How to use a spray bottle as negative reinforcement?

Question

I don't use a spray bottle in training our pets. I did use it in the 80's when I had the 2nd cat of my own, but it did not really work out so well. With the first cat I did not know about spray bottles being used for this, and later I've not seen a need to use one.

Now I hear a spray bottle is useful whenever my dogs or cats (we have both) behave badly, and for example to teach them not to get on couches and chairs. Well, our dogs don't go on couches and chairs anyway. I heard that the dog/cat should not see me spray it, but I should do it covertly from behind a corner or something. Why is that?

Is a spray bottle useful in training? What is the correct way to use it as a training aid?

Answer 1

I'm just addressing cats here. I actually grew up with dogs (not cats), but as an adult who owns cats, I've done a lot more study/reading of cat behavior and don't feel qualified to speak on dog behavior.

Punishment rarely works because cats don't have a social structure that recognizes you as the dominant being in the home, they only understand that you're doing something to them that they don't want (squirting them with water, for example).

Therefore, it's much more effective to figure out why your cat is exhibiting the undesireable behavior and meet those needs in a way that is acceptable to both of you rather than punishing the cat for the undesireable behavior.

I don't think there's any useful way to use any sort of punishment as a cat training aid. Redirection (for bad behaviors) and reward (for good behaviors) work much better.

Answer 2

My experience as a cat owner is that I get better results when my cat sees me spraying it, but it depends on what the problem is. The main reason we end up using a spray bottle is when we need the cats to leave a room and they decide to resist our instruction because they are being playful. A combination of first indicating to our cat what is expected and then spraying her with water to coax her out of her hiding spot has worked very well and while still occasionally necessary, she now realizes what is coming if we leave the room after indicating to her that it is time to go and she will then run out on her own most of the time.

Important caveat: Do not try this if your cat is hiding for fear, only if they are hiding to be playful. You can tell by watching how they behave. If they are out normally and immediately go hide when they realize it is time for them to leave and is a very playful cat, then they are being playful. If they stay hidden when you offer them play, then they are scared.

The one major caveat I have to indicate though is that they do not easily form that connection. When training our cats, we would always go over and spend time being affectionate and friendly with them after a short interval after they did whatever it was they were supposed to do. This way we reinforced that it was not us just being mean to them, but rather connected with their action and showing them that we are still friends. I end up doing it more often than my wife and I've noticed that the cat that requires the most frequent discipline responds more positively to me than my wife.

She is still very affectionate towards me though, so it does not seem to have harmed our relationship any. She knows she can't push back against me, but she also loves to be affectionate with me.

Answer 3

Our cat used to jump on our lidded kitchen trashcan, knocking it over, riding it to the floor. Garbage exploded everywhere. She thought this was the funnest thing in the world. So I removed the lid and filled the container with water. I didn't think a cat could actually take flight, but she did just that the moment she hit that water. She never jumped on the trashcan again. Ever.

A neighbor's dog used to run out and attack me and/or my dog every time we walked by. Kind requests to the owner about containing their pet fell on deaf ears. So one day on our walk, I brought along a push broom handle. When the dog attacked, I warped it upside the head with the stick. It yelped and retreated - and never showed its face when we walked by, ever again.

My point is, mammals are smart. If a behavior results in an undesirable outcome, it stops the behavior. Watch a mother dog teaching her pups. She does not use "positive reinforcement." She growls and bites them hard enough to cause a yelp, but gentle enough to do no damage.