Go to Mat training with Cats

Go to Mat is the 2nd recommended behaviour to teach a cat (1st is targeting). But really this behaviour is actually a form of targeting but with their whole bodies rather than just their noses!
Teaching a cat to go to a specific spot i,e, a mat is useful for a number of reasons and not only helps the cat to learn acceptable behaviour & prevent problem behaviours from occuring, ie, teach the cat to sit here instead of walk on the worktops, sit & wait in this spot instead of rush out the door, sit here while i have my tea, sit here while i train the other animals. It also helps us to change a cats unacceptable behaviour and gives a cat info on what to do in situations, not only to help correct the behaviours mentioned previously but also to help deal and correct aggressive encounters. Here is an example example of how this can help in this way...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d9QFe_TkkA&playnext_from=TL&videos=0v...­3U38

'On this vid you will see Simba my moggies first 'go to mat' training,'STARTING OFF' initially he offers me nothing, so i try luring then i just throw a piece of chicken on to the mat, which quick starts him into action. I will click for any foot on the mat to begin with and keep clicking for a couple of goes for mainting contact of the mat AND to help POWER THE MAT UP. I need Simba to realise that this mat is a very special and rewarding place to be. To get him off the mat, so that he can learn that re-positioning himself onto the mat gets the reward i will throw chicken off the mat for him to chase and wait for him to come back to the mat. If he happens to postion himself by sitting directly on the mat i will jackpot with a lot of treats straight after one another so that he thinks 'wow!! going to do that again':)

Izzy my snowshoe continues the progression by showing how we proofed the cats understanding of the mat.
Once the cat is reliably sitting on the mat and it has been powered up, then this is proofed further by rewarding with throwing chicken away from the mat for the cat to chase, the cat then has to reposition every time on to the mat for it to happen again.
After that I keep moving the mat about so that the cat fully understands that it is not the area but the mat itself that is the correct place to be.
This mat is then moved around into different rooms in the house to proof even further the cats understanding of the mat.

NOTE each time i change the criteria i also go back a step to rewarding the first one back on the mat before starting to reward off the mat again. Just so i keep powering the actual mat itself up.

Next comes ADVANCING where i start adding more time on the mat before clicking, begin distance work and stays out of sight.

If at any time the cat gets up i just ask it back into position. If is moving a lot out of position then you may have gone too fast...never be worried about going back a step or two in training.. so that the cat or animal can fully understand the behaviour wanted of it.

Sorry the vid is so long... but i wanted to show you how cats learn and how you have to be patient and not try and rush things...let them work things out for themselves.

Izzy loves training and has been trained from young but Simba my moggie has been watching and has now started to want to be trained....coming and asking for a session in his own special way:)

So hope you enjoy and please leave feedback...then it may encourage me to make more.... promise not as long next time though...lol!

Thankyou for watching:)

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• go to mat
• clicker training
• cat training
• cat mat training
• izzy the snowshoe
• snowshoe
• simba
• moggie
• cats
• kittens

[SnowshoeCats]

Izzy is such good girl! I'm going to try this with the boys at the weekend :o)

[MultiAnimalcrackers]

@SnowshoeCats Thankyou. good luck you will have to video your progression:))

[musicofnote1]

am using this to prove that you can train a dog to do this. The people watched my video, but wanted one with a dog who'd never learned it before. Like my dog was born knowing this already or something. So I found a couple but also sent them the link to this - if a cat can learn this, than it must be a cinch for a dog. Another great job Kath & Co.!!

[MultiAnimalcrackers]

@musicofnote1 True. and thankyou for your comment:))

[VTECsqznN2O]

fabulous! Its great to see more an more cat clicker vids these days, Mine know a few behaviors, but I need to make videos of them still. :) Happy clickering

[MultiAnimalcrackers]

@VTECsqznN2O Thankyou...would love to see your vids:)

[Caroline45617]

Hi Kath,I love your videos. Please can you tell me how you trained Izzy to lie down? I have trained my cat Tigger to target, mat and between, all thanks to you!

Caroline

[MultiAnimalcrackers]

@abirdslife Thankyou :)

[MultiAnimalcrackers]

@russllan1 hi they are small pieces of chicken...they love them:)

[russllan1]

wat is that white stuff ur giving to ur cat

[abirdslife]

Very Nice Kath !

[MultiAnimalcrackers]

@pamelamarxsen yr welcome glad you like:)

[pamelamarxsen]

I love that you show this with cats! I will have to try this with my cat! Super Cool! This is the same way that I teach a dog to go to his mat. Love the proofing on the mat and having them learn stays on the mat! I love it! Thanks for posting this!

[PuddyPoppyHenry]

@MultiAnimalcrackers I actually showed the video to my hubby and he was very doubtful our cats would do it but I'll have a little go with them when its light (its night time here now) and if they do anything Ill video them and as a response for this video x

[MultiAnimalcrackers]

@MsBorderCollieLover Thankyou...that cheeky monkey was my 9yr old son Ty :)

[MultiAnimalcrackers]

@PuddyPoppyHenry Great glad you liked..was worried it was too long for people, but i wanted to show how you got started and progressed it. Would love to see the vid of your progress :)

[MultiAnimalcrackers]

@PuddyPoppyHenry Thankyou that was my 9yr old son Ty :)

[MsBorderCollieLover]

Oh what a fantastic video! Your such an amazing trainer what your cat and dogs!

haha Yeah, That was funny (that person in the background)

[PuddyPoppyHenry]

I like the person waving at 2.15 :) x

[PuddyPoppyHenry]

Another great video - love it - I'll be trying it :) x