by Pet Professional Guild Cat Committee | Feb 7, 2018 | Animal Behavior, Learning Theory, Pet Guardians, Training
By Paula Garber and Francine Miller Cats learn best when they are comfortable and free from distractions. They are sensitive and will flee from any threat or uncertainty (and we don’t work with them on a leash!) The best place...
by Pet Professional Guild Cat Committee | Jan 5, 2018 | Animal Behavior, Learning Theory, Pet Guardians, Training
By Paula Garber and Francine Miller In clicker training, primary reinforcers are things that are instinctively or inherently rewarding to a cat. Reinforcers for cats should be given in small amounts and frequently to maintain learning momentum. For cats who...
by Pet Professional Guild Cat Committee | Dec 6, 2017 | Animal Behavior, Learning Theory, Pet Guardians, Training
By Paula Garber and Francine Miller Why train a cat? Why indeed. Myths about the trainability of cats abound: “Cats can’t be trained because they’re too independent.” “Cats are difficult to train because they are not food motivated.” “Cats don’t...
by Pet Professional Guild Cat Committee | Oct 5, 2017 | Animal Behavior, Pet Guardians
By Beth Adelman Playing with your cat is not just fun and games. Play relieves boredom and stress, and can even help control behavior problems. In fact, a wide variety of feline behavior problems, from aggression to destructiveness to self-mutilation...
by Pet Professional Guild Cat Committee | Aug 7, 2017 | Animal Behavior, Pet Guardians
By Francine Miller Thankfully, more people are now aware that puppies need early socialization to have the best shot at being behaviorally healthy, but there are still many that are sketchy on the details of the process. Very few people...
