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The counter-conditioning part of the process helps you respond positively to being in the elevator. The point of desensitization is to introduce the scary thing in a way that it’s doable. Over several sessions of stepping in and out of a stationary elevator, we can work up to ten seconds and then eventually a minute. At this stage, you might only be able to enter the elevator for one second before it’s too scary. We might spend the first session where all you do is go in and out of a stationary elevator.
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In that case, I need to help you feel comfortable in a small enclosed area first before we can get you comfortable in a moving elevator. Let’s say you are scared of going in an elevator because you feel claustrophobic in a small space. The desensitization part is where we present the object or experience your cat doesn’t like at a level that they can tolerate. We have to switch gears and use a different training method, called desensitization and counter-conditioning. What if you have trouble brushing your cat or clipping their nails? Training can also help your cat to embrace activities that they would otherwise be afraid of, like going into their carrier or having their nails clipped. Likewise, if you try to create a new “parking spot” for your cat on the floor and they want to have a clear view of everything you are doing in the kitchen, this isn’t going to work because it doesn’t fulfill your cat’s needs. Teach your cat where you want them to go, and then reward them a lot! Remember to make the new spot just as appealing as their previously loved spot.īack to our dinner party example – if the host puts you off to the side at the kid’s table when you want to hang out with the adults, you won’t be happy. It’s a lot easier for humans and cats when instructions are clear: “Have a seat in this spot, and I will bring you a snack.” Imagine how your cat feels when you say “NO!” Your cat has no clue what you want them to do.įrom their perspective, they are either hungry or looking for your attention, and when you tell them NO, it doesn’t solve the underlying reason why they are doing the behavior in the first place. Now you are starting to wonder, where CAN you sit. Imagine arriving at a dinner party where there’s a big table with place settings for ten people, you pick a spot and sit down, and the host says, “don’t sit there.” You get up and move to another seat, and again the host asks you to move. Most people focus on teaching their cat to respond to a verbal command like “No,” but this is not the best approach because it doesn’t teach your cat what you want them to do instead. What about using training to STOP your cat from doing something, for example, jumping on the kitchen counter?
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In addition to using training to teach your cat to perform fun tricks, you can train your cat to stop problem behaviors. Working for food is an excellent way for your cat to expend energy and enrich their life. Many cats will also work for healthy cat treats, such as little pieces of freeze-dried chicken. The more rewards you have for your cat, the easier training will be. If you give your cat kibble, you can use a handful of the pieces as rewards.Īfter training, put the rest of their meal down like a jackpot for all their hard work. If you feed your cat wet or raw food, the reward can be a few licks of their food off a spoon. Introduce small, scheduled meals to build your cat’s food motivation.īefore your cat’s mealtime, use a portion of their food for training. You can reinforce your cat’s good behavior with their meals provided that it’s not left out all day for them to free-feed. For cat owners, this can be the most challenging step in the process because many cats eat from a bowl of cat food left out all day, which decreases the value of the food – there’s a reason people get paid AFTER they do the work, not before! For clicker training to work, we need to find a reward that your cat values.