Basic Training Techniques for Pets

Most people arrive here because training has started to feel messy: the puppy that won’t settle, the dog that barks at the fence, the cat that’s suddenly avoiding the litter tray. Small behaviours can quietly harden into long-term habits, and the wrong approach can add fear where you meant to add clarity.

What follows is a calm, evidence-based way to train pets using rewards, good timing, and practical set-ups at home. It also flags the moments when behaviour is a welfare or health signal, and when it’s time to bring in a vet or a qualified behaviour professional.

Understanding animal behaviour (the part people miss)

Training works best when it lines up with what an animal is built to do. Dogs explore with their noses, investigate with their mouths, and repeat whatever reliably pays off. Cats prefer predictable routines, safe escape routes, and clean toileting options. When those needs are met, learning tends to look easy; when they aren’t, “stubbornness” is often just stress or confusion.

Watch what happens before a behaviour and what happens after. Animals repeat actions that lead to something they want (food, play, distance, attention) and avoid actions that lead to discomfort or fear. Reward-based training uses that simple pattern on purpose.^{1, 2}

Instincts you can work with, not against

• Digging and chewing (dogs): provide legal outlets (sandpit, chew toys) before you try to stop the illegal ones.
• Scratching and climbing (cats): offer sturdy scratch posts and vertical spaces so claws don’t end up on the couch.
• Scent and sound sensitivity: strong perfumes, harsh cleaners, or loud training can derail learning faster than most people expect.

Trust and “authority” without fear

In practice, pets follow the person who is predictable, safe, and worth paying attention to. That isn’t dominance. It’s learning.

Methods built on intimidation, pain, or confrontation can suppress behaviour in the moment, but they don’t teach what to do instead. They also carry welfare risks and can worsen fear and aggression in some dogs.^{2, 3, 4}

What calm leadership looks like at home

• Clear cues: say it once, then help the pet succeed (lure, prompt, lower the difficulty).
• Quiet consequences: if a behaviour doesn’t work, remove the reward (attention, access, movement) rather than adding punishment.
• Safe handling: stop if your pet freezes, backs away, hides, or shows sudden avoidance. That’s information, not “naughtiness”.

Consistency and patience (the unglamorous engine)

Animals learn from patterns. If the rules change day to day, the behaviour will wobble too. Agree on household cues (same word, same hand signal), keep sessions short, and aim for lots of tiny wins rather than one exhausting marathon.

Reward-based training (what it is, and what it isn’t)

Reward-based training means the animal earns something it values for behaviour you want to see more often. Over time, the behaviour becomes the animal’s default because it has a clean history of paying off.^{1, 2}

Benefits that matter in real life

• Clear learning with less stress and less fallout behaviour.^{1, 3}
• Better handler–animal relationship, because the human predicts safety and good outcomes.^{2, 3}
• More useful behaviour “under pressure” (when visitors arrive, at the vet, on lead), because the dog or cat isn’t training to avoid you.

Choosing the right reward

Use what your pet actually wants in that moment. Some dogs will work for roast chicken; others prefer a squeaky toy or a quick tug game. Many cats prefer a small food treat, a wand toy, or a brief scratch in a favourite spot. If the reward isn’t changing the behaviour, it isn’t valuable enough (or the task is too hard).

Timing: mark the instant, then pay

The reward needs to arrive right after the behaviour, especially while you’re teaching it. If you’re late, you may accidentally reward the wrong thing (for example, the sit turns into a sit-then-jump).

Clicker training (clear communication in a tiny sound)

A clicker is a marker: it tells your pet, “that right there is what earned the reward.” Used well, it makes training precise and calm, especially for shaping small steps toward a bigger behaviour.

How to start (simple, steady steps)

1. Charge the click: click, then immediately give a treat. Repeat until the click reliably makes your pet look for the reward.
2. Mark the behaviour: wait for the behaviour you want (or prompt it), click at the exact moment it happens, then treat.
3. Build duration and distraction slowly: ask for a little more only when the current step is easy.

Keep sessions short (often a few minutes). End while your pet still wants to play.

Crate training for dogs (a safe space, not solitary confinement)

A crate can be a useful management tool: it keeps a puppy safe when you can’t supervise, supports toilet training, and gives many dogs a quiet place to rest. The aim is a dog that chooses the crate calmly, not a dog that endures it.⁵

Introducing the crate

1. Set the crate up in a lived-in area, with the door open and comfortable bedding (if your dog won’t chew and swallow it).
2. Scatter treats just inside the doorway, then deeper inside over a few short sessions.
3. Feed meals in the crate if your dog is comfortable entering.
4. Close the door briefly while your dog eats, then open it straight after. Increase time gradually.

Keeping the crate a positive place

• Use food toys and safe chews to help your dog settle.
• Build time in small steps. If distress shows up (panicked barking, frantic scratching, drooling), you’ve gone too fast.⁵
• Never use the crate as punishment. It should predict safety and rest, not conflict.⁵

Common crate-training mistakes

• Overcrating: long confinement without exercise, toileting, and social contact can create stress and setbacks.⁵
• Sudden big absences: going from “a few minutes” to “a full workday” can trigger panic.
• Ignoring anxiety signs: persistent distress can be separation-related and may need a tailored plan with professional support.

Litter training cats (set-up solves most of it)

Cats usually prefer to bury waste in a loose substrate. When the litter tray is the easiest, cleanest, safest option, most cats use it with little fuss. When they don’t, it’s often because something about the set-up feels unsafe, unpleasant, or unpredictable—or because a health issue is brewing.^{6, 7}

Setting up trays: the quiet basics

• Number: provide at least one tray per cat, plus one extra, placed in separate locations (not lined up together).^{6, 7}
• Location: quiet, accessible, and away from food and water; avoid noisy appliances and “dead ends” where a cat might feel trapped.⁶
• Size and style: bigger is usually better; a low entry can help kittens and older cats. A practical guideline is about 1.5 times the cat’s length for tray size.⁷
• Litter: many cats prefer unscented litter; depth needs to allow digging and burying.^{6, 7}
• Hygiene: scoop daily and clean trays regularly. Cats notice.^{6, 7}

If your cat avoids the tray

Don’t punish. It tends to increase stress around toileting and can make the problem harder to untangle.⁶

Instead, adjust the environment first (more trays, different litter, quieter location). If the change is sudden, frequent, or accompanied by straining, discomfort, blood, or crying, book a vet appointment promptly—urinary and gastrointestinal issues can look like “behaviour”.

Dealing with behavioural problems (and when to get help)

Behaviour problems are often a mix of learning history, environment, and emotional state. Some are also driven or worsened by pain or illness. If a behaviour change is abrupt, intense, or out of character, treat it as a welfare clue first.

Problems that commonly respond well to reward-based plans

• Jumping up, pulling, nuisance barking: teach an alternative behaviour that earns access (four paws on the floor, loose lead, calm on a mat).²
• Inappropriate chewing/digging: increase enrichment and provide legal outlets, then reward using them.
• Fearful behaviour: work below the fear threshold and build positive associations slowly; avoid forcing “exposure”.

When to seek professional support

• Aggression, snapping, or biting risk.
• Separation distress (panic signs when alone).
• Persistent house-soiling in cats after tray set-up changes.
• Any behaviour change alongside signs of pain, illness, or sudden personality shifts.

Start with your vet to rule out medical causes, then ask for referral to a qualified trainer or veterinary behaviour professional who uses reward-based methods.^{1, 4}

References

1. American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) – Position Statements and Handouts (includes Humane Dog Training Position Statement)
2. RSPCA Pet Insurance – Positive reinforcement training
3. RSPCA Australia – Reward-based training media release (“Make sure you teach that ‘old’ dog… some tricks”)
4. American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) – Position statements (aversive methods and dominance)
5. RSPCA (UK) – How to crate train a puppy
6. RSPCA Knowledgebase – How do I encourage my cat to use a litter tray?
7. International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) & American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) – 2022 Cat Friendly Veterinary Environment Guidelines (litter tray size and litter preferences)
8. American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) – General litter box considerations (AAHA/AAFP)
9. RSPCA Knowledgebase – What is the RSPCA’s view on dominance dog training?