks