Clicker Training Cats:
Easy and Effective
Clicker cat training incorporates the use of a clicker as a reward or encouragement when
training a cat.
Cats are able to relate with the clicker, displaying good actions and
behavior. Clicker training is often linked with conventional condition, where cats associate sound with food and
operational condition and where cats execute movements for food.
A clicker is found to be more effective than verbal command because cats can hear clicker sounds
more clearly than a voice, as human voice tones change while the clicker sound is always steady or constant.
The click is brief and concise, whereas a voice, phrase or a word, is fairly long in cats' point
of standing. To say “good boy” will take time than a click.
With the use of a clicker, cats can be successfully trained in three simple steps: obtaining the
cats behavior, marking its behavior, and reinforcing its behavior.
Guidelines when traininga cat with a clicker:
1. To make a sound, push the clicker’s spring end and then release. Treat the cat.
2. When you notice a behavior that you want your cat to continue on doing, click during
while the behavior is being performed, never after it.
3. Click only once, to express enthusiasm towards the act of your cat and add
more
treats.
4. Note that practice periods should be short. More can be learned in three brief five
minute sessions per day than hours of boring and stressful repetition.
5. Correct bad acts by ignoring and clicking when good behavior is displayed. Click when
your kitten uses the litter box or when it plays on the scratch post, not on the furniture.
6. Click for accidental and voluntary actions nearing your objective. You should entice the
cat into a position, but never pull or push it or hold it.
7. Never wait until your cat performs the perfect act that you told it to do, instead click
and reward for little actions towards the correct direction. When your cat is signaled to sit and it crouches
in its back, click.
8. Carry the clicker at all times when you are with your cat, so you can catch good
acts.
9. Make sure to put aside the clicker when you are scolding your cat.
The non-confrontational character of a clicker makes it an ideal tool for training your cat.
You too, can be happy with the results, having achieved all positive behaviors that you worked for with your cat.
With lots of understanding, love, and patience, cat clicker training will continue to give you wonderful results
that you and your cat will benefit from for years to come.
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