When you teach your cat the signal to a trick, ONLY reward the cat when you signal your cat to do it. Now imagine your cat jumping on your shoulder when you aren’t looking (not fun!). For example, imagine teaching your cat to jump on your shoulder (fun). This behavior can be cute at first but not down the road when you teach lots of skills. The final step is ONLY to reward the ones where you ask the cat to do it.ĭo not reinforce any random sits that your cat does, or your cat will turn into a little clown and follow you around sitting and staring at you, “HUMAN, DO YOU SEE? I SITS!” With enough practice, you should be able to say “Sit,” and your cat will know what to do. If you pair the word ‘Sit’ with the cat’s movement into the position, they will learn the verbal cue’s meaning. If you aren’t sure your cat will do it, spend more time capturing the sit with the clicker before pairing a verbal signal with the action. Say “Sit,” just as your cat is about to sit. When you can predict with relative certainty that your cat will sit, start attaching a signal to the action.Ĭareful, we don’t want to nag your cat by saying: “SIT, SIT SIT!!!” otherwise, they’ll learn they can ignore you the first time you ask them to sit. Now it’s time to add a signal to this behaviour, so your cat does it when you ask them to, and you can show off your kitty genius on social media. Once your cat learns that they get a click and treat whenever they sit, you should see them sit and look at you in anticipation of their prize. Repeat this training a lot to help your cat understand the connection between doing the behaviour (sit) and earning a reward. As soon as their fluffy butt hits the ground, click and toss a piece of food a few feet away.īy throwing a treat away, your cat will have to get up and get their reward, allowing you to practice another sit when they return.
Observe your cat and wait for them to sit.
Most cats move naturally into the sitting position, so that’s a purrfect first trick to hone your clicker training skills. Once you understand the basics of clicker training, train your cat to sit on command. Once your cat learns the association that one click equals one treat, you can start to use the clicker to build a repertoire of tricks. Pair EVERY click with a piece of food (always and forever) if you click without giving your cat a treat, they will get confused, and the clicker won’t provide proper communication. With your cat’s attention, click and then toss a treat away to get them moving.Īs soon as your cat comes back to get another reward, click and throw another piece of food. When a cat offers behaviours to earn a click and a reward, we call them “clicker savvy.” Introducing The Clickerīefore you begin your training sessions, you will need to introduce your cat to the clicking sound to let them know that one click equals one treat. Once your cat learns what action makes you reward them, they will repeat it (this is the principle of positive reinforcement), and this feedback will make teaching new tricks a lot easier. If you want your cat to know they earned a treat for the high five, you should click at the split second they raise their paw, so your cat knows the paw lift is the movement you are rewarding. Now it’s time to reward them for all their hard work, so you give your cat a treat.īut wait, how does your cat know they got a treat for their paw vs sitting? They don’t. Imagine you are teaching your cat to high five. The clicker tells your cat which action earned a reward. Think of a clicker like taking a snapshot of cat behavior.Ī clicker will help you succeed in your trick training journey because it provides clear communication to your cat. The clicker is a small handheld tool that makes a clicking sound.
A clicker can be a useful training tool, allowing you to create clear cues that your cat can easily understand.