Such a cute and fluffy creature like a cat settled next to a man many centuries ago. It is independent of itself, it happens with a capricious character and has its own opinion about a person. For these qualities cats love. They are affectionate, wonderful and know how to purr loudly. Cats are very smart animals, which is probably why many breeders of furry creatures have the idea to train cats.
On the one hand, looking at the masterful character of a cat, people hardly believe that this animal can be taught commands. But, on the other hand, the owner teaches the pet to go to the toilet, to a certain place, sharpen its claws on a claw-tip and eat on a schedule. And this is already training a cat at home. We will consider this topic in the article.
An example in the upbringing and training of a cat, the most famous person is Yuri Kuklachev. His cat theater is popular all over the world. He advises to take a closer look at the pet and understand what tricks the cat has abilities. Someone, for example, likes to sleep in a pan and it turns out a wonderful cat-cook number. Or a kitty’s favorite pastime to get underfoot, you can teach her how to make a snake. And, of course, the most charming is the gopher stand. After all, absolutely any cat takes this pose when you need to consider something away.
The initial stages of education
The most optimal age to start training cats is three months. By this time, the kitten has already mastered in this world and loves to frolic. Playing with little Duska or Murzik is the most suitable option for training cats at home for beginner trainers. It is very important not to scare the kitten and not discourage him from training. Therefore, you need to start the exercises in a good mood, show understanding for possible mistakes and love your kitty.
As a rule, trained dogs are purebred animals. And no matter what color they are. Although there is an opinion that the “tortoise” cat (tortoiseshell color) is much smarter than the other relatives. Every novice trainer should remember that a cat is not a dog, and you won’t achieve tricks with punishments or screams from a cat. In the best case, she will be offended and will leave, in the worst, she will confuse the slippers of such a master with the toilet.
Before you start training a cat, you need to teach her how to use a claw tip, this will be the first exercise. Not all pussies immediately understand where you can sharpen claws and prefer to do it on expensive furniture or grind a door jamb. To train a cat this simple but very useful task needs to be patient. You can hang a toy on a scratching post, and when the kitten begins to use it during the game, give it a treat, fixing the result and giving the pet pleasure.
Proper cat training
You need to start training cats with the simplest commands. In order to establish a trusting relationship with a pet, you need to understand what kind of food he loves most. Many of the cats adore processed cheese, chicken cutlet or raw meat. This will be a treat to encourage the pet.
The easiest way to give a cat is the command “to me”, because it is not averse to sitting in the hands of the owner. To teach this trick, you need to say a name and give a command, for example: "Dusya, come to me" and reach out with a treat, but give it only if the cat comes up. Subsequently, you need to repeat this command every day, not forgetting the promotion. As a result of this trick, kitty will come to the team without dainties, and stroking the cat with the owner can be praise.
In order to understand how to teach a cat how to train, you need to carefully look at its behavior, character and capabilities.
What teams can a cat train with?
Cats are able to perform a wide variety of tricks. To start training cats, teams should be the simplest:
- To me.
- Sit.
- To lie down.
- Bring a toy.
- Give me a paw.
- Gopher pose or command to serve.
- Jumping
The cat can execute all these commands himself, and with great pleasure. But the task of the trainer is to show the cat’s skill to friends and acquaintances. Therefore, the owner needs to stock up on a treat, a good mood and patience.
Training for the sit team
The best time to start training is when the cat has eaten, slept and wants to play. Due to the anatomical structure when lifting the head, the cat sits on its hind legs. This should be used:
- Take in your hand a small piece of encouraging goodies.
- Calmly and clearly pronounce the command "sit."
- Raise the food over the cat’s head and she, raising her head, will begin to sit down.
- Gently set her down with her free hand and say "sit."
- Give food.
It is necessary to repeat the exercises three times, but insisting on it is undesirable. The cat is tired and may no longer be interested in such an exercise.
Lay command
This is a very useful exercise for the cat. Such a skill can come in handy at a cat show or at a veterinarian's appointment. To start this exercise, the cat must remember the “sit” command and perform it well. The lay command is a continuation of the sit command:
- Sit the cat on the command "sit".
- Show food and lower your hand to the floor.
- When the cat lowers its head for food, gently lay the kitty on one side and give the command to "lie".
- Treat treats and praise.
It is very good if the cat, performing this exercise, lies on his own, then he will quickly master this command. Well, if the cat didn’t lie down the first time, don’t give up, but continue training.
Game "Bring the mouse"
For this trick you need a toy mouse. Cats are hunters by nature and are very fond of playing with mice. You can often watch how the village cats bring their prey under the door to the owner. Therefore, to teach kitty this team is easy. Here's how to train a cat in this case:
- Make a toy and an incentive treat.
- To interest a cat with a toy, for example, shake a mouse in front of a kitty’s face.
- Then throw the toy and say “bring it”.
- If the cat did not understand the command, it is necessary to stop training and wait until she starts wearing the mouse in her teeth, then praise and give encouragement.
- Then repeat the action.
In this exercise, the patience and observation of the owner is very important. It is necessary to notice in time how the cat will begin to play with the toy and have time to praise it. If you miss the time, then the whole training will be useless and you will have to start all over again.
Exercise "give a paw"
So that the cat can perform this trick, it is important to teach his team "sit". When the cat remembers this command well, you can start training:
- Sit the cat on the command "sit".
- Take her paw and say "give a paw."
- Encourage delicious.
Repeat the exercise several times until the pet understands what needs to be done to get a reward.
To teach this team, patience is important. You can’t pull the cat by its paws and cause discomfort. If the cat feels pain, then he will not obey the owner.
Gopher Pose Trick
Quite often, cats, having heard some strange sound, they sit on their hind legs, while tearing their front legs off the floor. This is the most touching posture that a cat can show. People at the sight of such a cat are always delighted. You can try to teach kitty to get up in a gopher pose on command:
- When the cat is sitting quietly, you need to bring a hand with food to her nose.
- Slowly raise your hand up so that the kitty reaches for food.
- As soon as the cat sits on its hind legs and raises its forepaws, give the command "serve" or "gopher".
- Immediately give the treat.
From the outside, this seems like a very difficult trick, but in fact the cats stand up in this pose themselves. Therefore, to teach a cat to get up like a gopher is not very difficult. Here, as in training, other teams need patience and calm.
Exercise "jump"
Cats are great jumpers. They love to jump on shelves, tables and nightstands. This natural ability should be used to learn the jump team. First you need to train a cat to jump from a chair to a chair at a command, and then add an obstacle in the form of a ring or a cross-lying stick. How to master the trick:
- Put two chairs or stools at a short distance from each other.
- Put food on one stool and invite the cat to jump.
- When the cat has mastered simple jumps, you can set an obstacle.
The most important thing is to ensure that in the process of training, the cat does not fall and does not hurt its paws or back.
Thus, raising a circus artist from a pet is not particularly difficult, the main thing is to have time, patience and love for the cat. You can use a device such as a clicker to help with your workouts. Training a cat will become easier. The clicker makes a click and the cat understands that after the sound, when performing certain actions, a treat will appear. This is more convenient than talking out commands every time.