Clicker Training For A Happy Cat

Using a clicker is the most effective way of training your cat, as it will know exactly which behaviour earned it a reward. Without hearing a click during a particular action, then the cat may not know, to which action it is being rewarded for. If you just reward your cat in a normal way with a treat, then it may not know what it is being rewarded for. It may think it is being rewarded for a bad action.

Cat clicker training is often linked with conventional condition, where cats associate sound with food and operational condition and where cats execute movements for food.

The clicker is certainly much more effective than a verbal command because a cat can hear clicker sounds more clearly than a voice. This is because the tone of a human voice changes, whereas the tone of a clicker is always the same. The click is brief and concise, whereas a voice, phrase or a word, can be quite long in a cats mind. To say “good boy” will take more time than a click.

When using a clicker, a cat can be successfully trained in three simple steps:

* obtaining the cats behaviour;
* marking its behaviour;
* reinforcing its behaviour.

Outlined below are some simple guidelines to follow when training a cat with a clicker:

1. Respond with the clicker by pressing the clicker’s spring end and releasing. Then treat the cat in an according way.

2. When noticing a certain behaviour that you wish your cat to continue with, use the clicker during that particular behaviour. Never use the clicker after the behaviour has been performed, this will only confuse the cat.

3. Click only one time to express your enthusiasm towards the act of your cat and add more treats.

4. It is always good to practice with the clicker first. Keep practice periods short. It is amazing how much your cat can learn in three brief five minute sessions per day, rather than hours of boring and stressful repetition.

5. If your cat behaves badly, do not use the clicker. Only click when good behaviour is displayed. If you have a kitten, use the clicker each time the kitten uses the litter tray or when it plays on the scratch post. Do not use the clicker when it scratches the furniture.

6. Click for accidental and voluntary actions nearing your objective. You should entice the cat into a position, but never pull, push or hold the cat in a certain position, this will only create anger.

7. Don’t only use the clicker when your cat has undertaken a command from yourself. Use the clicker and reward the cat for small good actions which are heading towards the right direction. For example, if you order your cat to sit, but it crouches on its back, use the clicker. It has almost obeyed your command.

8. When you are in the company of your cat, be sure to have the clicker with you at all times. 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 behaviours that you have 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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