'Declawing' is not the answer. The process sounds innocuous but what they really do is amputate the top joint of all ten phalanges on the front paws. It is exactly as if somebody did that to all ten of your fingers. It is excruciating, takes a long time to heal, and cats sometimes die of shock.
Skills for Every Day
Here, Doggie! Building a Reliable Recall with a Clicker
By Karen Pryor on 04/01/2001"Come" is no harder to shape than any other behavior BUT in real life it has a huge component of criteria to raise. Start indoors. Use a clicker and desired treat, not kibble, for several one-or-two minute training sessions daily. Call the dog, and click if he comes toward you. Do this in your living room. Call him from a few feet, and click, when he takes one step, then more steps, of if he comes right to you. Then call him back and forth between two people. Click and treat good responses. Ignore poor responses. If you get more than one or two poor responses, retreat to an earlier shaping step and reshape upwards; this just means you don't have the behavior at that criterion level yet.
Getting Started: Clicker Training for Cats
By Karen Pryor on 01/01/2001Winner of a 2001 Award of Excellence from the Cat Writers Association of America, this easy-to-read beginner's guide is attracting attention from pet owners and professionals alike.
