Mary Allen
The right equipment is ready and your cat is in the mood to play? Then you can start with the first clicker training. The first phase is about getting your cat used to the clicker. You have to take a few things into account.
Getting started is important for the success of clicker training, so the basic conditions should be right. A quiet, distraction-free environment is a great place to practice.
Relaxed Introduction to Clicker Training
Start when your cat is alert and focused on you. If she is busy with her favorite toy or snoozing, the training will probably not be successful. The room you practice in should be free of distractions. So turn off the TV and make sure there’s not so much hustle and bustle around you. Before practicing, try the clicker a few times as timing with it is very important.
Linking Clickers & Positive Reinforcement
Now, to convince the kitty that the clicker noise is something nice, or that it always happens when she has done something well, take the clicker and some sugar-free cat treats to hand. In the near future, simply call your darling over and reward him when he comes with a clicker sound, followed immediately by a treat.
Caution: Self-service would not be in the spirit of the exercise. The cat should get the reward from you. If you have a small rascal in the house that tends to self-service, you can purchase a feed bag, available from pet stores, for training. So that the cat understands that a click is always used when it has done something well, you should repeat this exercise several times, around ten times in a row, before proceeding to the next steps.