Clicker training for cats: what to look out for
Cats are generally considered difficult to train. However, even though they are much less cooperative than dogs in this regard, it is quite possible to teach them one or the other little trick.
Clicker training in particular can prove to be extremely useful for this purpose. Below we will explain exactly what it is all about and how you can use clicker training successfully for your cat.
What is clicker training?
Clicker training is a special training method that works with an acoustic signal, which can help reinforce desired behaviour. The device used is called a clicker. If it is pressed, the bending of a sheet metal strip inside it causes a short, clearly audible click.
Clickers are easy to use. They are also small, so you can take them with you anywhere. In principle, however, you can also use other signals for clicker training with your cat, such as a bell.
As long as the noise is loud enough and your cat is not used to it in its normal everyday life, you will achieve success in training even without a conventional clicker.
Regardless of this, however, it is important that you keep the same sound during clicker training permanently and not switch from a bell to a real clicker after a while, for example. This is the only way to ensure that your cat actually associates the sound with the training.
How clicker training works with cats
Clicker training is intended as a targeted reinforcement for desired behaviours that you want to teach your cat. For this purpose, you teach the four-legged friend to associate the sound of the clicker with a reward in the form of food.
In order for this to work, it is important that the reward is given immediately after you press the clicker. If you wait too long, your four-legged friend will probably not understand that their behaviour, the sound and the reward are interrelated.
Clear commands for clicker training with cats
Be aware that too many tricks and different commands can confuse and overwhelm
your cat very quickly. For the success of your clicker training, it is therefore important that you do not try too many exercises at once and that you use short commands that your cat can easily remember.
Regular achievements in clicker training with cats
In order for your cat to have fun with clicker training, it is crucial that it has a regular sense of achievement from the start. Therefore, do not start straight away with complicated tricks, but first limit yourself to tricks that are easy to learn.
It can also help to break down certain exercises into individual steps and gradually introduce your four-legged friend to more complex processes. This way you avoid unnecessary frustration and keep your cat motivated.
Short workouts are important
Clicker training only works if your cat participates voluntarily. For progress in training, it is therefore crucial that you take this fact into account and ensure that this is permanently the case with your four-legged friend.
With all the ambition you may have, you should always make sure that the fun for the four-legged friend is in the main goal for the clicker training with your cat. Therefore limit yourself to short training units and practice them regularly.
If you pressurise your four-legged friend with excessively long exercise units, it usually does not take long before it loses its interest and can no longer be motivated to participate at all.
What clicker training can teach your cat
There are a number of tricks and behaviours that you can teach your cat through clicker training. For example, you can train your four-legged friend to give you its paw, to sit up and beg or to sit down in a certain place on command.
In addition, clicker training can also be integrated into hide and seek games, which practically every cat accepts with great enthusiasm, in order to create an additional incentive for the four-legged friend. A surprising number of cats also enjoy retrieving games, for which you can also use a clicker.
As long as your cat is motivated and having fun doing it, you will be surprised what your four-legged friend can learn with the help of clicker training.
High quality cat treats for clicker training
Rewards in the form of treats play a crucial role in the success of clicker training with your cat. With our cat snacks, you can give healthy delicacies made from natural ingredients, which your four-legged friend is guaranteed to be delighted with.
I Love My Cat cat snacks are ideal for rewarding your cat during clicker training without compromising on quality.
Clicker training in cats - our conclusion
As you can see, clicker training is an excellent method to teach your cat little tricks and at the same time to keep your four-legged friend entertained with playing together.
With a little patience and the right approach, you will soon achieve initial success in clicker training with your cat and you will be surprised at how willing your four-legged friend is to learn under the right conditions.
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