Cats can learn tricks just like dogs. The training process is similar, although it must be taken into account that the cat is a much more independent animal. In addition, it will not be as easy to train an adult and sedentary cat as a young one.
Giving the paw, looking for the ball, or turning on the ground are some of the tricks that a cat can learn. If you have a good relationship with your cat, you can incorporate these little tricks to share more moments with your friend. You'll see how rewarding it is to see a cat bring his ball or give you his paw when you get home.
What can I teach you?
Just like dogs, the tricks we can teach our cat are infinite. It depends a lot on our imagination and how cooperative your cat is. The most common tricks are sitting, pawing, turning on itself… However, a cat can perform other tricks such as going to the toilet by itself or walking on our hands.
The limits are set by you and your cat, although be reasonable and do not ask your cat to perform unnatural postures or actions that it cannot understand. It's a matter between you and your cat. Depending on the trust between you, you can do more or less tricks.
Remember that the time to teach your cat should be a fun time Never get angry with him, it is counterproductive and can be easily scared. You must be patient and always use positive reinforcement. Rewarding the behaviors we want to preserve with rewards.
Give the paw
Teach your cat to paw step by step
- With the treat hidden in your hand, stretch your arm out in front of the cat. Before you can show him the food so that he wants to eat it
- Say " Say hello ", " Hello " or " Paw ", the command of your choice.
- Wait until he tries to touch your hand with his paw. If he tries to catch it in his mouth, move your hand away and say "No".
- When he paws your hand, give him his treat.
After several sessions he will start doing it without hesitation. Perhaps at first it will be difficult for you to relate the commandbut it is normal. You can remove rewards over time. Although it is always convenient to repeat a session and the prizes from time to time.
Once he masters the trick, you can high-five his hand with yours at any time. Even if you don't get food every time, it's a quick and easy move that you'll learn quickly.
Turn around
We can teach him to spin around before receiving a prize or he can also lie on the ground and spin around.
Single turn:
- The first one is relatively simple. The cat will turn on itself with all four legs in contact with the ground.
- To make our cat turn, we just have to turn our hand over his head, letting him see the reward
- We will draw in the air the movement of the turns.
- Your kitten will follow the movement of your hand with its eyes and body. Use the words "Turn", "Vuelta" or the one you prefer.
- Repeat this several times in different sessions.
Turn on the ground:
- This trick is a little more difficult than the previous one, but with patience and effort, anything can be achieved. We will use the same technique as in the previous case.
- The only thing we need to teach our cat first is to lie down on the floor. Once it is in that position we will repeat the turn with our hand around it.
- Your kitty will follow the movement with his eyes and eventually turn his whole body around
Always remember reward your cat. Especially during training.
Find and fetch toy
This trick is very fun and with it your cat will exercise indoors, perfect for overweight cats. The trick is to throw him a toy that he really likes and get him to return it It must be a cloth mouse-type object, or a soft ball. The essential thing is that your cat can easily take it in his mouth and it does not break easily. You can choose one that he already likes a lot or try to introduce a new object.
As you may well know, cats love to stalk and just like dogs they like to chase objects. It will be easier to teach this trick to a young cat as they are more active but anyone can learn. Steps to follow:
- Show him the toy and move it in front of him. You will notice that his pupils dilate and he already adopts the stalking posture. If not, you should give him the toy several times and reward him.
- Throw the toy. Try to make the path as long as possible. If your cat doesn't have room to run he probably won't go for it and just watch you throw it.
- Your cat will run for the toy. At first he will play solo with him. We must go for the toy and repeat the launch.
- Many cats will already bring the toy back themselves. The mere fact that you cast it again is incentive enough.
- If not, reward him every time he offers you or approaches the toy.
More than a trick, it's a game between the two. Your cat will love it and it is a good way to exercise indoors. Outdoors can also be done, but your cat may not feel entirely safe running outside. Once he has understood the game he will bring the toy to you on the sofa or in bed.
Clicker
The clicker is a training tool commonly used with dogs but just as useful with cats. Other animals such as dolphins are also trained with it.
It is a small device that emits a characteristic "Click" when pressed. It is used as secondary conditioned reinforcement The noise is associated with the behavior we want. Normally our cat will associate it with food. If we use the clicker together with the rewards, our cat will associate that sound with that he is doing well. Although sometimes you don't get rewarded.
It is a useful and easy to use tool. Use it only for training. Never in other situations or to attract your cat's attention. You should only use it when your cat does the trick you want and deserves a reward. If not, you may confuse him and make him lose interest.
