Category: Cat Training

• July 26, 2015

  Cat Training: Loading the clicker

  The first step in training your cat is finding a way to communicate to them what behaviors you like. One way of doing this is to associate a signal (a neutral stimulus) with a natural response. Remember learning about Pavlov’s dogs in psychology? Ivan Pavlov found that an initially neutral stimulus (metronome- although it is…

• July 21, 2015

  Cat Training: Finding the right reinforcer

  Cats, like dogs, can be easily trained. It is all about finding the proper motivator for your specific cat. What can you give your cat that will reinforce that behavior, or cause that behavior to increase in frequency? Some cats may be very motivated by food while others may be more motivated by play, praise or physical attention.…

• March 12, 2015

  Raising the bar: Cat training made simple!

  Check out this video of my cat, Cecilia, learning how to jump over a bar. Training cats (or any animal for that matter) is extremely simple!  I used principles of positive reinforcement to train this behavior. The behavior was trained in approximately 15 short sessions (lasting 5 minutes or less). Below is a list of terms used in…