I have no idea about cats...but I have one suggestion! I want to see pics! :rofl:

 

no worries, i plan on videoing all my sessions with him...

 

Ah cool!! I always wondered how fawkes looks like

 

ah... i've posted a pic of him somewhere here before...

fawkes is the orange cat. both cats are siamese...well technically fawkes would be a "color point short hair" but he is called a "flame point siamese" you can see how his orange is in patches, similar to the darkest spots on jasmine, tho she is very dark...

and one from the front:

 

Ah they are both beautiful!! Fawkese looks like a kitty that recently decided to stay in our farm and Abby and Luis adopted it. I don't even know how she came here!

 

lol that is a lucky kitty!

 

getting adopted by luis i mean...

 

Well lucky kitty for sure! Today I bought her a "home" and tomorrow a lady will come to pick her up...as I don't much how to care about her so it's best for her to find a new home.

 

yep, lucky kitty

 

Targeting is good....Twitch will go anywhere I point...which is VERY useful...not really a trick...but good to have for teaching tricks...


spin and paw are good....Beg is super easy to teach cats since they don't need to build up the muscle memory like dogs do...


I have seen a bengal turn lights on/off on cue...that was neat

 

i think i've seen the video of the one with the lights...

what do you think about a retrieve? do you think that is too ambitious?

we do some targeting, and were doing it more, before clover came along and ruined poor fawkes' life i don't think it will take long to get him back in the swing of it... i suppose i haven't trained a spin either... hmm... i think i'll just sorta see what he seems willing to do at first, then go from there...

thank you

 

i don't think it will take long to get him back in the swing of it...

the great thing about cats, is they retain EVERYTHING as if you trained yesterday... most dogs need you to dumb it down a tiny bit at the begining of a new session.....the cats just remember it all, even if its been a year...pretty cool


I don't think a retrieve is too ambitious...might even be easier with a cat...they tend to bite stuff with less coaxing

 

first training session tonight... it is sorta hard bc i have to deal with clover, i decided to leash him to his bed, and toss him treats when i saw signs of him relaxing, that way i'm training him too, but by not training him...

i didn't have the camera in a very good place, so no video at the moment, but i will work on it... we worked on spin, and targeting tonight... do you think it would be easier for he and clover if i used a different marker for each, or do you think that it doesn't matter? it would be to clover's benefit to learn that everything isn't about him...

fawkes did pretty well tho... he gets full way faster than clover does tho, lol, i hand't really anticipated that... but that is ok... i also need to break the treats up into smaller bits... do you think i should do the treats and the really good treats thing with him too?

 

first training session tonight... it is sorta hard bc i have to deal with clover, i decided to leash him to his bed, and toss him treats when i saw signs of him relaxing, that way i'm training him too, but by not training him...

I do this too. Works great Occasionally Tippy will not "get the hint" its not her turn...but it will be easier for you since your only trying to relax one dog.

i didn't have the camera in a very good place, so no video at the moment,

gah!

but i will work on it... we worked on spin, and targeting tonight... do you think it would be easier for he and clover if i used a different marker for each, or do you think that it doesn't matter? it would be to clover's benefit to learn that everything isn't about him...

I don't think it matters, the animals figure out pretty quick that your clicking for the one your working with... if you want to change the marker, just take a box clicker and put masking tape on it...it will change the sound

fawkes did pretty well tho... he gets full way faster than clover does tho, lol, i hand't really anticipated that... but that is ok... i also need to break the treats up into smaller bits... do you think i should do the treats and the really good treats thing with him too?

what are you using for treats?? If he'll take different stuff go for it!! I constantly struggle with finding stuff they'll take!

 

I do this too. Works great Occasionally Tippy will not "get the hint" its not her turn...but it will be easier for you since your only trying to relax one dog.

you would think that, but remember he is quite a bit of dog to relax, and relaxing isn't his best skill but yeah, i only have to keep an eye out in one direction so easier...

gah!

i know! i decided to work with him on the floor, he seems happy enough with it, and we have a bit of space, plus it is easier to deal with the clover from there...

I don't think it matters, the animals figure out pretty quick that your clicking for the one your working with... if you want to change the marker, just take a box clicker and put masking tape on it...it will change the sound

maybe i'll do the tape thing, i want to make it as obvious to clover as i can that it isn't his turn, he is having a really hard time with that! luckily tho, it all sorta works into the training plan for him, and teaching him to chill out etc... plus it helps fawkes to leave clover alone when i'm working with him...

what are you using for treats?? If he'll take different stuff go for it!! I constantly struggle with finding stuff they'll take!

canned turkey at the moment, it is soft, and easy to break up, and it is one of clover's higher value rewards, so i have it on hand... he will also take kibble, but it takes him a bit longer to chew that... any ideas for cheap/healthy/easy to chew treats would be appreciated... oh i've also used canned cat food, just letting him take a lick outta the can, but then the other cats are all in my face so that is hard...

 

I usually just dice up lunchmeat really small...I don't like it tho because my hands end up covered in the juice, so I smell like ham-hands.


how about crating him? I used to crate Tippy, and then work Chili, and then everytime I'd click for him, I feed her also...

Tippy is one of those hard to relax types too. It takes a good three minutes of her OMG'ing before we can get any training done.

 

yeah, i've thought about crating, but i think that leashing him to his bed serves the same purpose... plus it is easier to toss him a treat there, when he is relaxing... lol, he was trying so hard to get my attention from his bed last night... finally he started putting his head down and just staring at me... my hope is that he learns just to relax there while i'm busy with something... one of the things i discussed with the trainer in our class, sorta forcing him to learn to relax on his own, have you read the mat exercise thing in "chill out fido"? something like that...

:rofl: ham hands *snort*

 

have you read the mat exercise thing in "chill out fido"? something like that...

I havent', but I can guess what it is...its probably a settle on the mat right?

Have you tried throwing treats at him during the day while he naps? That works great.

 

yep, just a basic settle, and yep on the treats... we do it all the time... but he stops napping and follows me around when i do, like "ooo, how do i get another treat?" i feel like it takes a long time between that and him settling back down again... i've actually had the best success by clicking him, the biofeedback thing from CU... have actually clicked him to sleep! it seems to help him to offer those behaviors more and more so when he was trying to get my attention, he did so by offering that... make sense?