In this video, KPA CTP Veronica Beman and her cat Mister demonstrate walking through a hoop. Veronica teaches Mister to walk through the hoop by holding the hoop perpendicular to the ground and using a food treat (wet food at the end of a spoon) near the hoop to encourage Mister to investigate it. When Mister walks toward the hoop, Veronica rewards him with the treat. They repeat this step, with Veronica gradually moving the treat farther through the hoop to encourage Mister to step inside. Soon, Mister is walking through the hoop confidently! “This process was so cool,” Veronica says. “I had to meet Mister right where he was at and observe his every move to determine when to best reinforce his progress toward the goal behavior.”

Want more training tips for friendly, well-behaved felines? Learn more fun and useful behaviors to teach your cat in KPA’s Train Your Cat course.

Happy (Cat) Training!