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Clicker Training for cats - anyone tried it?
Ninja Kitty
07-03-2010
I've just read Clicker Training for cats by Karen Pryor. I just wondered if anyone here has tried it and how they got on?

I am going to have a few tries with Brandon my 20 week old Burmese boy. He seems rather smart and full of beans so I am looking for something to help keep him entertained and interested. Also thought it might help with my slightly difficult Bengal girl, she's an absolute nightmare to get into a carrier if we can make that less stressful it will be best for everyone.
wilhemina
07-03-2010
Yes I've clickered trained cats with some success but I have to admit it's not as easy as with dogs ~ you need a bit more patience & it helps to think it through first before just launching into it. I trained some of my own cats & other peoples & shown people how to do it. I found Karen Pryor's book & DVD very helpful plus I was taught how to do it by an expert. The cats that are easiest to train are those that are highly motivated by food ~ that's partly why I always think it's a good idea to hand feed small amounts of very palatable treats now & again. If your cat gets used to having tiny treats from your hand & thoroughly enjoys it, then it makes clcker training much easier.

The idea is to make an association between the "click" & a food reward so you need to "tune" your cat into the clicker first ~ I think Karen Pryor calls it "charging the clicker"!

Once they've made that association, then there's lots you can teach them ~ useful things like getting into a cat carrier, or jumping onto a grooming table & fun things like "high fives" or roll over. You can backward chain an obstacle course where you start with the last obstacle first, then add on the second to last obstacle, followed by the last obstacle etc etc.

These are some of the factors that affect the training of cats & are good to bear in mind before you start:

• Tap into the skills for which cats are biologically prepared, e.g. balancing skills, climbing skills.

• Consider the cat’s motivation; use small, highly palatable food treats in short training sessions ~ perhaps only a few minutes per session.

• Minimise distractions to which the cat is highly motivated to respond such as small, fast-moving objects, sudden noises or movements.

• Do not tap into predatory behaviours as this can lead to physiological arousal that is not conducive to learning and may not promote a good owner-cat relationship.

• Do not use punishment or negative reinforcement as the cat will escape, avoid or may make unpleasant associations with the owner.

• Set up the cat to be successful and avoid failure, frustration and non-rewarding events.

It's great fun for your cat & provides much-needed mental stimulation for indoor only cats & I would highly recommend it.

Sometimes using a target stick helps as well where you teach the cat to touch the stick, then click & treat. It can also be very useful to teach a recall as well ~ always a good idea for outdoor cats.

One thing I would stress though is don't use clicker training to arouse predatory behaviour ~ it invokes a whole different physiology that is not conducive to new learning.

Best of luck with it ~ I look forward to hearing how you get on
Ninja Kitty
07-03-2010
Thanks Wilhemina, I think it was you who mentioned it in another thread which made me look it up

Any suggestions on kitty treats? I need something extra tasty. Obviously the kitten is very food orientated being a growing boy but I need something extra appealing for the older ones.
kelly82
07-03-2010
wow, this sounds like an interesting idea though i think mr dudley would ignore every effort i made! maybe tuna would be a good treat, small pieces, cheap to buy, quick to eat a small piece
wilhemina
07-03-2010
I've used cooked chicken breast which can be easily shredded into small pieces, tuna, cheese or ham. Or you can get the sliced "chicken" breast usually quite cheaply & with a longish shelf life but I suspect it's quite salty, so only in moderation. It's a case of finding out what they like best. One of my cats would go mad for chicken tikka ~ so again, only occasional use.

It's best to use something they really like & only use for the training sessions, so they almost come to associate that particular food with the training sessions. Once they've learned the behaviour you want, you can start to reduce the food treats by giving it after every, say third go, & variably afterwards, so they don't know when the reward will come. And to keep the behaviour going, every so often give them a "jackpot" of several treats at once.
Ninja Kitty
07-03-2010
one problem, one of the little darlings has spirited away the clicker :O
charliesugar
07-03-2010
Have you tried the Thrive dehydrated treats? Rather pricy at around £3 for a small tube but my cats absolutely adore them.....the chicken is great but the fish wins top prize!
wilhemina
08-03-2010
Originally Posted by Ninja Kitty:
“one problem, one of the little darlings has spirited away the clicker :O”

He's obviously been reading this thread & decided he didn't like the sound of this clicker business
Ninja Kitty
08-03-2010
Found the clicker and bought a spare just in case. Bought some really stinky fish treats. Luckily Brandon is definitely food orientated (he had a go at curry at weekend he sneeked up on a spill I hadn't spotted ).

Brandon and I have had a good 5 minutes or so before I feed him tonight. All I did was get him used to following a target. After 5 minutes I had him following the target all round the room. I left it that at that on a good note.

I am only clicking when he is in the process of him doing what I ask. We then stop and he is rewarded with a treat. I think this is what the book said.
Ninja Kitty
09-03-2010
Originally Posted by charliesugar:
“Have you tried the Thrive dehydrated treats? Rather pricy at around £3 for a small tube but my cats absolutely adore them.....the chicken is great but the fish wins top prize!”

I did get the Thrive fishy treats. Two out of three love them so thats a good hit rate as far as I am concerned.

Day two did a few minutes of clicker charging before I fed Brandon. much to my surprise Chew my Bengal expressed interest. I ended up alternating cats charging the clicker. The both got the idea very well. I thought I would have more of an issue with Chew because she is a grade A baggage
sallygill1961
09-03-2010
are the thrive treats hard or softish
Ninja Kitty
09-03-2010
Originally Posted by sallygill1961:
“are the thrive treats hard or softish”

The fishy ones are small pieces of dried diced fish. They are soft and brittle which means they crumble easily. They stink which is probably why the cats like em.
yorkiegal
09-03-2010
Tried it with Chloe. He looked at me in utter disdain. He also hasn't played with any toys since he was a kitten. Comes into the house, uses his scratching post or the back of the sofa, eats his food, goes to sleep. That's it. Doesn't even sit on my lap. I can only assume that his life outside the house must be so thrilling that he's wiped out by the time he gets home.
Istvan
11-03-2010
cats TRAINING, hahahahahahahaha
no THEY train US
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