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| 12 tips for clicker training with cats |
Just like humans, cats also like to learn differently and well. Nevertheless, even beginners can teach their cats many exercises with the help of clicker training. However, care must be taken so that the exercises remain a playful occupation – the cat should not acquire any naughty or develop undesirable behavior through false rewards or ambiguous signals. For the right and successful training, we give you some helpful tips and tricks below.
Unlearning and constant practice
Regular training sessions are important if the cat is to learn a trick – but even after that, regular practice should be done so that the cat does not unlearn the trick again (for example, "Come once a day").
Remember to always reward the cat when it has performed the exercise or command. You should therefore only call for her when you have a treat handy – she may be satisfied with a few strokes, but this is individually different. At least from time to time, better in the majority of cases, treats should actually be offered, alternatively also normal food,which is then deducted from the normal daily portion, so that the cat does not get fat.
You should never call the cat if something unpleasant happens (punishment, etc.). If you have to give her medication, you should get the cat yourself instead of calling her – otherwise she will soon not come at all. So there must always be something positive about the plot, even after the treat.
How much and for how long do you train?
You should do a training session with five to ten exercises at a time a maximum of three times a day. Also, you should never train for more than a few minutes at a time – many short units make more sense. In general, you should not overdo it in clicker training. The motivation and concentration of the cat must always be maintained and the training should be fun for both parties.
This applies to getting to know the clicker as well as to the repetition and refreshment of simple tricks or tricks that the cat has already learned and has mastered safely.
New tricks and exercises for more complicated tricks should not be repeated too many times in a row, especially in the beginning.
5 sources of error in clicker training with cats
When clicker training with cats, there are various sources of error that not only beginners should avoid at all costs:
- Avoid distraction.
- Prevent habituation.
- Avoid over- or under-demanding the cat.
- Timing of click and reward must be right.
- Don't force anything.
Avoid distraction during training
You have to be careful to avoid any distraction. It is best to train in a quiet, enclosed room in the house, with which the cat is familiar and in which it feels comfortable. There you sit down alone with your cat – she should concentrate on her owner. For example, the kitchen or living room are best suited.
You should also make sure that no radio, TV, telephone or the like can distract either of the two. A sensory overload leads to fatigue and the cat can no longer concentrate – it becomes too exhausting for her and she loses the fun of the game.
Clicker must remain something special
In addition, you have to avoid habituation. All objects that are part of a feat, such as balls, hoops, the clicker and the target rod, must be kept outside the cat's reach as long as there is no training – for example in cabinets or drawers.
The object and the trick must remain something special, cat must not get used to the object or the clicker – it will then no longer react to it.
Clicker training as a challenge
You must not tire the cat too much. This applies both to physical (for example, during a strenuous course run) and to mental fatigue (if a difficult feat is to be repeated constantly, although the requirements are still too high for the cat).
On the other hand, the cat must not be bored. The owner's job is to watch his cat closely and recognize when it is ready for the next step.
Interaction of click and reward
Timing is essential for any exercise. Clickers and rewards must always take place directly one after the other – the cat must not see the treat beforehand and must be able to establish the connection to the sound. Therefore, there must be a maximum of one to three seconds between the two signals.
After each click must be rewarded – on the other hand, there is no reward during a training session without a click. It must also not be rewarded if the click is accidentally made at the wrong time. Missing the right time is not bad and can be easily ignored with the next correctly set click. However, this must not happen too often. As a consequence, you have to observe your cat better and wait for the right time.
The click only announces the reward and marks the behavior for which the cat is rewarded. It does not replace the reward.
The cat must always be offered something that it likes and also sees as a real reward – a treat or the favorite food.
The owner determines when the cat gets the treat – he must never react to begging. If the cat becomes too intrusive, you should stop the training session to signal to the cat that this behavior is not effective and undesirable.
The cat sets the pace
Concentration is essential for any learning process, but you can't force it any more than the desire to learn and the fun of playing. Especially with young or very idiosyncratic cats, training can be difficult.
The cat does not have to sit motionless in front of its owner and look at him spellbound. Even if she happens to show the desired behavior when jumping around, you can click and throw her treat. At some point, the cat will come up out of pure curiosity and get involved in the new game more calmly and attentively.
As a coach, you need patience above all. The cat sets the speed at which it wants and can learn. The owner must never overwhelm them
5 tips for a successful clicker training
In order for the clicker training with your cat to succeed, you should pay attention to the following tips:
- Send unique signals.
- Slowly increase the pace.
- Train gradually.
- A change of trainer can confuse the cat.
- Start and end each training session with a sense of achievement.
Send unique signals
There must only be one signal at a time. The cat must be able to clearly distinguish the clicker from other, normal and familiar sounds of its environment. The sound must be unique and must not already have a meaning for the cat – otherwise it will confuse it.
That's why you should never train with two cats at the same time – they distract each other and can not assign whether the clicker applies to them or their partner animal.
Proceed slowly and accept regression
With each training you can only increase the level of difficulty slowly. After all, you don't want to frustrate or unsettle your cat. An exercise should always sit properly before increasing the level of difficulty, otherwise the cat will quickly be overwhelmed – it must always be able to meet the requirements.
With new elements, you have to lower the requirements and relax the old criteria a bit – with a high five, for example, you will first be rewarded if the cat rises even briefly. The finishing touches can still be worked on later.
Clicker training with cats – everything in its own time
You should only train one after the other. This applies both to individual cats and to individual tricks – if you want to train several cats, this should always be done individually so as not to confuse the partner animal.
It is advisab to draw up a precise plan for each individual feat. The owner must be clear about what exactly he wants from his cat – only then can he train specifically for it.
Individual intermediate steps, increases or approximate times for an increase in difficulty can be defined – however, unforeseen behaviors can always occur, to which the owner must then react spontaneously. This is especially helpful if the cat doesn't understand what to do – it may be possible to train for an alternative feat in this case.
Change of trainer during clicker training
A trick should only ever be taught by a trainer. During a learning phase, the trainer should never be changed. If, on the other hand, the cat masters the feat safely, other people can also practice with the cat.
However, they must be just as consistent in clicking and rewarding – spoken commands must always be pronounced with the same sound and melody so that the cat can clearly assign them.
Choose the beginning and end carefully
There should be no surprises during the clicker training. Workouts shouldn't end abruptly or unexpectedly, or be interrupted for minutes— even when the phone rings or knocks on the door. The cat will not understand why it is suddenly ignored and left sitting alone and misinterpret this behavior as punishment and failure. That's why a quiet, enclosed space is so important for training.
Each training session should start and end with a sense of achievement. This works best with an exercise that the cat has already mastered safely and for which it can definitely be rewarded. Ideally, you let them perform the trick three to four times in a row. Then the owner can try to add a new element, fine-tune posture and execution, or build a completely new feat.
The owner must take care to finish each training session on time – i.e. before the cat is exhausted, no longer feels like it or can no longer concentrate. A clicker training should never end with a frustrating experience for the cat.
Thanks for reading: 12 tips for clicker training with cats , Sorry, my English is bad:)