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is clicker training cats to not bite possible? Also how does clicker training effect or has effected bonds with your cats?
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Clicker Training To Not Bite
- Thread starter NyxHemera45
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I am not sure how you mean to clicker train a cat to not bite. Clicker training usually is training that the sound of a clicker means a specific behavior is desired in response. Going to the clicker, sitting, shaking, etc. Since you are trying to get your cat to stop a behavior you'd have to associate the clicker with a negative result; which honestly cats react to punishment poorly. You'd also have to have the clicker with you any time he bites.
For my cats, training not to bite is fairly simple. They bite I yell "OW! NO!" sharp and fast. Followed by disengaging and pointedly ignoring them. After a few seconds I act like nothing happens. They do it again and I walk away, ignoring them again. They learn pretty quickly that biting means no more attention which is really the most effective punishment for most cats.
Link has learned a bite means stopping so he actually mock bites if he is done being pet. But it's very light and we've come to an understanding that he doesn't apply pressure and I just stop without dramatics. But that's four years of share life and understanding.
For my cats, training not to bite is fairly simple. They bite I yell "OW! NO!" sharp and fast. Followed by disengaging and pointedly ignoring them. After a few seconds I act like nothing happens. They do it again and I walk away, ignoring them again. They learn pretty quickly that biting means no more attention which is really the most effective punishment for most cats.
Link has learned a bite means stopping so he actually mock bites if he is done being pet. But it's very light and we've come to an understanding that he doesn't apply pressure and I just stop without dramatics. But that's four years of share life and understanding.
When Hekitty bites, I hiss at her. That works very well, also.
Clicker training is more a "DO THIS" rather than a "DON'T DO THAT!" sort of training. That said, since clicker training involves giving your cat treats when they do the desired action, and cats LOVE treats, it can only help strengthen the bond.
Clicker training is more a "DO THIS" rather than a "DON'T DO THAT!" sort of training. That said, since clicker training involves giving your cat treats when they do the desired action, and cats LOVE treats, it can only help strengthen the bond.
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This article has some good advice as well: The Dos And Don'ts Of Cat Behavior Modification
Sophie will bite every now and then. Not hard though. When she does I say OW! and then I tell her that there is no biting in friendship. She looks at me like I'm crazy. She's a smart girl. 
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You can actually clicker train a cat to do anything you want, or to show them what not to do, by training them what to do instead. It is the basis of behavior modification and desensitizing techniques. My cat Sophie bites and scratches. She always look like wired to the point that her breathing and heart rate were very fast ALL the time even she she was sleeping or resting and she was constantly in predator mode, pupils dilated, staring at everything and me in particular. The vet recommended putting her on Prozac for a 3 months trial but also said that behavior modification therapy would really help her so I started clicker training her. I have no prior knowledge of this so did a little reasearch and what I found is that yes, you can teach them tricks of course, but also reinforce good behavior. For Sophie, my main goal is to stop her from biting me when I approach to pet her (it has become a habit of hers), stop biting my toes and legs when I walk past her (a habit she has been developing over the last couple of weeks) and let me pet her as I know she enjoys it as she was super cuddly when I first got her, but the constant need to bite has since taken over. I also wanted to have fun with my cat and rebuild our relationship as the constant biting has put a toll on our bond.
Now I am not an expert in clicker training by any means as I only started 3 days ago, but boy this thing is powerful and I already know it will change our life if I stick with it. First I “charged” the clicker and associated a click with a treat. Then I started to simply assossiate petting with a click and a treat. Now Sophie is EXTREMELY food motivated and loves the Sheba tender meat stick,which are awesome for training as they can be broken in teeny tiny bits. For our sessions, the key is to start small. I sit next to her, reach out to pet her. If she reaches out to bite and/or scratch, I remove my hand and clicker/tricks (which she now knows mean no treat) and say “no biting”. I wait till she looks at me and try petting her again. If she lets me pet her once, I said “good mama” as I pet her, and before finishing my pet, I click and treat. It can be hit or miss the first few times, but she quickly understood that if she lets me pet her, I click and treat. Once she consistently accepted one pet, I moved on to 2, and 3 and so on. The training sessions must be short. 5 min to start with and very frequent. I do 3 a day. Now I will also randomly come to her, pet her and say “good mama” to reinforce the behavior without the clicker. For now, I give her a treat when I do that, but will eventually just stick to “good mama”. It is by no means perfect yet and she still bites, but not all the time and she is starting to come to me to rest by me and let her pet her when she is asleep. The vet was right. The meds have helped calm her. Her breathing is back to normal. She can relax and blink her eyes at me before and is not constantly living with predator instincts on, but she was still biting. I have only started to notice a change in that since I started the training. It works. It’ll take time and effort on my part for sure, but it works.
Now I am not an expert in clicker training by any means as I only started 3 days ago, but boy this thing is powerful and I already know it will change our life if I stick with it. First I “charged” the clicker and associated a click with a treat. Then I started to simply assossiate petting with a click and a treat. Now Sophie is EXTREMELY food motivated and loves the Sheba tender meat stick,which are awesome for training as they can be broken in teeny tiny bits. For our sessions, the key is to start small. I sit next to her, reach out to pet her. If she reaches out to bite and/or scratch, I remove my hand and clicker/tricks (which she now knows mean no treat) and say “no biting”. I wait till she looks at me and try petting her again. If she lets me pet her once, I said “good mama” as I pet her, and before finishing my pet, I click and treat. It can be hit or miss the first few times, but she quickly understood that if she lets me pet her, I click and treat. Once she consistently accepted one pet, I moved on to 2, and 3 and so on. The training sessions must be short. 5 min to start with and very frequent. I do 3 a day. Now I will also randomly come to her, pet her and say “good mama” to reinforce the behavior without the clicker. For now, I give her a treat when I do that, but will eventually just stick to “good mama”. It is by no means perfect yet and she still bites, but not all the time and she is starting to come to me to rest by me and let her pet her when she is asleep. The vet was right. The meds have helped calm her. Her breathing is back to normal. She can relax and blink her eyes at me before and is not constantly living with predator instincts on, but she was still biting. I have only started to notice a change in that since I started the training. It works. It’ll take time and effort on my part for sure, but it works.
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