Clicker training a cat- tips?

[frankiesinatra]

Hi all,

I've started conditioning my cat, Frankie to the clicker. I decided to start this because he is so intensely food motivated, and gets into trouble/can get aggressive suddenly whether it be play or irritation at getting his claws trimmed. 

I'm a psych student with an interest in animal behavior and I've done a lot of independent research on click conditioning animals...as anyone who'd ever tried something like this knows, reading and doing are two VERY different things. I'd really appreciate any tips or advice you might have on how to use it most effectively to shape behaviors I like and reduce behaviors I don't.

I started yesterday with simple classically conditioning him to the clicker. *click* treat, *click* treat, *click* treat, repeat ad nauseam. He began looking up for a treat at the sound of a click today. Intermittently I've started trying to shape the behavior of touching my hand with his nose to get a reward, using his natural sniff behavior when I lower my hand. No verbal cue yet, but he's already started running over to me when I lower my hand flat and call his name, touch/sniff's my hand and gets a click/treat. 

Planning on continuing this especially as a means of distraction when he is being too aggressive or trying to harass my hamster. What's the next step? Am I on the right path? He's a VERY clever boy with a lot of energy... I'm hoping this might help direct some of it. 

One concern I have is accidentally encouraging the behavior of approaching the hamster cage because he knows I'll call him away and he'll get treated. 

Any advice or stories or tips would be greatly appreciated

 

[Columbine]

It sounds like you're doing great

The next thing I'd do is incorporate a verbal command 'come/touch' when you lower your hand. Initially, give the command AS he's doing the action, not before. After, you can tell him 'good come/touch'. This way he'll be being rewarded for coming to you, instead of for approaching the hamster. To make this work, be sure to ask him to come/touch when he's nowhere near the cage - that way he shouldn't connect an unwanted behaviour with a reward.[article="30493"][/article]