57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not the best clicker training book, October 5, 2008
After reading the reviews of this book and the similar
Cat Training in 10 Minutes, I decided to purchase both so that I could compare them and benefit from two different sources. However, after reading both manuals and having been clicker training my cat for several months now, I can definitively say that this book -- Clicker Training for Cats by Karen Pryor -- just doesn't measure up in content, quality, accessibility, and organization to Cat Training in 10 Minutes.
1. Comprehensiveness of Clicker Theory: 4/5 stars. The theory used in this book is operant conditioning. Using a clicker followed by a reward, you can reinforce desired behavior in your cat. Verbal commands (come, sit) are incorporated in this book; strangely, hand signals are *not* incorporated, which is too bad because they're quite effective.
2. Accessibility: 1/5 stars. I was surprised to find that this book is not written like a training manual; rather, it's a collection of wordy stories about the author's own cats. Now, I love cats and enjoy stories about their antics, but I was constantly wishing that Ms. Pryor would just get to the point and tell me the training steps. Instructions are verbose and not highlighted nor numbered; they are buried deep within the thick jungle of her banal narrative, so it's difficult to find them. (If you buy this book and plan to come back to it as a reference, use your highlighter the first time you go through it because you'll be hard-pressed to find the instructions again.) There are no illustrations that show you what to do or how your cat will likely respond.
3. Organization: 3/5 stars. This book is arranged into four chapters and an appendix. Chapter 1 covers the theory behind and basics of clicker training. Chapter 2 covers several "useful" commands, such as coming when you call, walking on a leash, etc. Surprisingly, there is no instruction for teaching your cat to sit, sit up/beg, shake, or lie down. Chapter 3 covers several "non-useful" commands, like playing the piano and high-speed moves. Chapter 4 discusses undesirable behavior. Lastly, apparently Ms. Pryor left out Chapter 5: Resources. She references it in the second sentence of Chapter 3, but this "ghost chapter" is nowhere to be found in the book. Whoops. Overall, the organization of this book isn't terrible, but it isn't great, either.
4. Correcting Undesirable Behavior: 2/5 stars. In her chapter on this subject, the author mostly gives anecdotes/psychological insight without specific correctional instructions, which I found frustrating. For instance, she describes how one couple realized that their cat was scratching the couch because it wanted to go outside -- yet she lists no tactics for getting the cat to stop scratching! On the upside, Ms. Pryor does describe a wide variety of problem behaviors: finicky eating, getting along with dogs/other cats, yowling, shedding, ankle-biting, and aggression. But again, she mainly gives anecdotes instead of correctional instructions.
5. Helpful/Extra Features: 0/5 stars. Ms. Pryor's book has a woefully short Appendix section that lists 15 Tips for Clicking With Cats. That's it. No alphabetical or subject index. Those 15 tips are also conveniently published on her website, so there's no added value in them being in the book.
Bottom line: This isn't a horrible book, and you wouldn't be doing yourself a disservice if you purchased it. However, my honest advice to anyone looking for information on this subject is to purchase
Cat Training in 10 Minutes, as it is far superior in all aspects. If you're skeptical, then check out both books, as I did, and you'll see just how much better Cat Training in 10 Minutes is. Good luck, and here's to your cat learning some great new tricks!
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47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for training cats!, November 29, 2004
I bought this book to help me understand how to train my very active Bengal. He needed to learn some manners, and we both needed a "common language" so we could communicate with each other. This book was specifically recommended to me by a cat behavior specialist in Seattle.
The book is an easy read, as it is not overly long or complicated. The techniques are simple to understand and are explained in clear terms.
The clicker training techniques were originally used to train marine mammals, like dolphins! I have seen the amazing things trained dolphins can do when trained, so I thought surely my cats can benefit from this technique as well.
The book suggests that you begin with a very simple little trick, which actually comes naturally to your cat. Once your cat figures out that by performing the trick he has trained YOU to give him a treat, the rest is a piece of cake! My cat enjoyed the training and it provided some nice bonding time for us. It was exciting to be able to clearly communicate with my cat and know he understood exactly what I was saying.
My Bengal can now (on command)"sit," "get down," "jump up," and walks on a leash. The training only took a few minutes a day, and in less than a week the communication between me and my cat had improved significantly.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to understand their cat, change or improve their cats' behavior, or anyone who wants a fun way to create a bond with their pet.
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25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Neat little book, July 14, 2002
This review is from: Getting Started : Clicker Training for Cats (Karen Pryor Clicker Books) (Paperback)
My dogs are both clicker fanatics, but my kitties were left out of the fun. Who knew that after only a few sessions with the clicker, my cats' recall would be more reliable than my dogs'?
These exercises are simple, clearly explained and fun. All of us who live with cats should have a copy!
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