By Sophia Yin, DVM, MS  June 12, 2009

As every kid knows, while America is a democracy, the American family is not. It’s a dictatorship and even the youngest family members are savvy to the balance of power. One such youngster explained it to me, “In this house,” he said, “the dogs are the lowest. The kids come next. The parents are above the kids. And the cats are on top.”
Indeed with over 60 million cats in the U.S., cats are at the top in more ways than one.

In their insidious manner, they’ve quietly surpassed the dog as America’s number one pet. It’s easy to see why. They are small, they don’t bark, they are independent, and they’re like having a bit of the wild in your house. Well, sort of. In many cases maybe it’s more like having a fat blob of something wild in your house. Because while their wild counterparts spend up to eight hours a day foraging and solving life’s problems, for the typical housecat, every day is Sunday and the couch is his best friend. Forget foraging. If he yells loud enough, someone will deliver.

It’s not that cats purposely fall into this rut. The wave of lethargy just sets in. But as second in command, you don’t have to accept this as fact. You can release your cat’s inner kitten by training simple tricks. Yes, really.

You’re probably thinking “My cat’s not smart enough. This training is only for abnormally smart cats.” But intelligence is not the issue. As long as your kitty likes to eat you have it made.

Cat Trick Number 1: Come When Called

If Kitty can hit the kitchen at the sound of beef and liver being liberated from a can, surely he can learn to zip over at the sound of his name. Here’s how you start. First make sure Kitty’s hungry and will take treats by hand. If you use canned food, trust me, start by putting it on a spoon. Some cats can’t tell the difference between your finger and a T-bone steak. Next say his name once (and only once or he’ll think his name is Kittykitty or Kittykittykitty ) and then immediately give him a small treat. Repeat the exercise five to ten times and then take a break. After you’ve paired the treat with his name a bunch of times he should start to make the association. When you say his name and he responds by turning towards you, he’s on his way. If he has this down pat, you can add some distance. Call him when he’s several feet away. Systematically increase the distance. Pretty soon he’ll be dashing from the other room.
How long does it take? Not to put any pressure on you, but my chicken Thelma learned this in two days (she likes to eat), and my rat took four. Hint: if it takes much longer it’s not your cat’s fault.

Cat Trick Number 2: Touch a Target With the Nose

For this exercise, you need a pencil with an eraser or a ball on the end and a word to tell Kitty he’s on the right track. Best to use a word or phrase he rarely hears. For cats, that would be, “Good” or “Yes” stated in a distinct way.” Now hold the pencil in front of him and when he investigates the target with his nose, say “good” or “yes” once and immediately give him his treat. Repeat the exercise in short sessions until he actively seeks the target out and touches it. Now you can use the target to lead him wherever you want, such as onto a chair for the next exercise.

Cat Trick Number 3: Sit and Stay

Hold a treat up to Kitty’s nose and move it up and back so he shifts his weight to the rear, causing him to sit. A feisty cat might try to paw you. Just remove you hand whenever he does this until he sits and then give him the treat.

Unlike a sitting dog whose derriere springs up like a waffle out of toaster, cats are masters of the sit position. Since they tend to hold their hiney down for a few seconds following the treat, sit-stay is really easy to teach. Once Kitty knows how to sit, say “stay” and just wait a few seconds. Then give him another treat while he’s still sitting. You can then start adding distance from him by taking a step away and quickly coming back with his reward before he gets up. Systematically increase the time and distance over several sessions.

Putting it Together

Now you have the tools for training almost anything you want—jumping through hoops, fetching a ball, playing the piano. Use the target to lead Kitty around and reinforce the behavior you want using food at first and later using praise or petting instead, if Kitty likes those things. Just be careful what you reinforce. A cat playing the piano all day could get on your nerves.

For more tricks go to www.AskDrYin.com/cat_tricks.php

QUESTION:

Hi Dr. Yin,
My female 18mos old ACD is getting better and better about responding to my commands when off leash. The biggest problem is her chasing of bikes (and sometimes runners). I think they startle her and then move so fast that she goes immediately into prey mode. How can I learn to teach her to ignore them? or at least stop and wait for my command when something so exciting is happening.
thanks!
Gwyn from Marin

ANSWER:

Gwyn, while many dogs chase bikes and runners (see article on Why Runners Steer Clear of Dogs), it’s definitely no surprise to see an Australian CattleDog performing this chase-type of behavior. They have a tendency to chase and nip and the “heels” of things running by. They can do this in play or as a defensive startle or fear response. In either case, you’re right that the behavior is not ok. The plan for fixing this behavior is two pronged.

Start With the Dog On Leash at All Times

First, your dog should never be off leash in public until you can get fantastic attention on you and a fantastic come when called when on a regular leash first and then when on a long 15-20 foot leash. Every time you call her or ask her to focus on you and she blows you off, she’s learning that you’re words are unimportant. So you’ll first have to work with her on leash so you can always get her attention and keep her from blowing you off until you can get good focus no matter how distracting the situation. Then you can work with her on a longer leash to simulate off-leash situations before you let her completely off-leash. I know it sounds like a drag, but it’s the only way you can get her to be 100% reliable and avoid risk of liability. One nip at a jogger or dog induced-bike crash and your home owners insurance might be maxed out! Plus, if you work on it full-bore, you can have the problem solved pretty quickly.

Train Her That Playing With You is Overrides Barking at Runners and Bikes

Part one is to first get her to focus on you on leash no matter how high the distractions. Generally I teach owners to train their dogs that heeling in different directions and playing sit games is really fun. So fun the dog gives their undivided attention first in quiet areas, then with distractions. You can also just have her perform tricks when these distractions go by. Again first get her to perform them in rapid succession without distractions, then later with distractions. That means you have to be ready for bikes and get her focused on you before the bike or running gets close. Once you’re able to get her attention and keep it focused on you, then your come when called will likely be more effective.

Watch Podees aggression to other dogs
Watch Jonesy heels for a toy
Go to www.AskDrYin.com and watch all the Say Please by Sitting Videos and Come When Called and Molly Movie and Zoe UPS

Add The Come When Called

The best way to get your dog to come when called is to send her on a chase. Put her on a leash in the house. Say, her name plus “come” and run backwards 5-10 steps fast enough so she runs to catch up. Give her a treat as soon as she catches up follow up with a few more treats for sitting so she learns to remain focused on you. Be sure to say her name and “come” just one time right before you run backwards and then give the treat and praise or petting if she indicates with body language that she likes praise and petting.

Next, add some speed by repeating step 1 but turning around and running away from her rather than facing her and running backwards. Stop and face her before she gets to you so she knows what she’s supposed to do. Give her the treat when she catches up. She should charge after you in a full run. When she reliably does this in the house with distractions, you can try her off leash in the house and then on leash outside. When she’s good on a regular length lead you can go to the next step.

Now you can go to a leash that’s 15 to 20 or more feet long. Let your dog walk around on the lengthy lead. Then, making sure it’s not tangled, call her and run in the opposite direction at full speed. Your movement will hopefully incite her to chase you at a full run. Before she catches up, turn around to face her and lure her into a sit (if needed) in front of you and then give her treats and lots of praise so she’s sure she made the right choice.  Then as a second reward, let her wander. Literally practice this 20x per walk at the park.

When she comes immediately 100% of the times on long leash, add in distractions. Start with easy ones at first such as stationary objects. Then graduate to more engaging ones such as moving toys or other dogs on leash. In the case of doggie distractions, make sure the other dog can’t run alongside or tackle your dog as she’s trying to make her way to you. As usual, when she reaches you and sits, give her a treat and praise plus sometimes give her the opportunity to play with the other dog or go back and do what she was doing before. That way she learns that coming when called never means missing an opportunity for something better.

[Refer to Chapter 19 in How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves or Watch the MannersMinder DVD, view youtube video, or stay tuned for the Online Education portion of this web site]

Putting it Together

So how do we know how to use this all? Once her attention and recall is 100%—meaning she comes running full throttle to you immediately when you call the first time—you can have her off leash. Call her before the biker or jogger gets to close. Call before she has a chance to react to them. Then once she’s near you, reward her for focusing on you until the runner or bicyclist go by.  If you can set the situation up so that you will see many bicyclers and joggers and you’re able to reward the good behavior and prevent her from barking and lunging at these people, you’ll be able to change the behavior quickly.