Kitty School
For a while I've been wondering if it's possible to train cats. I mean, I knew it was possible, because they're in movies and whatnot. But I've never trained an animal and didn't know how to go about it. Then in my regular Internet wanderings I came across a book a couple years ago called The Trainable Cat. Then I finally picked up a copy shortly after we got Cinder. Training them younger is supposed to be better, so I thought I'd see what the book has to say.
It took me a few months to get around to it, and I still haven't finished the book all the way, but here's what I've learned in general. You're supposed to reward them for doing the thing you want, not negatively reinforce things you don't want them to do. The reward also has to immediately follow the action, because they associate whatever their mind is focused on at the moment with what is happening. You're also supposed to train them in a quiet, distraction-free environment. That's rarely the case at my house, but I can occasionally get a few minutes of relative quiet. I'm trying to do two sessions a day, just 5 minutes or so at a time.
Here's how I'm doing it. I get some food (he loves tuna, so I'll put some in a bowl and grab a tiny bit at a time). He's already associating the bowl with training, so he knows what to expect. The first tricks we're working on are those that he can do just by following the food, like standing on his hind legs or turning in a circle. I've also got him jumping on a chair and down again, following the food. I've also been able to get him to consistently sit now, which I think is cool. I'm trying to shake his paw, but that's not quite working. I may just try for the paw/fist bump, which could be cooler anyway.
We're just a couple weeks in, but he likes doing it, and I think it's fun. In the long run I want to get him to come in from outside whenever I call, and be able to perform some simple tricks in front of people. I'll probably update this in a few weeks with more progress.
It took me a few months to get around to it, and I still haven't finished the book all the way, but here's what I've learned in general. You're supposed to reward them for doing the thing you want, not negatively reinforce things you don't want them to do. The reward also has to immediately follow the action, because they associate whatever their mind is focused on at the moment with what is happening. You're also supposed to train them in a quiet, distraction-free environment. That's rarely the case at my house, but I can occasionally get a few minutes of relative quiet. I'm trying to do two sessions a day, just 5 minutes or so at a time.
Here's how I'm doing it. I get some food (he loves tuna, so I'll put some in a bowl and grab a tiny bit at a time). He's already associating the bowl with training, so he knows what to expect. The first tricks we're working on are those that he can do just by following the food, like standing on his hind legs or turning in a circle. I've also got him jumping on a chair and down again, following the food. I've also been able to get him to consistently sit now, which I think is cool. I'm trying to shake his paw, but that's not quite working. I may just try for the paw/fist bump, which could be cooler anyway.
We're just a couple weeks in, but he likes doing it, and I think it's fun. In the long run I want to get him to come in from outside whenever I call, and be able to perform some simple tricks in front of people. I'll probably update this in a few weeks with more progress.
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