Clicker Training Your Pet Parents.

Lately I have been hearing a lot about this clicker training. It seems that if you can get your parent to use a small plastic device that makes a clicking sound when pressed,  you might be able to train your parents to give you a treat. This sounded fascinating to me. My parents seem pretty smart, so I thought I would look into this clicker training.

When I asked Bad Kitty what he knew about clicker training, this is what he told me.

Clicker training is essentially the same as operant conditioning. Operant conditioning, sometimes called instrumental conditioning, is a method for modifying behavior, an operant, which uses contingencies between a discriminative stimulus, an operant response, and a reinforcer to change the probability of a response occurring again in that situation. This method is based on the behavioral scientist B.F. Skinner’s three-term contingency.

Skinner believed that, in order to experimentally analyze human and cat behavior, each behavioral act can be broken down into three key parts.

These three parts  also known as Skinner’s three-term-contingency are:

1. Discriminative Stimulus– what influences the occurrence of an operant response.
2. Operant Response- a behavior that is modifiable by its consequences.  Reinforcement increases the probability of  that behavior occurring again.
3. Reinforcement- a consequence that follows an operant response that increases the likelihood of that response  occurring in the future.

Whoa! My eyes were starting to glaze over just a bit when Bad Kitty was talking.

When I asked Lazy Leopard what he knew about clicker training, this is what he told me:

Clicker training can be achieved in a few simple steps.

• Step One:  Jump up on the counter and look cute.  Blink your eyes at your parent.  Move your mouth but don’t let out any sound, pretending that you have lost your meow.  Gets their attention every time.
• Step Two: Purr up a storm and stare at the clicker.  Stare with all of your might  and then take your paw and bat at the clicker.
• Step Three: Your parent at this point should pick up the clicker and press it. You will hear that distinct “click”
• Step Four: Demand a treat!  Don’t stop pestering your parent until they give you a treat!

If all goes well, your parent should become conditioned to clicking the clicker every time you ask followed by giving you a treat.  Oh sure, they  might ask you to give them a paw shake, or a high paw, my advice is to go ahead and humor them.  It doesn’t really hurt anything and you will get your treat quicker.

Once you have mastered this  basic clicker training you can move on to more complicated training procedures.

I am thinking getting them to open the refrigerator door and letting me peruse the contents would be great.

So I took Lazy Leopard’s advice because to be honest, it seemed much easier to understand.

I  documented my first clicker training session with my mom.

Step 1: I have jumped up onto the counter and I think I am looking cute. I am blinking my eyes at my mom. I am looking at the clicker and moving my mouth but not making any sound.

Success! My mom has asked me if I have lost my meow!

Step 2: I am purring up a storm.  My mom has begun to pet me.  What? No I do not want my ears to be cleaned.  I am staring with all of my might. Now I am batting at the clicker with my paw.

Failure: My mom moved the clicker  off of my towel and onto the counter.  She didn’t click! Rats! I will regroup and attempt Step Three.

Step Three: Mom! Over here.  Look at me.  Pay attention. Pick up the clicker. Pick it up! My eyes are starting to dry out.  Pick up the clicker.  Oh my goodness, I thought she was smarter than this. Click the clicker.

Failure: Rats!

Ok, so no treat this time.  I guess there might be something to all that scientific methodology that Bad Kitty tries to explain to me. ~sigh~ Or, I can try the Lazy Leopard Approach on my dad when he gets home.

Meow for now!

Progress report update! My mom has learned to click the clicker.  Details to follow.