Most of us would agree that it is possible to teach a cat to do various tricks. With persistence and the proper timing on your part, you may be able to get them to come on command, sit or perhaps even get down off of the furniture when you tell them to do so. Like training a dog, it is important to have a reward system in place so that they recognize they are not doing these things without benefit.
The most common reward system for training a cat is going to be some type of a tasty treat. You can purchase these at your local pet store or you can simply cut up some small pieces of chicken and keep them on hand during the training process. It is also interesting to recognize that you can train a cat using a clicker. What is a clicker and how can you take part in this type of training?
A clicker is a small, hand-held device that makes a gentle clicking sound when you press it. It is typically used for dog training but it is also possible to train a cat to respond to a clicker as well. Not everybody agrees with this type of training but when you do it regularly, the animal will respond readily to the sound the clicker makes.
The real key is to use the clicker in conjunction with any treat that you are giving the cat. It should be done at the same time so that the cat will soon associate getting a treat with the sound that they are hearing. Like Pavlov’s dogs, the cat will also make the association and they will feel as if they are getting a treat when they hear that noise.
Clicker training a cat has many benefits but perhaps the top benefit is the fact that it trains your cat to respond to the commands you give them. This is going to be more than something that is fun to do when you have friends over. Having a well-trained cat that responds to your commands can actually safeguard their lives under certain circumstances. In addition, you can use the clicker eventually without the treats, and that is a healthier choice for your feline.
If you have ever clicker trained a dog, you know that they respond to it very quickly in the training process. You should not expect the same from your cat. They will respond to it and most cats will be clicker trained quickly but you do need to be patient during the process. If you work with them regularly, you can see progress.