Making Cats Friendly, Clicker Style
Clicker training , the science-based system of teaching behavior with positive reinforces and a marker signal, is becoming immensely popular, world-wide, with some dog owners and trainers, while still being rejected by others. It seems so alien, so different from traditional training , that many are very reluctant to try this new system on their already well-trained dogs. Why not leave your dogs out of the picture for the time being, and explore the clicker experience for yourself, with an animal you don’t really need or expect reliable performance from: Your cat.
Catching something cute
Clicker training doesn’t always have to be a project. One of the most delightful things to do with the clicker is just to reward your cat for the amusing little things cats do on their own. How do you begin? Keep a clicker handy, and notify the cat when it’s doing something cute. Keep a few dry treats in your pocket or in a jar in each room, so you have something with which to pay the cat. If you don’t have a clicker handy, use a mouth click; if you don’t have a treat, you can go get one afterwards. Marking the action as it happens is the crucial element.
What do you click? Anything. The cat rolls over? Click. The cat pats a ball and sends it rolling? Click. The cat leaps sideways? Click. The cat chases its tail? Click! By and by the cat will begin doing the behavior on purpose, hoping to make you click. “See me? I’m rolling over.” “See me? I’m doing my Sit.” Good! Click!
Written by Karen Pryor , the founder and CEO of Karen Pryor Clicker Gear Store
