Cat Training in 10 Minutes

After reading the reviews of this book and the similar  Clicker Training for Cats  by Karen Pryor, I purchased both so that I could compare them and possibly benefit from two different sources. However, after reading both manuals and having been clicker training my cat for several months now, I can say with absolute certainty that Cat Training in 10 Minutes is far superior in quality and content to Karen Pryor's book.1. Comprehensiveness of Clicker Theory: 5/5 stars. The theory used in Cat Training in 10 Minutes is operant conditioning. Using a clicker followed by a reward, you can reinforce desired behavior in your cat. Verbal commands (come, sit) as well as specific hand signals are incorporated in this book. I find the hand signals to be just as essential as the verbal commands: upon seeing the signal, my cat immediately knows which action she is to perform and will begin to do it even before I give the verbal command.2. Accessibility: 5/5 stars. Cat Training in 10 Minutes is written in easy-to-follow expository style, with occasional narrative anecdotes. It has color photos on every page depicting the specific command/action, how to signal with your hand, and how your cat will likely react. The instructions are clearly numbered and succinct.3. Organization: 5/5 stars. The first chapter is an introduction that discusses the theory behind clicker training and the tools you'll need. Each following chapter covers one specific command/type of behavior, and the chapters are arranged from easy to hard. There are a few "bonus" chapters at the end of the book that discuss cats in our lives, correcting bad behavior, and professional/movie industry cat trainers. I was pleasantly surprised by this last chapter: it was an enjoyable read and informative to boot.4. Correcting Undesirable Behavior: 2/5 stars. In this book's sole weak spot, the author discusses only furniture scratching, inconsistent litter box use, and walking on countertops. Despite this chapter's short length, I personally found it to be more helpful than its counterpart in Ms. Pryor's book. Why? Because Cat Training in 10 Minutes actually lists specific instructions for correcting bad behavior using a clicker. I've implemented some of these tactics, especially regarding furniture scratching, with my own cat and have had great success.5. Helpful/Extra Features: 5/5 stars. First, the author's short anecdotes are contained in colorful call-out boxes along the side of the page, which lends a nice organizational layout to the text and keeps the instructional body uncluttered. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the book has several appendices (hand signals, adoption/rescue resources) and an alphabetical index.In summary, I highly recommend Cat Training in 10 Minutes to anyone looking to clicker train their cat, as its quality and content are head-and-shoulders above Karen Pryor's book. Good luck, and here's to your cat learning some great new tricks!

The media could not be loaded.  This book is great! It's generally very easy to digest and understand.I'm starting to believe our cat is just extra smart but as the book says, cats in general are quick studies. We've trained our 1yr old siamese rescue girl how to come, sit, stand, twirl and sometimes do the fetch and hi five command in under two weeks with just 5-15 minutes of training a day. As soon as she sees our pouch, the clicker and her treats she's ready to go where we guide her and has even started doing a bunch of these things without incentive. At first I thought YouTube videos where the way to go, but this book is very succinct and shows you the order in which you need to build their skills to get maximum results and explains why. On top of everything else it encourages you to get creative. We've had our cat for less than a month and she doesn't really seem to like laps but with the same general philosophies this book teaches we now have her sitting and sleeping on us daily. If you're trying to get a cat out of their shell or just have fun with them start training with this book. It's incredible how our relationship has changed with our cat in such a short period of time since starting training! Seriously, you'll see in the video how excited this cat is even without treats involved, now imagine, we've only had her for a month and the first week of it she was hiding under every surface in the house! She didn't even like treats when we got her... now she's obsessed!

I adopted brothers...so separating them is not easy without it seeing like punishment. Trying to train them simultaneously has been challenging but we have fun. I don't usually make it through an entire 10 min though. Still, they will come and sit now.

I have been clicker training my cat and this book gave me insights on how to get behaviors I was unable to get with other books by showing me hand positions and other tips and tricks on how to achieve what I wanted. Don't think you can't train a cat. They get addicted! My kitten found the clicker the other day and went nuts just to OWN it to tear around the house, but in the end, he wound up putting it at my feet. When I didn't respond, he jumped up and put it on my lap. Cats want something to accomplish and, since we discourage them from hunting, learning behaviors is a positive outlet for what we DON'T want them to practice. Just one behavior, the first: TARGET you can teach immediately, and you will be able to put your cat where-ever you need. This alone could save a life.It's so much easier than you can imagine...and rewarding. Your cat will actually understand what you want....and since my cat doesn't speak English, this form of communication actually elicits a bond he displays with affection after he gets over the fact that we're done with that lesson. He can go longer than me. He sulks when I put the clicker away, and then I get unsolicited kisses.If you are even CONSIDERING clicker training, you should own this book. It makes the lesson plan very straight-forward, easy to achieve and you can go at your own pace. The great thing about clickers are that you teach when you want. You don't have to have a rigid schedule to achieve your goals. Go at your own pace, build on each session as you build your relationship, and most of all, have fun!

Ten minutes to train your cat? Balderdash! It took us at least eleven! Good starting guide that we also plan to pair with a cat training clicker book. So far our new stray orange tabby likes his new found obedience. He sits and lifts his paw for treats! AND. . . a bonus . . . he magically knows how to use the litter box, too!

Interesting book. Not too sure my cat will respond but will give some of it a go.

Arrived just after xmas - was to be a 'fun' pressie. Dirty cover so not that immpressed as it was sold as used- good condition. Not trained the cat yet so not sure if the tips work

Too drawn out, this could have been a lot more concise withh less fluff. Actual training tips are pretty useful

too little of substance

A great book. Arrived promptly and has been a useful tool in training. Would recommend to others. A good deal