Hey,there! Let’s dive into something quite intriguing. It’s the moment your feline friend heeds your call and approaches you. The training of teaching a cat to come when called is commonly referred to as “recall training”.
Responding to its name is the first behavior that a Maine Coon needs to learn, and it serves as the foundation for other training. Throughout this process, the Maine Coon need to learn to identify the target, follow its movements, receive rewards, and understand the significance of your tone, gestures, and cues.
Contents
Identifying the Target for Training
The so-called “target” refers to the point that the Maine Coon should focus on (similar to the bullseye on a dartboard). Target training is the simplest way to teach cats various actions.
When training a Maine Coon to identify the target, use bait (food or toys) to guide it to look at your hand or a teaser wand. Every time your Maine Coon approaches the target with its nose (preferably making contact with the target), it receives a reward. In no time, your feline companion will be chasing the target around, much like pursuing a toy mouse.
There are many types of targets, whether using your hand or a stick. Using the hand as a target is the easiest, but some Maine Coons may get overly excited and may bite, so it’s better to use a spoon or stick as a substitute. This way, even highly excited cats can learn to control their intense behavior and gracefully earn rewards.
I typically follow these three steps for target training:
- Initially, place the target (spoon or stick, or a finger holding a treat) under your cat’s nose. When it sniffs, praise it, saying something like, “Good kitty, well done!” When it takes the food into its mouth, press the clicker (if using one) or say, “Good kitty, well done!” simultaneously.
- Next, move the target a bit farther away from your Maine Coon, requiring it to stretch its neck to reach. Praise it when it sniffs, and upon eating the food, press the clicker and verbally commend it.
- Once the relationship between verbal praise, clicker press, and your Maine Coon receiving a reward is established, you can slightly delay the time between the cat touching the target and getting the reward. Verbal praise encourages positive behavior, and the clicker sound lets it know that its actions meet your expectations and will be rewarded.
6 Easy Steps to Mastering Recall Training
Once your Maine Coon has mastered following a target, you can start recall training.
- Present the target (your hand or a teaser wand).
- When your Maine Coon notices the target, praise it.
- As the cat comes towards the target, touch its nose with the target, press the clicker or praise it, and reward it with treats.
- Present the target again, initially placing it beneath its nose, then slowly moving it towards yourself, enticing your Maine Coon to come. Call its name and say “come” or something while doing so.
- Praise your cat as it moves towards the target.
- When the cat touches the target, press the clicker and reward it.
Each time you present the target and give the command, your Maine Coon should move a greater distance between each interaction. For the first request, have it move only 1 foot (approximately 30 cm), then 2 feet (approximately 60 cm) for the second time, and so on. The cat will quickly understand the connection between the command and the action of moving towards the target (your hand or teaser wand) to receive a reward.
During the recall training, you can step backward to let the cat take a few more steps before receiving the reward. This backward movement, like the target, will gradually become a recognizable visual cue.
In the early stages of the training, use a combination of visual cues and verbal commands. Later on, you can use either one alone. The combination enhances your pet’s learning speed. In just a few minutes, your Maine Coon will be running from across the room to you. In less than a week, whenever it’s inside the house, it will come to you, eagerly anticipating interaction and the subsequent reward.
Training Upgrade: Conducting Training in a Distracting Environment
The next step in recall training is to teach your Maine Coon to respond in the presence of other distractions. Distractions can be created by changing the usual training room, moving to a different room, or training in the presence of other pets or people. Start with minor distractions and gradually increase them as the cat’s ability to resist distractions strengthens.
If your cat loses focus, reduce the distractions until it starts responding again. Then, as it learns to ignore its surroundings, gradually intensify the distractions. Each training session must be progressive.
Another way to conduct this exercise is to set up obstacles on the cat’s path as it comes, such as a few hardcover books, standing picture frames, or candle holders. Use the target to attract your cat attention, guiding it to maneuver through the obstacles. Repeat the same route each time, and soon, the ultimate goal of navigating through obstacles smoothly when called will be achieved.
By recall training, you enter a new realm of communication. Your Maine Coon will pay closer attention to your every move, stay by your side, and eagerly engage in training. While a cat’s solo play is undoubtedly delightful, the satisfaction of a cat becoming an interactive companion enhances the happiness of a pet owner even more.
The Ultimate Goal: Establishing Operant Conditioning
All animal training is based on operant conditioning. Essentially, operant conditioning involves training animals to respond in a specific way to stimuli in order to receive a reward. While humans work every day to earn money, cats do so for food or toys.
The teaser wand or your hand serves as the stimuli for your Maine Coon, and verbal praise and the click sound of the clicker act as bridges between responding to the stimuli and receiving the reward. Once the behavior is performed, the click sound and the reward indicate your satisfaction with the response.
Every time you present the target, give a command, and your Maine Coon must perform more actions to hear the click sound and receive a reward—this is based on behavioral response.
For example, in the initial training, place the target directly in front of the cat’s nose. When it touches the target, press the clicker, and reward it. In the second training, raise and lower the target. Praise your Maine Coon when its eyes follow the target’s movement. After raising and lowering the target once each, press the clicker, and reward your Maine Coon. In the third training, move the target left and right. Praise your Maine Coon when it follows the target’s movement. After completing the requirements (e.g., moving left and right once each), press the clicker, and reward. Finally, slightly move the target (about 18 centimeters), praise the cat when it follows the target’s movement, press the clicker, and reward it.
Maine Coons learn to follow the target’s movement at a speed faster than you might imagine. When it comes to filling their stomachs, most cats learn quickly. Ultimately, many Maine Coons will do it just for the pleasure of experiencing the stimulus, caring only about praise and the click sound of the clicker. This becomes more evident when training in situations where your cat is mentally stressed, such as in unfamiliar environments or near unfamiliar people. Positive training is a way to help cats overcome stress and relax in new environments.
Training Tips for Your Beloved Companion
Maine Coons are visually oriented animals, and any action can capture their attention. This characteristic should be effectively utilized during training. Consistently implementing any action can be transformed into a visual cue.
At this point, teaching your cats to understand specific training cues is a good choice. For example, loudly saying “train” at the beginning and “finish” at the end. These words differ from ordinary communication vocabulary when training cats, giving them special significance. You can use any other words, but it’s crucial to consistently use the selected vocabulary in the corresponding context.
Gradually, you will discover that achieving success in training requires two simple principles. The first is to perform the same action or say the same word in the same context, and the second is to “seize the moment,” praising and rewarding when the action is correct, not before or after. Experienced trainers often master these two principles, allowing them to quickly train any animal. These abilities are easier to acquire than you might imagine.
