Karen Pryor Clickertraining - Cats

Watch a clicker-trained cat band on YouTube!

Miranda Hersey Helin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 10:10:43 -0500

Samantha Martin has been clicker training animals for commercials and films for more than 15 years. One of her special projects is the Rockcats, an all-cat rock band. Now you can help boost these felines' star power!

Samantha writes: "Hey everyone, help the Rockcats get more exposure by clicking on their YouTube video. The more people that see them, the better chance they have at becoming a featured video. Help them get the numbers up by passing it on to all your friends! You don't even have to watch the whole video, to make your hit count. Thanks!"

If you want to learn more about Samantha and her Amazing Acro-Cats, read our profile: Herding Cats in Hollywood.

The Acro-Cats' holiday special, live in Chicago December 9

Miranda Hersey Helin — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600

Some of you may remember clicker trainer Samantha Martin from a profile we ran about her last year: Herding Cats in Hollywood. Samantha has been clicker training animals for commercials and films for more than 15 years.

Now Samantha and her Amazing Acro-Cats will be celebrating the holiday season with two special shows at the Mars Gallery, located at 1139 W Fulton Market in Chicago on Sunday, December 9 at 4:30 and 6:00 pm. Tickets are $10 and available at the door.

These fabulous felines will perform such festive feats as jumping through Christmas wreaths, pushing a sleigh, and many more amazing and entertaining tricks. There will be a special appearance by The Rockcats playing seasonal carols such as "Sandy Claws is Coming to Town" and "Oh Catnip Tree." This show will be an unusual twist on what has already proven to be an entertaining and one of a kind show for audiences of all ages. For further details, read more!

Golden retriever nurses stray kitten

Miranda Hersey Helin — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:12:19 -0500

A golden retriever has stepped up to the plate as surrogate nursing mother to a stray kitten, according to an Associated Press report.

The hungry kitten, found in an old tire at a concrete plant, refused to drink from a bottle and her rescuers feared she would die. That's when Honey, the family dog who hadn't given birth in 18 months, stepped in with her motherly instincts.

"She started licking her and loving her. Within a couple of days, Honey started naturally lactating," said Kathy Martin, whose husband, Jimmy, brought the kitten home six weeks ago. "The kitten took right to her."

Ready, set, BOO!

Miranda Hersey Helin — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 11:23:44 -0500

Halloween is fast approaching! And why shouldn't your pet get in on the haunting fun too? For inspiration (and a few laughs) see our photo album of pets in costume from 2006 and the latest from 2007.

Don't forget to e-mail us a photo of your pet dressed for the big night. We'll post the photos for everyone's enjoyment, and we'll pick a prize winner, to be announced next month!

October groaner: What do positive trainers say when they go door-to-door on Halloween night? "CLICK OR TREAT!"—of course!

Register by 9/30 for ClickerExpo Los Angeles and save $50

KPCT — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0500

Only a few days Left to save $50 on ClickerExpo!

Oscar the Cat: Comfort at Death's Door

Miranda Hersey Helin — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:32:38 -0500

As reported today in the Boston Globe, Oscar the cat comforts the dying at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Oscar provides more than your usual does of animal therapy: he curls up on the beds of those who are about to die, often before anyone else is aware that a particular patient's remaining hours are few. Oscar purrs deeply, providing comfort and beauty to a life's close.

Clicker training cats as service animals...?

Miranda Hersey Helin — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:07:00 -0500

Thinking outside the canine box when it comes to service animals, from Newsday.com:

...Training a service cat can be more challenging than your average golden retriever. "Cats are a harder package to put together," Knowlton concedes. "You have to get one that's not afraid of anything, and who will listen. And she needs to be unobtrusive—if I bring Pushette to a restaurant, she needs to stay in her basket," which is attached to Knowlton's motorized wheelchair.

Read the full article Newsday.com here. You can also find lots of goodies on clicker training cats at this page.

Pet Strollers: Good idea? Bad idea?

Bill Peña — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:27:43 -0500

I came across this today and was dumbfounded. Strollers, like baby strollers, for dogs and cats up to 165 lbs. I'm not sure whether this is a great idea, or a really terrible idea. What do you think?

Just Pet Strollers

Survey Reveals Hidden Reason Behind Cat Urine Marking

Aidan Bindoff — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 07:41:01 -0500

Veterinarian and cat specialist Dr Kim Kendall has recently conducted a survey of cat owners around Sydney, Australia to try to determine reasons why cats might urinate inside the house.

Her findings support a hypothesis that cats who are "bullied" by other neighbourhood cats, or struggling to maintain a territory, will "mark" their territory with urine in a desperate attempt to claim it. Another consideration is that stress can prevent the bladder from filling, causing more frequent urination.

Clicker Training for Cats earns 5 stars from About.com!

Miranda Hersey Helin — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 06:45:31 -0500

About.com provides an in-depth, glowing review of our Clicker Training for Cats Kit. Read the review or learn more about this indespensible tool for cat owners. "Anyone seriously interested in clicker training a cat will need this book, and the Clicker Training Fun Kit will give you all the tools you need to start today."

Toilet Trained Cats and Whales Giving Blood

Aidan Bindoff — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 08:21:34 -0500

What is it about a toilet-trained cat that would attract more than one million views on YouTube.com? Plus, footage of a whale giving blood...

Mystery cat takes regular bus to the shops

Bill Peña — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 11:49:28 -0500

Massive Pet Food Recall

Bill Peña — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 10:36:49 -0500

There is a massive pet food recall in place for many major brands of wet dog and cat food, including brands like Iams and Eukanuba, as well as many store brands like Hannaford's and Save-A-Lot.

Please look at the recall information, and check your pet's food if you use any of the brands. The risk to your pet's health is potentially fatal, so please get the information and spread the word!

View the Canis Film Festival finalists online!

Bill Peña — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 14:16:57 -0600

The Canis Film Festival is in full swing, with some fantastic entries coming in from around the clicker training world. Submissions are now closed, and the finalists have been posted.

Check out CanisFilmFestival.com today to see them all!

UPDATE: See the videos that didn't qualify for the finalists, but include some of the funniest and most talented animals! Check them out here.

Dealing with Aggression

Melissa Alexander — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 11:20:09 -0600

What do you do when two friends become mortal enemies? That's what happened to a poster on the Cat-Clicker mailing list recently. She had two cats, an aging female and a young male, who had been, well, if not friends then friendly cohabitants, until the older cat had surgery. Now for the last several months, the owner has had to keep the cats separated because trouble starts quickly if the two are together.

Feed your cat via text message on your cell phone

Bill Peña — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 13:59:50 -0500

[VIDEO] If you're not home to feed your dog or cat, this Pet Care service allows you to text a special feeder that will drop some food into your pet's bowl. You can check out what it's up to using the camera, and even speak to your pet.

ClickerExpo 2007: Training with the Stars!

Bill Peña — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 15:14:59 -0500

The new ClickerExpo.com is now live, including registration for ClickerExpo Los Angeles (Jan. 26-28, 2007)!
We've listened to all the attendee surveys and feedback, and we've kept all your favorite parts of Expo, while making lots of improvements:

Pet nation

Miranda Hersey Helin — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 14:30:46 -0500

A record 63% of all US households now own at least one pet. We cherish them as playmates, friends, and part of the family. But would you throw a $30,000 party for your dog? NBC's Al Roker explores how doggone far we go.

Learning by observation

Miranda Hersey Helin — Fri, 12 May 2006 15:28:44 -0500

Sylvia B. wrote in with the following story:

I trained all four of my dogs do a pretty "sit-stay" for me, all lined up in our kitchen, while I cut up some treats instead of having them out of control trying to see what I was doing.

Announcing ClickFlicks! Download a video training lesson

Aaron Clayton — Mon, 01 May 2006 16:24:57 -0500

Karen Pryor Clickertraining proudly announces the launch of ClickFlicks Learning Center.