Teaching the command "Sit!"
To teach the cat to sit is a very simple task. It depends on the cat’s anatomy. Imagine that cat’s spine is the children swing-board. Cat’s head is from one side and its tail is from the other side. If the head comes up the back part will go down.
Therefore, if you want to teach your cat to sit down after your order the only thing you need is to teach it to raise its head and to turn it back and then let everything remain as it is. The simplest way to solve this problem is to use food. Take the delicacy which is especially attractive to your cat and hold it before the cat’s nose. Say “Sit!” only one time, say it clearly and quietly. Now take the delicacy up slowly and then somewhat back of the cat’s head holding it near the cat’s nose all the time. When the cat sits, praise it and give the delicacy to it immediately. The closer the moment of eating the delicacy is to the moment of sitting, the sooner your cat understands the connection of these two actions. Cat sitting means that delicacy is in the mouth. As soon as your cat learns this rule you've reached the success.
Popular problems connected with the teaching of command “Sit!”
Cat moves back instead of sitting down
If your cat looks up and moves back then work with the cat when it sits close to the wall with its back part and hasn’t the opportunity to move back, or you may put your hand on the back part of cat and calmly make it sit in the necessary pose. As soon as the cat sits give the delicacy to it immediately and praise it! Help it one or two times and your cat will soon understand what you want.
Cat reaches up
If your cat reaches up for delicacies don’t worry. It is a pleasant trick. With the help of it cat just says to you that you are holding the delicacy too high. Lower it and hold just before the cat’s nose then it will behave as you want.
Cat bites your fingers
Hold the delicacy deeper then the cat will feel its smell but won’t see it. After that use your hands as a bait for your cat to raise its head up and move it a little back. Cat will feel the smell of food but the chance that it will bite you decreases. If the cat continues biting that means that your pet is hungry. Stop wait for some minutes, give your cat something to eat and then try again. A little portion of food will satisfy cat’s appetite but it won’t make it be uninterested in food.
Besides, try to speak to it with a firm voice and hide the food between your fingers as deep as you can. In this case it isn’t necessary to speak loudly. Be always quiet with your cat: if it feels that you are worried, everything will be worse than it was before.
Cats snatches the food with the front paws
Speak with a firm but not a loud voice. Move your hand down and in some distance from the cat without permitting it to use the paws. Don’t forget to praise the cat at the moment when it sits down without raising its paws. A skilled trainer always waits for the good moment and praises the animal for it instead of punishments for bad action.
If the cat snatches the food with the front paws try to block its paws with the help of a ruler or a pencil. Block, but don’t beat on them, please! As a rule, if the cat gets the praise for its actions which are good for you, it will fulfill your wishes with pleasure.
Related Links:
