Tag: Training
Service Cats: Proper Training Methods
Well here we are, another Miserable Monday. Da end of da weekend and da start of peeps goin’ back to work. We had sun fur da furst time in days yesfurday, but woke up to gray skies and dense fog today. Da weather just doesn’t know what it wants to do. Anyways, today is also Service Cat educational posty day. We didn’t get any questions after last weeks posty, so we’re not sure ifin ya’ll are losin’ innerest in these posts or not. So, ifin ya’ could let us know in da comments, we’d ‘purreciate it. As with all our educational postys, da following will be written in human English. Ifin you’ve missed any post, you can ketch up by clickin’ da linkys below.
Service Cats: What to Look For
Service Cats: Training Foundations
Service Cats: How to Train Kitty to Massage Without Claws
Service Cats: Smelling Disease
Service Cats: Do You Need One
Service Cats: Who Bears the Cost
Service Cats: Housing Laws and Exceptions
Service Cats: Accommodations and Common Sense
Service Cats: What Happens When the Handler Dies
We were asked a few posts back to talk about proper training methods. Training is something we think all animals, not just Service Animals can benefit from. We’ve all seen the totally out of control doggy and the doing as it pleases kitty. Unfortunately behavioral problems account for a large percentage of animals taken to shelters; and some of those behaviors could be changed with just a little training and patience. In our Training Foundations post we covered the beginning process mommy chooses to use.
You’s have mines full attention mommy.
There are several acceptable methods of training. If your cat doesn’t respond to one, try another. Hitting, yelling and chasing your kitty Does Not work. Neither does drenching them with water from a water bottle or water gun. Clicker training is probably the best known method these days. It involves a small clicker that the trainer holds and clicks as the animal does what is asked for, followed by a treat. This method is very successful in dog training. Dogs are generally ruled by their tummy and will perform for a treat.
Clicker training can be successful with some cats. Mommy has never used this method per se’, but she does sometimes use a form of it. Long ago when mommy decided to start training Service Kitties she looked in to a clicker. We don’t know the cost these days, but back then it was pretty pricey, and mommy couldn’t afford it. She was already training kitties successfully so she couldn’t justify the cost. However, you can use a finger snap to mimic a clicker. Mommy usually snaps her fingers to get us to pay attention. She doesn’t however follow it up with a treat.
What’s dat mommy? Did you need somethin’?
Treat rewards are the biggest problem mommy has with clicker training. Cats aren’t generally ruled by their tummies and a lot of cats don’t like treats. And too many treats means kitty won’t eat their meal, or they will, and then gain weight and become obese. Positive reinforcement is crucial to train any animal to perform a specific task. Mommy uses praise and love as our reward. It’s not fattening, and it means we will repeat the task even when we don’t get a treat, which would be impossible for her first thing in the morning. Something you may not know, is that most of the handlers of those Service dogs have to carry treats with them to reward the dog off and on throughout the day.
But what about training kitty NOT to do something, such as climb your curtains, stay off the kitchen counters or scratch your brand new leather sofa? Remember, hitting, screaming, chasing or drenching them with water Does Not work. Mommy says the water bottle has it’s place, but if you’re soaking kitty and he/she is still doing the inappropriate behavior, then it obviously isn’t working. And truly, you don’t want kitty to develop a fear of water. Let’s say you’ve ruled out any health issues for kittys’ behavior. Your next step is to offer an appropriate alternative.
Who me? I’s would never climb da curtains or
jump on da counters.
Let’s talk about inappropriate scratching. All scratchers are not created equal, and not every cat likes the same surface. There are vertical, horizontal and hanging scratchers. Watch kitty to see if he/she has a preference. There are many different textures as well, corrugated cardboard, carpet, sisal and wood. Again, your cat probably has a preference for one of these textures. It may take some time to figure out which, but once you do, you can successfully offer kitty an appropriate scratching surface. The best option would be to have several scratchers of different textures available, as well as vertical and horizontal. Always make sure the scratcher is the right size for your kitty and that it is stable. You can also make a scratcher for your kitty by covering a surface with their favorite material, especially if it’s leather. Place said scratcher next to the area kitty’s scratching and the next time kitty scratches, move him/her over to the new scratching surface and place their paws on it. Initially it might be helpful to take kittys’ paws and mimic scratching on the new surface, as this encourages kitty. And a little catnip on the new scratcher never hurt any kitty either. You must be repetitive in order to stop the offensive behavior completely.
Mommy says that you must speak with a firm tone when training, but Never react in anger. And if there are several people in a household, all parties must be on the training bandwagon. Especially for correcting inappropriate behavior. Now let’s talk a minute about that water bottle so many cat peeps have on hand. And yes, mommy has one too. Here’s mommys’ list of reasons to use the water bottle:
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To break up a Cat Fight
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To stop a fight you see coming on by distracting kitties
Mommy says NEVER aim the water stream directly at kitty, especially not the head area. Depending on the proximity you are from kitty and where you hit them, kitty could actually be injured. (Mommy has seen some really powerful water bottles and water guns in the market) Instead, spray a few inches above kitty or in between kitties. Mommy says that clapping, snapping fingers, or a shaker can will also work. Again, don’t do this right in kittys’ ears. A clap from across the room is more than sufficient to get kittys’ attention. Whichever action you take, you should include a firm NO at the same time. Mommy always includes our name. She says that doing so makes sure there’s no mistaking who she’s correcting and what behavior is objectionable. There’s a lot of “No Raena’s” going on around here right now.
Me’s gonna get a quick bath in befur a nap.
Well, me’s just realized this is a really long posty, so me’s gonna wrap it up now and try to get a nap befur Raena starts in again. She’d put dat battery bunny to shame she has so much energy. Anyways, hope you all have a pawsum day.
Till da next time…………………………………..Be Blest!!!
Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses
Deztinee and RaenaBelle
Blest Sunday Strolls
Meowllo and welcome to a pawsumly Blest Sunday. It’s been a long hot week, but a lot has happened. It ain’t all good, but you know us, we always try to make d bestest of any situation. Guess me should start with Raena. You know Raena be “in training” right now and pawrt of dat trainin’ is to get used to different peeps and situations. To get us used to those kinds of things, mommy takes us out and ‘bout our little town. Da folks here know to ask befur touchin’ us, and always wanna make over us. So it gives us experience with noisy strangers peekin’ at us, pointin’ at us, and furinally pettin’ us.
Well mommy had kinda let down on takin’ Raena out early on cuz of da heat. With no a/c or workin’ windows in da car, it meant dat Raena got overheated really fast, like what happened after her last VET ‘pointment; not to mention what da heat does to mommy. And quite frankly, mommy was really scared we were gonna lose Raena after dat last VET ‘pointment. Anyways, you all know mommy’s been tryin’ to find somepawdy to help ‘round da house, right?. Well when a somepawdy came by fur an innerview and Raena got scared and started to run, mommy knew, heat or know heat, a/c or no a/c, Raena was gonna have to go out into da public. So mostly late in da day, Raena and mommy have been takin’ trips to town. Raena’s furinally big enuff to sit in da stroller, so she’s been getting’ to go fur strolls. And guess what? She’s luvvin’ it. Sure ‘nuff, she can’t get enuff of da stroller. Fanks again awnty Jennifer and grand awnty Peggy. Mommy can’t take her too far in it, cuz we don’t have a harness small enuff fur her yet, so we can’t secure her in; but short strolls and trips are okay. Mommy just watches her like a hawk. And mommy even gets a little treat outta their trips. She’s been havin’ a sweet tooth lately, and most of da places they go have a take one free candy dish. MOL
Anyways, God’s always lookin’ out fur us, and sent angels to help us with dat a/c purroblem. So mommy trekked over drove to da garage to see ‘bout getting’ us some cool air. Da mechanic decided to double check his furst opinion and fank catness he did, cuz it wasn’t what he furst thought. Altho’ it appeared much worse. Da cost of da pawrt was gonna be waaaaaaay to high. Like in da $600.00 – $700.00 range. And dat was just fur da pawrt. They hadn’t even started talkin’ labor. Mommy felt so defeated and sad when she left da garage dat day. But hey, this is da catputer age. It’s harder fur peeps to take advantage of ya’ ifin ya’ just do a little research. So after dryin’ her tears and coolin’ off a bit, mommy got on da catputer and found dat altho’ dat pawrt was ‘spensive, it wasn’t no $600.00 – $700.00. So we have a ‘pointment on Wednesday to get us some cool air, and a much cheaper pawrt waitin’ to be installed in da car. WooHoo!!! Fank you God and purrlease bless those angels.
And ya’ know what else? Dat somepawdy who came by fur an innerview to help ‘round da house? Well, mommy was able to hire her. She passed da OSBI background check and da state approved her application. When mommy called her, she said she’d been waitin’ on our call and she starts this week. We sure do hope it works out. We’ll keep ya’ posted on dat one. She’s young and has kids and a husband. She’s just lookin’ to get outta da house fur a few hours, so this job is purrfect fur her ifin she doesn’t mind workin’. Dat’s somethin’ we’ll find out soon enuff.
And our biggest blessin’ as always is dat we have each other and all of you. ‘Member to take a minute today and everyday to give thanks fur da blessings in your life. Even in da bad times, da blessings are there. This is da last call fur Pawlympic Fly Fishin’ fotos, so send ‘em in now to be a pawrt of our posty. (lexi.dezi@yahoo.com {lexi[dot]dezi[@]yahoo[dot]com} And we’s joinin’ da Kitties Blue fur Sunday Selfies, go by and check ‘em all out.
Well, me’s gonna go now and see ’bout gettin’ some treats befur we start visitin’ you all. We’ll be ‘tound as soon as we can.
Till da next time…………………………….Be Blest!!!
Luv and Hugs and Kitty Kisses
Deztinee and RaenaBelle
Service Cats: Who Bears The Cost
Meowllo everypawdy, it’s time fur another Service Cat educational posty. As ya’ know da followin’ will be written in human English. It appears there’s still some confusion ‘bout da difference ‘tween Service Animals, Therapy Animals and Companion Animals. Purrlease see our Service Animal page by clicking on da Service Animal tab on our menu bar or click here to read da full definition of each. Me will give a very brief definition of them later in this posty. It’s very purrtant dat everyone understands da differences. Anyways, we got a few good questions to answer today. And we asked a couple questions dat we think you’re gonna be surprised by da answers. Ifin you’ve missed any of da postys in this series you can get caught up by clickin’ da links below.
Service Cats: What To Look For
Service Cats: Training Foundation
Service Cat: How To Train Kitty To Massage Without Claws
Service Cats: Smelling Disease
Service Cats: Do You Need One
So let’s get on with it. First up we need to make a few things clear. Mommy talked to one of our friends this past week and learned there’s a lot of confusion about this subject. First and foremost, If you are breeding your non pedigreed cat, that cat is NOT a Service Animal!!! And please STOP!!! Are there not enough unwanted kitties in the world as it is? True Service animals are spayed or neutered for their health and temperament. Now we know a lot of you just said to yourself, “How can you make that judgment and say that?” Well let us explain. If you need a Service Animal, you need said animal all the time. A mother cat will be out of commission for at least 6 weeks, barring complications; her kittens need her more. And most Service animals are not pedigreed animals but rescues. And to breed your non pedigreed indoor kitty is irresponsible at best, but to supply you with barn cats is the very definition of cruel and unusual punishment. And training is not passed on through DNA.
Secondly, we’ll repeat this again. Any Cat at any age can be trained. The number one requirement is the bond you share. Please see the Training Foundation post. It isn’t necessary to start with a kitten. We did because mommy requires 2 cats to help her and there was just me after sis Lexi went to heaven. Introducing a kitten into our home is easier than an adult cat. If you already have a cat or three, you can train one of those. There’s no need to adopt a new cat or kitten or to breed any of your existing cats. We hope that clears a few things up.
Now awnty Jean, Shoko and Kali of the Canadian Cats asked a couple of questions about training. Mommy got a great laugh at the wording of the question, so we’re going to copy and paste it in here for all of you to read. Me must say that mommy and awnty Jean have had many a conversation so she knows mommy pretty well.
Question: Do you ever run across times when Raena just wants to play and is not interested in learning? How long can she get away with not wanting to be taught? Did you ever have a cat that was more interested in playing?
So this question is specifically asked about Raena because that’s who mommy’s training now, but it could apply to any cat or kitten in training. The answer is Yes, of course there are times when Raena just wants to play, she’s a kitten. The trick is to make learning fun so that at least at first she thinks she’s playing. And remember, training is about repetition not a one shot deal. So it’s better to have many short training sessions than one long one. Altho’ mommy makes a game of training for some tasks, it is very serious, and she doesn’t tolerate nonsense. Mommy looks at these times as an opportunity to “train out” unwanted behaviors; such as, hands are not for biting, toes are not for biting, cords are not for biting, etc.. It’s also a time to train kitty to accept being held down, and other things like pilling and bodily exams. These are things that all pet parents could benefit from not just those that are training Service Cats. Unfortunately as kitty ages, there may be a time when medicine needs to be administered, and it’s so much easier if kitty has been trained to accept whatever you do to them as good.
Raena had been playing but jumped on the small cat perch to be closer
to mommy to alert her to sit down. Mommy had been conducting
a photo shoot when Raena and Dezi felt a change and knew
mommy was going to pass out.
Now, we mentioned cost. We asked what you all thought the average cost for a Service Animal is. We also asked who you thought paid for it. We got some mixed answers here, and a couple that mentioned Companion Animals for Service men and women. We realized that most people thought Service animals were given to the disabled free or that some charitable organization paid any fees, and that again, there was some confusion about the differences between Service Animals and Companion Animals. So, here’s a really simple definition of the three classes.
Service animal: An animal that has been specifically trained to perform duties to assist it’s disabled handler/owner.
Therapy animal: An animal that has no particular training other than basic obedience that after certification goes into places like nursing homes, hospitals, etc. to cheer up people by just being there or allowing people to pet it.
Companion animal: A Pet.
These aren’t the full definitions, but hopefully they will help to clear up any confusion anyone still has. Now let’s answer those questions we asked. A few years ago, the average cost of a Service Animal was between $20,000.00 and $50,000.00. This was for a rescue dog purchased through one of the certifying organizations. Dogs trained by individuals could cost exponentially more. Insurance does NOT pay for Service animals. There are organizations one can apply to for financial help, but they’re on a first come first served basis and income based and often require the person in need to pay up to $10,000.00 of the fees. So in the end, the cost of a Service animal is solely on the person needing one. That’s one reason you don’t see more. Most people who need Service animals are on fixed incomes and can’t afford the initial cost. Once a disabled person has a Service animal they can apply to several organizations to receive food and vet care for that animal. These are run by the big pet food companies and are part of their “giving back to the community”. Remember, these organizations only provide for those Service Animals the ADA recognizes as Service Animals.
Anyways, we feel like we’ve given you information overload today, so we’ll wrap it up for now and let ya’ digest all of this. Remember to leave any questions you may have or want answered in da comments or feel free to email us. We’re trying to answer them all as best we can. Raena’s getting’ bigger so she’ll be starting to learn how to use da fone in da next week or so. Mommy’s gonna try to get some good fotos, but since she ain’t da bestest with da camera, we’ll settle fur any fotos. MOL Anyways, da lawn crew’s here. Raena may be fearless, but she hasn’t yet convinced me. Oh, we were asked what mommy did with our fotos in da new editing app yesfurday. She turned our fotos into talking videos.
What would you like to learn (know how to teach your cat or dog)?
How do you feel about the cost of and that insurance doesn’t cover the cost of Service Animals?
Do you think that Service Animals make a difference in the lives of their disabled handlers as opposed to those that don’t have one?
Till da next time…………………………………..Be Blest!!!
Service Cats U.S. 