Mary Allen
Have you been wanting to get rid of an annoying habit in your cat for a long time? Or maybe teach her a fun trick? Clicker training might help.
How do you get a headstrong cat to jump into place on the window sill on command? Or nudge a light switch within reach and turn it on? Not an easy task, because most cats will defend themselves if given loud commands or physical exertion. In order to teach them something, however, the cooperation of the animals is absolutely necessary. The velvet paw wants to be motivated and have fun practicing. A clicker is helpful here.
But what exactly is behind it? Not just this little instrument that “clicks” as soon as you press the metal plate with your thumb. In principle, a clicker is much more: it is a way of marking the desired behavior with a signal. That’s why the clicker is also called a “marker”. The clicking metal plate makes it audible for humans and animals which behavior is desired. In theory, the clicker can also be an optical signal. A laser pointer, for example, is a good alternative for animals that are hard of hearing or deaf. The easiest way to train is with the acoustic signal, the classic click.
In addition to an instrument that marks the desired behavior, rewards are the second mainstay of clicker training. They provide positive reinforcement and bring about the learning effect. The simple and ingenious principle: The cat does something that I want to encourage – the click is immediate – then there is a treat.
The Three Steps to Success
Familiarize the cat with the clicker: Before any special training can begin, the cat must become familiar with the clicker. That means: The human clicks and the animal gets a reward. The cat does not yet have to perform any work for this. It is important for the trainer: From now on, a click must always be followed by a reward so that the two actions act as one unit on the animal. This first stage of training is complete when the cat begins to stare at the clicker and longs for the sound. Then she internalized that every click has a positive result.
Reward Desired Behavior: There are two methods of doing this. Variant A is easier for humans to implement. He simply waits until the cat happens to show the desired behavior, such as sitting down. Then click and reward. The downside is that clickers and rewards need to be on hand at all times.
With variant B, the training is carried out in a targeted manner. A suitable practice object is a pointer, which the cat should poke with its nose (this usually works well, since cats want to sniff at everything you hold in front of their muzzle anyway). The first thing to do is to draw the cat’s attention and present it with the pointer. When she touches it, her trainer responds as follows: He clicks immediately, then immediately hands out the reward. In this way, the cat quickly learns that its behavior caused the click and the reward. She will happily follow the pointer. With it, the animal can be gradually guided to any desired spot and, for example, learn to jump to a certain spot. Although this method is more complex and strenuous for the cat owner than variant A, it is much more effective. If the exercises work well, an additional command can be introduced.
Complete with a command: Every clever cat will quickly try out methods of getting a reward as often as possible. For example, she will jump to a certain place on her own and hope for a positive reaction in joyful expectation. Now it’s time to teach the animal that it should perform the behavior on command and only then will it be rewarded. Means: The trainer points to the pitch with the pointer and gives a command like “Hop”. If the cat responds correctly, it clicks and is rewarded. A few days later it is even possible to leave out the pointer and train the exercise exclusively with the command.
A consistent trainer is needed to make clicker training a good educational tool that is also fun for the cat and stimulates and challenges it mentally. A common mistake when practicing is impatience. Those who try clicker training for the first time often start too quickly with the next training level. Then the animal gets confused, the cat will quickly refuse to cooperate and maybe switch to stubborn permanently.