Can Cats be Trained?
by Tricia McMaster
Published in The San Diego Union Tribune's "SDPets", October, 2008
Published in The San Diego Union Tribune's "SDPets", October, 2008
It is said that “dogs have owners, cats have staff.” We love cats for their independent spirit, but they can adopt some unwanted behaviors like jumping on the kitchen counter or scratching furniture. If you are a cat parent engaged in a gentle stand-off over who runs the house, there is hope. Cats can be trained to have good household manners and even perform some fun tricks, and the San Diego Humane Society can show you how.
Senior trainer Margaret Lenoir offers a two-hour workshop at the San Diego Humane Society on clicker training: an animal training method that relies on marking desirable behavior with a clicking sound, and rewarding that behavior.
Clicker training has been widely used by dolphin trainers who needed a way to teach behavior without using physical force. It became a popular dog training technique in 1992 by training expert Karen Pryor, and has spread to a variety of animals. A clicker is more effective than the human voice because it is distinct, precise, and it means only one thing: reward.
Only recently has clicker training been applied to cats and it has proven to be ideal for them. Lenoir explains, “cats like to be in control and clicker training makes them think they are commanding a performance from the trainer. It gives them a voice, and it gives us information.”
Cats and other animals trained by the clicker method know exactly when they're doing the right thing. “Think of a clicker as a camera,” explains Lenoir, “and take a mental picture of your cat performing the behavior you want to see, using the clicker at that precise moment.” After “taking the picture,” the trainer gives the animal something it likes, usually a small piece of food but sometimes play, petting, or other rewards.
Personalized Workshops
Lenoir customizes her workshops to address the needs of each cat parent attending. Some want to change a bad behavior, and others want to teach their cat tricks. Still others want to calm down or even perk up their cat. All of these can be handled with clicker training. But most of all, it builds a life-long bond between you and your cat.
As a senior trainer, Lenoir recently made a house call to Diana Powell and Jon Moore to help their newly adopted cat Fritz get more settled down in his new home. She used clicker training to calm Fritz. “We definitely noticed a difference after Margaret’s clicker training session,” says Powell. In fact, the couple attended the most recent Clicker Training for Cats workshop to learn more about the technique. Fritz needs to learn not to scratch on the bedroom door so early in the morning. For frisky cats, Lenoir suggests watching the way in which your cat calms itself, such as licking itself or sitting with closed eyes, and then click and reward at those moments.
“Clicker training is much more than an obedience tool,” says Lenoir. “By teaching simple tricks to your cat, and building on those tricks over time, the training engages its mind in a more complete way. I like to think of it as the ‘complete cat.’”
One of the fun tricks Lenoir says cats can learn is to touch a target with its nose. This simple trick, once mastered over time, can be “shaped” to more complex tricks, such as following a target through a kitty exercise course. Lenoir also shows cat parents how to train their cats to sit, give a “high five,” wave bye, and fetch.
Lenoir reminds cat parents to keep their training sessions short. Cats may lose interest or they may get exhausted from the concentration involved. What ever behavior you are trying to teach, it is important to respect your cat’s comfort level. Cats have their own pace of learning. And don’t try to coax or pressure your cat into things she does not want to do. Remember, this should be fun!
“Click” Your Way to a Happy Cat
“Over the three years that the San Diego Humane Society has offered the Clicker Training for Cats Workshop, we’ve had a great response,” reports Candice Eley, Public Relations Coordinator. The workshop is held every other month in a classroom of the Humane Society’s beautiful facility. Attendees are provided with their own clicker and training guide. For more information, visit the San Diego Humane Society website at www.sdhumane.org, or call them at 619-299-7012 ext 2247.
Other Cat Workshops
How to Live Happily Ever After With Your Cat!
Learn to live in harmony with your cat! Gain access to the knowledge necessary to build a successful and rewarding relationship with your cat. This class is for people only; please leave your cat at home. Extension 2247.
Kitten Support Group
Have a new kitten? Got some questions? Bring your kitty for an hour of open-forum problem-solving and kitten play time! Proper socialization with other kittens can do wonders in teaching your kitty to “play nice". For kittens under 12 weeks old. Kittens MUST come to class in an appropriate carrier. Please call for more information and a schedule 619-299-7012 ext 2247
Clicker Training for Cats
Have you always wanted to teach your cat some fun new behaviors? Maybe how to “sit” or wave bye-bye? Or perhaps you’d like to learn an exciting new way to train your cat to stay off the kitchen counter. Whatever your desired outcome, clicker training can be a wonderful method of communicating with those hard-to-train cats! This class is for people only; please leave your cat at home. Please call for more information and a schedule 619-299-7012 ext 2247.
Courtesy of "http://www.sdhumane.org/"
