Successful Cat Training – 3 Rules To Follow

Cat training is not always easy, but it is possible. Though your cat may seem too independent and stubborn to change its behavior, you can get the job done if you make a commitment to the right strategies. There are a few basic tents of successful training about whichever cat owner should be aware. Let us look at three of those cat training fundamentals: The Need for Immediacy Cats are incredibly smart animals, but they do not necessarily make the same kind of connections people do with respect to cause and effect. That is why it is essential to take action immediately when you observe inappropriate behavior. If your response is delayed by even a few seconds, it will lose a great deal of its effectiveness. Never assume that your cat will remember what it did earlier in a day or that the cat will make any connection between your discipline and past behavior. Rarely, if ever, will that happen. If you correct your pet for something it did earlier, it will have no idea of why it is being corrected and may incorrectly link your actions to the behavior displayed immediately before you took action. Encouraging Alternative Behaviors One of the best ways to teach your cat not to engage in an undesirable behavior is to encourage the animal to do something else instead. This strategy works even better when the encouraged behavior is completely incompatible with the undesired action. This technique works because cats, like all animals, are more responsive to positive reinforcement. You will have greater success encouraging and rewarding what you would like to see than you will by trying to stop what you do not. Instead of discouraging your cat from scratching a table leg, encourage your pet to exercise that instinct on its scratching post! Avoiding Physical Discipline Physical punishment will not contribute to successful cat training. Negative reinforcements do not work well for cats and hitting or otherwise physically reprimanding your pet will only make your relationship more difficult while inspiring unnecessary fear in the animal. Cats are not always the easiest animals to train, but if one approaches the project with the right attitude and strategies, it is possible to direct a cat’s behavior. The three elements of cat training we’ve discussed all share features common to all successful techniques--they are all based on the understanding that positive reinforcement offers the greatest chance of success and that cat owners should always use the least aggressive means of correcting behavior. Those three rules of thumb are at the very core of smart cat training. About the Author: This article was written by Liz Barton. Learn more about how to solve your cat behavior problems - you'll find another cat training article by visiting http://www.secretsofcats.com/training_cats.html Read more articles by: Liz Barton Article Source: www.iSnare.com Share: Del.icio.us Google Y! MyWeb Digg

Cat Behavior Problems - Which Of These Common Sources Could Be Contributing To Your Cat's Misbehavior?

If your cat displays problematic behavior, your instinctive reaction may be to increase your training efforts in hopes of changing it. Although cat training is an essential part of raising a well-behaved animal, many problems stem from causes that training will not resolve. Cat owners should understand that behavior problems may have other root causes and that addressing those triggers can be the key to stemming the problem. Misbehavior is not always related to shortcomings in training. Let us look at some common sources of cat behavior problems that might explain why your cat is having difficulties. Medical Issues In many instances, behavior problems are a direct outgrowth of a medical condition. When a cat is ill, it may behave inappropriately. If your cat begins to display a new problem, a change in temperament or seems to be “regressing” in terms of behavior, a trip to the veterinarian may be in order. If a new behavior problem appears, be certain to rule out a medical cause. Your pet’s unusual behavior may be its way of “telling you” it does not feel well. Social Issues Cats are social animals and changes in their social life can have an impact on behavior. The list of potential triggers for poor behavior in this category include introducing a new person or baby into the household, bringing a new pet into the home, or a change in an owner’s schedule or levels of interaction with the pet. Cats are also sensitive to changes in others behaviors and those alterations may result in problem behavior. If an owner is ill or is acting differently, a cat may respond with inappropriate actions. This may also occur if another household pet develops a sickness or changes its behavior considerably. Environmental Issues Cats are particularly attuned to their surroundings. They appreciate consistency in their environment and will frequently react to changes with misbehavior. Anything that changes a cat’s surroundings may have an impact on how it behaves. Obviously, a move to a new place can be stressful for a cat, but so can lesser environmental changes. Remodeling, new furniture, rearrangement of the home and other things we might see as unmitigated positives may distress your cat. If your cat is engaging in problematic behavior, it may justify a greater concentration on your training strategy. However, the problem may be spurred by something other than a lack of appropriate positive reinforcement. Many cat behavior problems can be directly linked to other internal and external factors that will need to be addressed in order for the behavior to subside. In some cases, intervention may be necessary (a veterinary examination, for instance). In other situations, the owner should positively encourage his or her pet while the animal grows accustomed to what it perceives as a bothersome change. After a period of adjustment, behavior may improve. About the Author: Get more information about solving your cat behavior problems today - visit http://www.secretsofcats.com Read more articles by: Liz Barton Article Source: www.iSnare.com Share: Del.icio.us Google Y! MyWeb Digg

Successful Cat Training – 3 Rules To Follow

Cat training is not always easy, but it is possible. Though your cat may seem too independent and stubborn to change its behavior, you can get the job done if you make a commitment to the right strategies. There are a few basic tents of successful training about whichever cat owner should be aware. Let us look at three of those cat training fundamentals: The Need for Immediacy Cats are incredibly smart animals, but they do not necessarily make the same kind of connections people do with respect to cause and effect. That is why it is essential to take action immediately when you observe inappropriate behavior. If your response is delayed by even a few seconds, it will lose a great deal of its effectiveness. Never assume that your cat will remember what it did earlier in a day or that the cat will make any connection between your discipline and past behavior. Rarely, if ever, will that happen. If you correct your pet for something it did earlier, it will have no idea of why it is being corrected and may incorrectly link your actions to the behavior displayed immediately before you took action. Encouraging Alternative Behaviors One of the best ways to teach your cat not to engage in an undesirable behavior is to encourage the animal to do something else instead. This strategy works even better when the encouraged behavior is completely incompatible with the undesired action. This technique works because cats, like all animals, are more responsive to positive reinforcement. You will have greater success encouraging and rewarding what you would like to see than you will by trying to stop what you do not. Instead of discouraging your cat from scratching a table leg, encourage your pet to exercise that instinct on its scratching post! Avoiding Physical Discipline Physical punishment will not contribute to successful cat training. Negative reinforcements do not work well for cats and hitting or otherwise physically reprimanding your pet will only make your relationship more difficult while inspiring unnecessary fear in the animal. Cats are not always the easiest animals to train, but if one approaches the project with the right attitude and strategies, it is possible to direct a cat’s behavior. The three elements of cat training we’ve discussed all share features common to all successful techniques--they are all based on the understanding that positive reinforcement offers the greatest chance of success and that cat owners should always use the least aggressive means of correcting behavior. Those three rules of thumb are at the very core of smart cat training. About the Author: This article was written by Liz Barton. Learn more about how to solve your cat behavior problems - you'll find another cat training article by visiting http://www.secretsofcats.com/training_cats.html Read more articles by: Liz Barton Article Source: www.iSnare.com Share: Del.icio.us Google Y! MyWeb Digg

Solve Cat House Training Problems

One of the reasons why it tends to be difficult to solve house training/house soiling or litter box avoidance issues, is because you are the one who must identify the cause. The most difficult part of solving litter box avoidance problems is identifying the cause. Unfortunately, cats are extremely sensitive to change - and if your cat has been regularly using the litter box and then suddenly stopped, something has changed whether you are aware of it or not. So the goal is to figure out what's changed. Here are a couple of things to think about: The most important thing to consider when you need to figure out what has caused a house soiling problem is: WHEN did the problem start? 2nd most important: Are you certain it's not a health issue such as an Urinary Tract Infection? (The #1 symptom of an UTI is litter box avoidance) Other questions to consider that will help you figure out the cause: Did anything at all change near the time when the behavior started? (Try to think of everything, no matter how unimportant it seems) Have you moved to a new home recently? Did you recently introduce a new cat/dog/ferret/roommate into your house (or apartment)? Have any of the litter boxes been moved? (Maybe he or she tends to regularly use one certain box and that particular one has been moved) Did you rearrange or add any new furniture to your house? Are you 100% sure this cat is the one not using the box? Are any of your cats not getting along? Inter-cat disagreements are actually much harder to spot than most owners realize. Just because they aren't fighting doesn't mean they're getting along. One of your cat's may actually be "silently" intimidating one of the others, but you don't know how to read the signs so you aren't aware of it. If you're sure you know which cat isn't using the litter box, and you know which litter box that cat usually uses, keep an eye out to see if any of your other cats are spending extra time "hanging out" close to that box. If you have any covered litter boxes, pay special notice to any cats that have a tendency to sit on top of the litter box. One surefire method of retraining a stubborn cat is to keep the cat in a nearly empty room for a day or two, providing only a few toys, a scratching post, water, a bed and a litter box. Use this technique to house train your cat and don't allow free access to the rest of the house until the cat is completely retrained and no longer eliminates outside of the litter box. Some people think it's crazy when they realize just how many things can upset a cat's bathroom habits. What they don't realize is that elimination is actually a very complex and fragile part of a cat's life, and it can be easily disrupted. About the Author: Get more information about cat training today by visiting www.secretsofcats.com! Read more articles by: Liz Barton Article Source: www.iSnare.com Share: Del.icio.us Google Y! MyWeb Digg