- Joined
- Jun 18, 2020
- Messages
- 12
- Purraise
- 17
It's been a while since I've posted regarding Finn and his behavior issues. He's still very much a teenager at 10 months on the bright side as he gets older he seems to be slightly calmer. Unfortunately, he still has teenage behaviors that make him a menace. He has yet to totally outgrow the mouthy/chewing stage - covering charging cables and cords has helped. He's not as interested and he can't chew through the cover which has minimized damages down. I will warn others that Macbook screens are very delicate. He managed to damage 2 screens because of my lack of training and his "need" to nibble on stuff like the corners of my laptop screen. FYI if this happens to you in the first 60-90 days Amex has purchase protection which covers repairs. I recommend you purchase Apple care; because all it took was a few minutes (I forgot to close the cover when I stepped away to the bathroom) for him to damage the new screen by chewing on the corners, again. Lesson learned I won't forget to close the screen when I walk away. I'll also wait to call in the Apple Care to fix it again until he outgrows this stage. He's lucky the repairs have/will be covered and even luckier that he's really cute & I love him.
I can't just wait until he grows out of the terrible teen stage so I've been working on ways to fix his behavior. I'm pretty sure his issues are because he's smart and gets bored easily. For the record, I can't get another kitten so I play with him at least 2-3 times a day for 20-30 minutes. Without specifically trying to teach him to "fetch" his favorite activity during playtime is to play fetch the mouse. He also comes when I call his name or shake the treat container - so I'm fairly confident he'll be an easy cat to clicker train. So far I've watched a bunch of videos on youtube, read a few books/articles on clicker training, and bought the supplies needed (clicker & treats). I'm ready to start but I can't seem to find information regarding a schedule or order of skills to train first. I also can't seem to find videos that focus on behavior - the closest I could find is a video that shows how to use clicker training to teach your cat NOT to grab at treats. I'm hoping someone here can lead me to resources or answer/address the following questions/concerns: How long should I train him on a daily basis? How long do I train him on a skill before moving to the next? Is there any order to the skills I want to teach? Finally, are there specific resources that focus on using clicker training to modify his behavior? My main goals are to use clicker training to - cut his claws (he hates to be on my lap or held), keep him off places like my kitchen counters, night table, and bar cart (nothing gets in his way - why walk around objects when he can just shove the lamp, stemware over), and possibly harness train him to burn off some of that aggressive energy. I'm also hoping this will end any boredom/stress he is feeling.
Thanks in advance! I appreciate any thoughts/suggestions that might help me with this process.
I can't just wait until he grows out of the terrible teen stage so I've been working on ways to fix his behavior. I'm pretty sure his issues are because he's smart and gets bored easily. For the record, I can't get another kitten so I play with him at least 2-3 times a day for 20-30 minutes. Without specifically trying to teach him to "fetch" his favorite activity during playtime is to play fetch the mouse. He also comes when I call his name or shake the treat container - so I'm fairly confident he'll be an easy cat to clicker train. So far I've watched a bunch of videos on youtube, read a few books/articles on clicker training, and bought the supplies needed (clicker & treats). I'm ready to start but I can't seem to find information regarding a schedule or order of skills to train first. I also can't seem to find videos that focus on behavior - the closest I could find is a video that shows how to use clicker training to teach your cat NOT to grab at treats. I'm hoping someone here can lead me to resources or answer/address the following questions/concerns: How long should I train him on a daily basis? How long do I train him on a skill before moving to the next? Is there any order to the skills I want to teach? Finally, are there specific resources that focus on using clicker training to modify his behavior? My main goals are to use clicker training to - cut his claws (he hates to be on my lap or held), keep him off places like my kitchen counters, night table, and bar cart (nothing gets in his way - why walk around objects when he can just shove the lamp, stemware over), and possibly harness train him to burn off some of that aggressive energy. I'm also hoping this will end any boredom/stress he is feeling.
Thanks in advance! I appreciate any thoughts/suggestions that might help me with this process.