Cat Tree and Cat Care Information

Cat Training With A Clicker

February 17th, 2008 at 01:27pm Under Cat Training

By Burt Cotton

Clicker training is a reinforcement or reward for a cat when
training them. Clickers are use most often for support when
training a cat for a reward. Cats associate the clicker with a
good behavior they will use for a long time. Clicker training is
associated with classical condition (they associate the sound
with food.) and operant conditioning (cat performs movement to
receive food).

Why use a clicker and not tell a cat or make a sound to get
your cat to do a trick? A clicker has a sound a cat can hear and
associate good behavior. With words, our tones in our voice can
change from time to time, which a cat can become confused with
the training. With talking for the commands, a cat could mistake
the commands. With using a clicker, it is more of a training
tool to get the behavior started with the cat. Then you can put
the clicker away for that behavior or trick once a cat has
learned the behavior

When taking the cat out for a walk or on a trip, the clicker is
a good item to carry along with you. Cats can get distracted
with other people, or animals in the area. With using the
clicker, it will reinforce the behavior that you have taught
them. In addition, a clicker can help you with having your cat
walk with you instead of wondering around.

With the clicker, a cat can be trained using three easy steps:
Get a behavior, mark a behavior, and reinforce the behavior. Get
a behavior is the first step. A good example would be for the
cat to jump a hoop. The cat will have to know that when you
click that they get a treat. Start with very small treats in
your pocket. Clicks, Treat, Click Treat do this for a few times
until you see the cat coming for the treat on the click. Next
marking the behavior: You will have to show the cat the hoop.
Once the cat touches the hoop, click, treat. Then show the cat
to go though the hoop once it does click, treat. Continue to do
this until the cat goes though the hoop on its own or your
command. Reinforce the behavior Remember to have snacks handy so
when you do see your cat go though the hoop a snack is
available.

Training a cat with a clicker can be fun for both you and the
cat. Taking steps in training will be rewarding to you and the
cat. Try not to rush a cat in training, as they can become
confused especially if they did not get the step before down.
The training will take time and steps to achieve this behavior.
Patience, love, and rewards will be the key factor in training
your cat.

The clicker is a good exercises tool for a cat. 10 to 15 mins a
day you should get your cat to exercises. For exercising, you
can have the cat use a hoop, play with a toy, and climb on the
scratching post or something that focus on the cat getting
exercise. Exercises will help the cat to stay healthy and help
to keep it out of mischief.

Clickers can come with books to help you train, treats, and a
clicker. Clickers come in many different size shapes, and color.
You will want to research the clickers out. Check out a pet
store, Internet sites give lots of information on training and
using a clicker. Check out companies that make the clicker by
using Internet to see what kind they offer and any additional
information that you might need to get the process of training
done. Check out articles about the clicker. Talk to someone that
has used one. Talk to your area veterinary about training with a
Clicker

Once you have used a clicker, the cat will get good exercise
and be a healthy cat. The cat will be happier and you will be
happier with the new behaviors that you have taught your cat.

To sum up training your cat, important things to remember is
have patience, love and the clicker.

About the Author: Burt Cotton www.catcarenews.org

Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: www.isnare.com/?aid=71091&ca=Pets

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Training Your Cat To Walk On A Leash

August 30th, 2006 at 04:24pm Under Training

By Lee Dobbins

Can you train your cat to take walks with you on a leash outside just like a dog? Yes you can! Training cats, however is a whole different ball game from training dogs. With some Patience and persistence, however, you may have your finicky feline outdoors on a leash in no time.
The best time to start training is when your cat is a kitten, at this stage the cat doesn’t have any programmed behaviors so you can try to mold him to what you want him to do. An older cat may be a bit more set in his ways and might require added patience for leash training.
One thing you will want to do is search out the leash that will be suitable for both you and your cat. There are many different leashes on the market to day. Some are retract able with a setting on the holder to be able to allow just enough leash out for the cat. On the other hand, you can just let the cat have as much as they would like. This is nice for walking and for letting the cat to play, with control that they do not run off or get in to much trouble.
Standard leashes are about 5 or 6 feet which should be fine. You want to get a leash that is lightweight - not one for a dog. Too much weight in the leash will make the cat uncomfortable and he won’t want to go for walks. Another item that you will need to consider is a harness or collar for the cat. A harness is the best for a cat. With purchasing a collar you will want to make it very narrow one and light. When looking for a collar keep in mind that you don’t want it too tight on the cat, but not too loose either as you don’t want him to slip his head out. Cat’s won’t respond well to jerking their collar so a harness is really best and should be loose and comfortable for the cat.
Once you get the leash, collar, or harness, you will want to introduce the cat to the item by playing with him. This allows the cat to get use to it and put its scent on these items. Next you want to try to put the harness or collar on the cat. Put it on as loose as you can get it, just place it him and depending on his reaction you can leave it on for a short time or if the cat does not want anything to do with it, then you might have to revert back to the “playing“ stage. This step is very important, if you force the cat to wear the harness, they are not going to be happy at all with the harness or with you. Take your time with all the steps.
After the cat is wearing the harness loose, then it is the time to tighten the harness up until it is the right fit for the cat. At this point, you will want to give the cat time to wear the harness. Next attach the leash. Remember first to have the cat play with the leash. Put the leash on and get the cat use to having it on. Then you will want to start walking the cat inside, until the cat is doing well. Once the cat is comfortable with the leash then it is time to go outside for a walk.
When walking with the cat make sure there is not too much loose leash or they will be running in all random directions. There are many distractions for a cat outdoors - birds, squirrels and the neighbors pets might cause your cat to want to run around, but you must keep a tight leash so that your cat walks with you and is not dragging you all over the place.
Lee Dobbins writes for E Pet Center
where you can learn more about pets and caring for kittens and cats.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins

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