Tips For Cat Behavior Training
Owning a pet can be a very rewarding experience. It can also be quite challenging if your pet is constantly doing things you do not want it to do. Many people have problems with their pets damaging carpets and furniture, among other things. Cats are no exception to this. Cats love to climb and jump, so many people have problems with them getting on the furniture and countertops. This is just one example of something you might not want your cat to do. Let's take a look at some cat behavior training techniques you can use to alter this behavior.
Redirecting
Since cats are so strong willed and only do what they want, one of the best methods of cat behavior training is replacement. This technique is especially useful if you are having problems with your cat scratching things. If you get your cat a scratching post, it can learn to scratch that instead of your furniture. It's unlikely that you can get the cat to stop scratching altogether, but you can get him to scratch the post. The tricky part is redirecting the cat's attention to the post. It will take some time, but as you discourage scratching on the furniture and reward scratching the post, the cat will eventually associate these actions with the positive and negative results that go along with them. It's also important to give the cat some kind of reward when it scratches on the post.
Discouraging
Another popular method of cat behavior training is the spray bottle technique. This simply involves spraying the cat with water whenever it behaves in a way it should not. For example, if your cat is constantly walking around on your countertops, give him a quick spray of water when you catch him up there. Cats hate water, and they will immediately run away. If possible, try not to let the cat see you when you spray him. This will allow him to think that jumping on the counter caused the water to spray him. It shouldn't take long for him to abandon the idea all together.
This cat behavior training technique can be useful for any number of different situations. Be careful when using it, however, if you spray the cat in the face, you may risk injuring him. Even though it is more difficult than training a dog, cat training isn't as challenging as people think it is. Cats are highly intelligent and capable of learning anything a dog can learn. The problem is that they lack the desire to be trained in most cases.
