How do you get a cat to use an obstacle course?

Answer 1

Hi there...cats can be trained to run obstacle courses similar to what dogs do in agility courses. However, cats need to learn how to use one obstacle at a time and usually it needs to be the last obstacle taught first then the previous obstacle leading back to the first obstacle in the course. This method is known as back-chaining. Each obstacle a cat needs to be trained using operant conditioning techniques and one that works efficiently with a high rate of success is known as clicker training. One terrific book that is an easy and short read is called Clicker Training for Cats by Karen Pryor: http://www.clickertraining.com/cattraining You can purchase this book at just about any bookstore or online. More clicker training info can be found: http://www.petplace.com/cats/clicker-training-your-cat/page1.aspx