Cat Training with Target Sticks: A Step-by-Step Guide
Target sticks can be purchased, although it’s quite easy to make your own. A garden cane, with a ping pong ball on the end, or wrapping highly visible white tape on the tip both suffice. This visual stimulus can help pique the cat’s interest when beginning training.
The Benefits
- A target stick can act as a lure which, for cats that swipe or grab food, can be safer for the trainer.
- Helps to manipulate a cat’s movements in a force-free way.
- Provides physical exercise and mental enrichment (especially useful for indoor cats).
- Can be used as part of a weight reduction programme.
Stages of Training
Stage One: Making contact with the target
- Present the target stick when the cat is alert and inquisitive. Avoid thrusting it in their face but gently hold it close to their nose.
- When they advance towards it or begin to investigate it issue a verbal marker (‘Yes’ or ‘Good’) or click if using clicker training. Then remove the stick out of their reach (so they don’t touch it when you are not ready) and reward with a tasty food item dropped close-by on the floor.
- Continue this way, progressing to them touching the stick with their nose.
- A tiny bit of something tasty can be smeared on the end if they are really having difficulty with this bit.
- If they bite or paw the end, ignore the behaviour, waiting for the nose touch before verbally marking and rewarding. Eventually they will realise what behaviour they have to do to get the treat.
Stage Two: Moving the target
- Next begin to move the stick so they have to follow it.
- Begin with small movements to begin with and remember to follow the sequence as described in stage one.
- Gradually increase the distance so the cat is following the stick further
- As with the ‘High Five’ training (https://petcourses.co.uk/free-resources/high-five-cat-training), begin to train in different locations in the house.
Stage Three: Having fun
- Now the fun begins. You can move the target to different places, touching different surfaces for them to jump on or it can be used to encourage them to jump up and touch the end.
- Once they are consistently following and touching the target you can add the word ‘Touch’ as their nose comes in to contact with the target.
- Continue with the training until they are consistently performing the behaviour and fade out the verbal mark (or click) and just use the ‘Touch’ cue.
Other Notes
If you are using a clicker, always ensure that it is held in the other hand. Clicking whilst holding the stick can cause a reverberation to run down the shaft. This can feel very much like an electric shock if it touches the end of the cat’s nose which may put them off clicker training or potentially any other kind of training with you in the future.
Training steps adapted from information in The Trainable Cat by John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis.
- Bradshaw, John (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 352 Pages – 03/30/2017 (Publication Date) – Penguin (Publisher)
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