Don't Shoot the Dog was required reading for my undergraduate operant conditioning psychology course. I loved it and decided to clicker train my boyfriend's cat. Not only did that experience provide insight into the theory I was learning, I was astounded to discover the emotional side...the "lightbulb" going off...the way being able to say "yes" meant that I could have a dialog with the cat that had never been possible before.
When I have a behavioral problem with a cat now, I try my little bag of tricks. And if that doesn't work, I try to think about how use clicker training to build confidence, to train a mutually-exclusive behavior from the one I don't want, to open a line of communication, to provide mental stimulation, to have fun, whatever is needed.
Most lately, my husband discussed the fact that one of our cats isn't very vocal about having the door opened for him. I suggested a doorbell. He was surprised to think of that was a solution, but I assured him that training a cat to ring a doorbell would be pretty quick. I guess we'll see.
