Taking Your Kitten to Kindergarten

Category: Blog, Tips & Tricks, Winter 2018 395 0


When something seems to be impossible, we say it’s “like herding cats.” Most people would never think their kittens can be trained like puppies, but San Diego Humane Society is changing that.

SDHS now offers Kitten Kindergarten for cats between 7 and 15 weeks old, when they’re most able to learn new things. The training program is designed to increase the chance they’ll grow up to be friendly, social cats.

Animal trainer Allison Beaulieu says: “Historically, most people think kittens either don’t need training like puppies or else are untrainable, but it’s not so.” Cats take training as well as dogs, and love the interaction with their humans.

Kitten Kindergarten covers carrier training and vet-visit practice; leash and harness training; grooming care; exposure to new people, smells, sights and sounds; clicker training basics; and more.

“Kittens are more finicky than puppies about the food used for reinforcement, and do better with very short sessions, like one to two minutes,” says Beaulieu. There are also differences in what dogs and cats are physically capable of doing, rather than what they will or will not do.

Want to amaze your friends with the tricks your cat has learned? Visit sdhumane.org or call 619-243-3463 to ask questions or sign up!

 



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