How Do I Train My Cat to Do Tricks?

Video Transcript

"So, today I"m going to answer the question how do I train my cat to do tricks. So, one of the common tricks that people are interested in training their cat to do is to fetch something for them. Some cats specific pure breeds actually have a tendency to fetch things that are thrown for them but even if your cat doesn't normally do that, you can actually train them. So, the concepts behind training your cat to do something a trick is that you want to have some type of reinforcement for them. Cats are usually interested in earning your praise and affection. Petting can be a powerful reinforcer. You can also use things like their can food is very delicious and you can use some of that on a spoon and that's a great reinforcement or some type of easily dispensable treat for them. So, let's say I do want to train my to retrieve a ball. So, it's best to start very small and make it very easy so that your cat can be set up for success. So, what that would mean is to start playing with the ball and get your cat interested in that as an object and if you find if they are interested then you can start tossing it just a short distance away and when you see your cat going to get the ball you can praise them. Tell them how wonderful they are and it's okay if you interrupt the behavior there. Will slowly be adding more of the behavior as you go. So, then you'll find that your cats chasing after the ball maybe experiments with picking the ball up in his mouth. So then because this is training you're sort of changing when and where you get that reinforcement and verbal praise the food the treats the petting whatever it is you're using to reinforce your cat's good behavior. So you just become more selective and start reinforcing your cat only for the times that his actually picking up the ball up and then as time goes on, you can start selecting the times when cat picks the ball up and starts to moving around eventually brings it back to you. So, this is how we would shape that behavior in a cat which might not be necessarily natural do this behavior but we can use it as a wonderful trick. So, any type of trick you're teaching your cat, you always want to find out what's interesting to them. Different cats like different things. So, experiment before you pick your trick and start to do the training with finding out what your cat is interested in whether it's food, treats, toys, petting, the playing itself could be a reinforcement for doing your trick. So, find out what your cat likes and then you can use that to your advantage when you're training your cat to do a trick."