Well, let me put it this way, since Mr is away this week, I'm left alone with the cats, and today, I've been training Freya, the kittie in the picture, to shake hands. See! I told you you'd never guess!
A while back, a friend of mine told me about this device called a clicker. It's a small thing you hold in your hand that you can "click", which helps you train your pets. Ever heard of Pavlov's dog? It works just like that! The first few times your click the device every time your per eats their favorite food - that way they will associate the sound with reward. Later, you click the clicker when training your pet, but only when they do something to your satisfaction on command - that way they will learn to do what ever you desire on cue. It really works!
The training session today was me saying "pretty paw!" and holding out my hand to Freya. A few days ago, I had to tap her paw gently, sort of forcing her to hold it out, then click and give her a reward (you should always reward when clicking, or the click will loose its "power"), but she caught on pretty fast and after a few training sessions spread out over a few day's she's got it! Mr has really doubted the validity of clicker training, I've taught her to sit down before (since she used to jump at me when ever I took out the treats) and he dismissed it as her "maturing". Bah, humbug! Clicker training really works and he'll drop his jaw when he comes home, moahahahahaaaaaa! No no, I'm really not that crazy, just a tiny bit...
/MrsHjort
