Edited by Krystle, Owlcitygirl, Catdog, Krazycommando and 4 othersPin ItArticle EditDiscussClicker training is something you usually hear of people doing with dogs, but did you know you can clicker train a cat, too? It won't be quite as easy, but it's certainly more achievable than the phrase "herding cats" implies.
Edit Steps1Identify your cat's reward. There might be more than one, but a common reward is a special treat of some sort (e.g. tuna) especially when the cat is hungry (no food freely available for 20-30 minutes). For some cats, affection or a toy might be a good reward, too! It needs to be something that can be done relatively quickly. While your cat might love being let outside, that's not a very convenient reward to use during click training. The rest of this article will assume you're using a treat.
2Associate the click with the reward. Find the cat when he's comfortable, preferably in a quiet spot free of distractions (other pets and people). Click and simultaneously give the cat a treat. It's important that these two events happen at the same time so that the cat knows a click means a reward. Repeat this several times. Toward the end, you can toss the treat a little further away from the cat (still click right when you throw the treat). Do this only for 5 minutes, maximum.
Don't click at any other time: While the cat is eating, while the cat is looking at you, while the cat is walking away. ONLY click when you give the treat.Don't talk to the cat or use any kind of verbal cues. You want the clicker noise to be the clearest signal here.If the cat completely loses interest, the reward isn't strong enough. Find a better reward!It's best to use a clicker specifically designed for training. If you don't have one, though, make a distinct clicking noise with your mouth.
Introducing a Target1Find a distinct, stick-like object: A pen, a spoon, a highlighter. Just make sure it's easily recognizable, and something likely to be used only for training. Your cat will eventually follow this object as a target, so you don't want your cat jumping up to the dinner table to follow her training spoon.
2Hide the target. You only want the cat to see it when you're ready to reward it appropriately.
3Reinforce the click/treat relationship a few times, if it's been a while since your previous training session.
4Hold out the target and watch your cat carefully. As soon as your cat does anything toward the target (look at it, lean toward it, approach it) immediately (simultaneously, ideally) click. Then offer a treat.
The click lets the cat know the exact moment at which it did something right. In this case, the correct action is moving toward the target.This is why you use a clicker as a signal for a reward, rather than just giving the reward directly. If you tossed the cat a treat when it looked at the target, it would immediately get distracted and focus on the treat. Instead, the clicker tells the cat "treat is coming" and the cat has a little more time to figure out what it did to get the "treat promise".The click noise is also much easier for an animal to identify than a verbal cue, such as "good kitty". Your timing might not be as exact, and the cat might pick up on your tone differently every time. A click is quick and consistent.5Repeat the process several times, progressively rewarding the cat for movement toward the target. Pay attention to your cat. You might notice him looking back and forth at you and the target, trying to figure out what you mean. This is good!
If the cat is only looking at the target, move the target closer to its face. Most cats will lean in to sniff it. As soon as the cat does this, click. Then reward.Encourage your cat to take a step toward the target. Once the cat is reliably looking at target every time you introduce it, try to get the cat to take a step in its direction. As soon as it takes that step, click, then reward.This is called "shaping". Instead of expecting the cat to complete the entire action that you want, you reward it for making partial movements in that direction. As you keep training, you reward it for getting closer and closer to the complete action.6Repeat this exercise a few times a day, for 5 minute sessions at most. If you notice your cat losing interest and starting to clean himself after 10-15 clicks, end the training session. Eventually you'll probably be able to get your cat to walk across the room to the target. You might even be able to get the cat to jump onto things!
Catching (and Clicking) the Cat in the Act1Keep the clicker and lots of treats handy.
2Watch your cat. When he does something you like, click right when she does it, then toss her a treat. There are many actions you can reward:
scratch the postroll overpats the ball and sends it rollingleaps sidewayschases its tailIf you are consistent, your cat will start doing these things to try and garner a click and a treat from you.
Introducing Verbal Cues
While the clicker noise is good for letting the cat know what it's doing right, verbal cues can be used once the cat has already learned a few tricks, to help it understand which trick you want it to do.
1Decide on a verbal cue for each of your cat's tricks. You might use "jump!" for when your cat jumps onto something. You might use "come!" for when your cat walks toward you. The verbal cue must be distinct and clear. It should be a word you won't be using with other pets, or in everyday conversation ("hey!" makes a terrible cue).
2Choose a single trick to associate a verbal cue with. Let's say you can reliably get your cat to jump onto a stool with a target. Get your cat to do this trick a few times, the way you normally would. Each time your cat does the trick, though, say "Jump!" while she's jumping.
3Withhold a treat if the cat jumps without your verbal cue. If your cat does this on his own, just don't reward him. Don't click, don't give a treat. After he's back on the floor, have him jump while you give the verbal cue. This time, reward him.
If he's not doing it on his own, lead him to jump onto the stool without the verbal cue, but don't reward. Follow up with jump + verbal cue + reward.4Mix it up! Do this until your cat figures out that she'll only get a treat when she jumps when you give the verbal cue.
Again, only do these sessions for 5 minutes at a time.If your cat is just not getting it, or seems confused, revert back to your previous training. End the session on a good note and try again later.5Repeat this process with other tricks. Your cat will eventually recognize different verbal cues for different tricks. At some point you'll find you don't need the clicker or the treats anymore.
Edit Video
Edit TipsBe patient. Don't skip ahead to new tricks that your cat isn't ready for.It's always better to have multiple short training sessions than to have long ones.
Edit WarningsDon't use the treat as the target. This will teach your cat to do tricks only when there is a treat involved. Eventually you'll want to be able to get your cats to do tricks without treats (though you should still reward with treats sporadically).Never click when the cat is doing something you don't want him to do.Avoid punishing the cat in any way, especially while training. It will completely undo your progress. You're trying to teach your cat that you will give her something good when she does what you want. If you introduce punishment or fear into the situation, she will become confused and fearful.
Edit Sources and CitationMaking Cats Friendly, Clicker Style - Research source."Reaching the Animal Mind" by Karen Pryor - Research source.
Edit Related wikiHowsHow to Clicker Train Your DogHow to Train a Cat to Stop Doing Almost AnythingHow to Train Your PetHow to Train Your Cat to SitArticle Info
Categories: Cat Training
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Edit Steps1Identify your cat's reward. There might be more than one, but a common reward is a special treat of some sort (e.g. tuna) especially when the cat is hungry (no food freely available for 20-30 minutes). For some cats, affection or a toy might be a good reward, too! It needs to be something that can be done relatively quickly. While your cat might love being let outside, that's not a very convenient reward to use during click training. The rest of this article will assume you're using a treat.
2Associate the click with the reward. Find the cat when he's comfortable, preferably in a quiet spot free of distractions (other pets and people). Click and simultaneously give the cat a treat. It's important that these two events happen at the same time so that the cat knows a click means a reward. Repeat this several times. Toward the end, you can toss the treat a little further away from the cat (still click right when you throw the treat). Do this only for 5 minutes, maximum.Don't click at any other time: While the cat is eating, while the cat is looking at you, while the cat is walking away. ONLY click when you give the treat.Don't talk to the cat or use any kind of verbal cues. You want the clicker noise to be the clearest signal here.If the cat completely loses interest, the reward isn't strong enough. Find a better reward!It's best to use a clicker specifically designed for training. If you don't have one, though, make a distinct clicking noise with your mouth.Introducing a Target1Find a distinct, stick-like object: A pen, a spoon, a highlighter. Just make sure it's easily recognizable, and something likely to be used only for training. Your cat will eventually follow this object as a target, so you don't want your cat jumping up to the dinner table to follow her training spoon.
2Hide the target. You only want the cat to see it when you're ready to reward it appropriately.3Reinforce the click/treat relationship a few times, if it's been a while since your previous training session.4Hold out the target and watch your cat carefully. As soon as your cat does anything toward the target (look at it, lean toward it, approach it) immediately (simultaneously, ideally) click. Then offer a treat.The click lets the cat know the exact moment at which it did something right. In this case, the correct action is moving toward the target.This is why you use a clicker as a signal for a reward, rather than just giving the reward directly. If you tossed the cat a treat when it looked at the target, it would immediately get distracted and focus on the treat. Instead, the clicker tells the cat "treat is coming" and the cat has a little more time to figure out what it did to get the "treat promise".The click noise is also much easier for an animal to identify than a verbal cue, such as "good kitty". Your timing might not be as exact, and the cat might pick up on your tone differently every time. A click is quick and consistent.5Repeat the process several times, progressively rewarding the cat for movement toward the target. Pay attention to your cat. You might notice him looking back and forth at you and the target, trying to figure out what you mean. This is good!If the cat is only looking at the target, move the target closer to its face. Most cats will lean in to sniff it. As soon as the cat does this, click. Then reward.Encourage your cat to take a step toward the target. Once the cat is reliably looking at target every time you introduce it, try to get the cat to take a step in its direction. As soon as it takes that step, click, then reward.This is called "shaping". Instead of expecting the cat to complete the entire action that you want, you reward it for making partial movements in that direction. As you keep training, you reward it for getting closer and closer to the complete action.6Repeat this exercise a few times a day, for 5 minute sessions at most. If you notice your cat losing interest and starting to clean himself after 10-15 clicks, end the training session. Eventually you'll probably be able to get your cat to walk across the room to the target. You might even be able to get the cat to jump onto things!Catching (and Clicking) the Cat in the Act1Keep the clicker and lots of treats handy.
2Watch your cat. When he does something you like, click right when she does it, then toss her a treat. There are many actions you can reward:scratch the postroll overpats the ball and sends it rollingleaps sidewayschases its tailIf you are consistent, your cat will start doing these things to try and garner a click and a treat from you.Introducing Verbal Cues
While the clicker noise is good for letting the cat know what it's doing right, verbal cues can be used once the cat has already learned a few tricks, to help it understand which trick you want it to do.
1Decide on a verbal cue for each of your cat's tricks. You might use "jump!" for when your cat jumps onto something. You might use "come!" for when your cat walks toward you. The verbal cue must be distinct and clear. It should be a word you won't be using with other pets, or in everyday conversation ("hey!" makes a terrible cue).
2Choose a single trick to associate a verbal cue with. Let's say you can reliably get your cat to jump onto a stool with a target. Get your cat to do this trick a few times, the way you normally would. Each time your cat does the trick, though, say "Jump!" while she's jumping.3Withhold a treat if the cat jumps without your verbal cue. If your cat does this on his own, just don't reward him. Don't click, don't give a treat. After he's back on the floor, have him jump while you give the verbal cue. This time, reward him.If he's not doing it on his own, lead him to jump onto the stool without the verbal cue, but don't reward. Follow up with jump + verbal cue + reward.4Mix it up! Do this until your cat figures out that she'll only get a treat when she jumps when you give the verbal cue.Again, only do these sessions for 5 minutes at a time.If your cat is just not getting it, or seems confused, revert back to your previous training. End the session on a good note and try again later.5Repeat this process with other tricks. Your cat will eventually recognize different verbal cues for different tricks. At some point you'll find you don't need the clicker or the treats anymore.Edit Video
Edit TipsBe patient. Don't skip ahead to new tricks that your cat isn't ready for.It's always better to have multiple short training sessions than to have long ones.
Edit WarningsDon't use the treat as the target. This will teach your cat to do tricks only when there is a treat involved. Eventually you'll want to be able to get your cats to do tricks without treats (though you should still reward with treats sporadically).Never click when the cat is doing something you don't want him to do.Avoid punishing the cat in any way, especially while training. It will completely undo your progress. You're trying to teach your cat that you will give her something good when she does what you want. If you introduce punishment or fear into the situation, she will become confused and fearful.
Edit Sources and CitationMaking Cats Friendly, Clicker Style - Research source."Reaching the Animal Mind" by Karen Pryor - Research source.
Edit Related wikiHowsHow to Clicker Train Your DogHow to Train a Cat to Stop Doing Almost AnythingHow to Train Your PetHow to Train Your Cat to SitArticle Info
Categories: Cat Training
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