Burmese Cat Training: Everything You Need To Know

Burmese cats are an incredibly popular breed due to their affectionate and playful personalities. However, their intelligence and energetic nature can make them a challenge to train if you don’t know the proper techniques. This article will teach Burmese cat owners the best methods for training these clever cats using positive reinforcement and setting them up for success.

Where To Begin

Start Early

The earlier you start training with your Burmese kitten, the better. Burmese are very intelligent and can start basic training as young as 8 weeks old. Focus first on litter box training, getting them used to being handled, brushing, and introducing them to the carrier and leash. Starting early gets them used to a routine and prevents bad behaviors from developing. Set aside 5-10 minutes twice a day for play training and positive reinforcement using treats or toys. Keep sessions short for young kittens. Starting training early and consistently will pay off hugely down the road with a well-socialized, friendly adult cat.

Set A Scheduled Training Time

Like any other activity, cat training requires dedicated time set aside consistently. Pick a time when your Burmese kitten is alert and energetic, like before a mealtime. 10-15 minutes once or twice daily is sufficient. Feed your kitten right before and give treats during the session as positive reinforcement. Having a set schedule each day taps into your Burmese’s love of routine and gets them excited to train. It also helps reinforce that this is training time, not general play time. Be patient if your kitten is distracted as a schedule takes time. But staying consistent with training times will help you make great progress.

Discourage Unwanted Behaviors

Burmese kittens are incredibly energetic, intelligent and playful. This means they can sometimes engage in behaviors you may want to discourage, like biting hands, scratching furniture and waking you up at night. The key is to redirect their energy onto positive things like toys, scratching posts and interactive play. Never punish or raise your voice at a Burmese kitten as this can backfire. If they bite you, give a high-pitched “ouch”, withdraw attention and ignore them for 1-2 minutes. Offer appropriate toys to chew on instead. Use deterrent sprays on furniture and cover with double sided tape. Set aside intense playtime before bed to tire them out. With patience and consistency, you can reshape unwanted kitten antics into proper Burmese cat manners.

Use A Clicker For Effective Training

Clicker training is a great way to reinforce commands and behaviors in your Burmese kitten. The click sound marks exactly when they perform the right behavior, allowing you to reward straight after. To start, simply click then immediately give a treat to associate the sound with reward. Then you can click during a desired behavior like sitting or coming when called, and follow with a treat. The precision of the clicker is ideal for these intelligent cats. It communicates exactly what you want them to do. Daily 15 minute clicker training sessions will help sharpen their training. Just be sure everyone clicker training uses the same clicker sound or it can confuse your cat.

Be Patient

Burmese kittens have oodles of energy and curiosity. This can make training them feel like a challenge at times. Remember that kittens have short attention spans and get distracted easily. Keep training sessions brief, engaging and positive. If they lose interest, take a break and try again later. Use enticing treats like chicken or praise to keep them motivated. Training a kitten takes time, consistency and above all, patience. With a steady yet gentle approach, your playful Burmese will respond well to training as they grow. Avoid frustration and your bond will grow as you master training together. Your patience will pay off with a friendly, well-trained Burmese cat.

Burmese Cat Tricks

Burmese cats are incredibly intelligent and can learn a variety of fun and practical tricks. With their playful personalities, training tricks is a great way to stimulate your Burmese mentally and enhance your bond. When teaching tricks, always use positive reinforcement and keep sessions low-stress and engaging. Here are some of the best tricks to try with your clever Burmese cat:

• High Five – Hold up your hand and lure your cat’s paw with a treat. Say “high five” when they touch your hand, then click and reward.
• Come – Back away from your cat while calling their name. When they come, click, praise and give a treat. Increase distance over time.
• Sit – Hold a treat over their head so they look up, then lure back between ears to get them to sit. Click and treat once seated.
• Ring Bell for Treats – Hang a bell near their food. Ring it before meals and pair with a treat. They’ll soon paw it to get your attention!
• Jump Through Hoop – Hold up a hoop and lure them through with a treat on the other side. Click and reward after they go through.
• Roll Over – Gently guide your cat into a laying down position, then lure up and over their shoulder and back with a treat. Click and treat once rolled over.

With regular short sessions full of praise and rewards, your clever Burmese will master these fun tricks in no time. Not only will trick training strengthen your bond, but it provides vital mental stimulation to keep your active Burmese engaged and content.

Training Techniques and Advice

Successfully training your Burmese cat requires using proper techniques tailored to their energetic, intelligent nature. Always focus on positive reinforcement and motivation when training a Burmese, rather than punishment. Here are some key Burmese cat training tips and methods to use:

• Clickers – Clickers provide precision marking for desired behaviors. Pair clicks with treats to reinforce behaviors.
• Luring – Guide your cat into a position by leading with a treat in hand, then reward in the right pose. Fade the lure over time.
• Targeting – Train your cat to touch its nose to an object. Useful for tricks and handling.
• Capturing – Click and reward spontaneous desirable behaviors like using a scratcher.
• Patience – Burmese learn fast but have short attention spans. Keep sessions short and engaging.
• Persistence – Behavior changes can take time and consistency. Stick with training daily.
• Play – Incorporate play with toys into training to motivate your energetic Burmese.
• Praise – Verbal praise helps reinforce wanted behaviors.

With positive, structured training sessions that work with your Burmese cat’s active nature, you’ll be amazed at what new skills they can master. Consistency and patience are key when training these intelligent cats. Stay positive and make training fun for best results!

Things You Should Not Do

When it comes to training your Burmese cat, there are certain methods and practices that should be avoided. Here are some key things you should not do when training a Burmese cat:

Hitting or physically punishing your Burmese cat will only lead to increased fear and mistrust. Burmese cats are very sensitive and will become wary of a heavy-handed owner. Never use physical punishment in training.

Yelling at or scolding unwanted behaviors is also ineffective with Burmese cats. Like physical punishment, yelling will just make them afraid of you. It’s better to redirect behaviors and use positive reinforcement.

Don’t let training sessions run too long. Burmese have short attention spans, especially as kittens. Keep training focused and limited to 10-15 minutes max, even less for kittens. Forcing long sessions will bore and frustrate them.

Avoid inconsistencies in verbal cues, clicker sounds or training location/timing. Burmese thrive on routine and consistency. Changing things up too much can hamper their training.

Forget about past failures and stay positive. If your Burmese isn’t making progress on a trick or behavior, go back a few steps and rebuild with extra patience. Don’t let yourself get frustrated or angry.

Training a Burmese cat takes understanding of their playful yet sensitive nature. Avoiding physical punishment, yelling, overly long sessions and inconsistencies will set both you and your clever Burmese up for training success!

General Challenges in Burmese Cat Training

Burmese kittens have endless energy and short attention spans. Keeping them focused during training sessions can be difficult. Use engaging toys and high value treats to keep them motivated and sessions short.

Their intelligence means they get bored easily doing repetitive tasks. Switch up tricks and routines to keep them challenged and interested in training.

Burmese are vocal cats. Their trilling meow and cries for attention can disrupt training sessions. Be patient and redirect their focus back to the task.

These cats thrive on interaction with their owners. Separation anxiety is common, making leaving them alone to enforce training difficult. Build slowly up to alone time.

Proper early socialization is essential for Burmese. Without it, they can become fearful or skittish making training much harder. Socialize them young.

As an energetic and playful breed, Burmese take effort to redirect from destructive scratching or chewing. Provide appropriate outlets for their needs.

While challenging at times, the playful Burmese temperament also makes them fun and rewarding to train. Stay positive, consistent and work with their natural behaviors for best training success.

How to Leash Train Your Burmese Cat

Burmese cats can make great adventure cats to explore the outdoors on a leash and harness. Start leash training your Burmese early and use positive reinforcement for best results.

First, get your Burmese kitten used to wearing a harness indoors. Let them wear it for short periods while playing and rewarding with treats. Next, attach the leash and let them drag it around while supervised. Again use treats and praise so they associate the leash with positive things.

Once they are moving well indoors with the leash, take them outside in a safe, enclosed space to explore. Keep the first trips short and engaging. Bring toys and treats to reward wanted behaviors outdoors. If they get fearful, scoop up and take them home. Build up time outdoors slowly in many short sessions.

With regular training sessions and by respecting your Burmese cat’s comfort level, leash walking outdoors can become a fun new adventure for you both! Just be sure to use a secure, well-fitted harness and keep them safe.

How to Train Your Burmese Cat to Play Fetch

The playful Burmese cat can readily learn to play fetch with proper training and encouragement.

Start by engaging your Burmese cat’s natural prey drive with an interactive fishing pole toy. Drag it along the floor until they pounce and catch it. Praise excitedly when they capture the toy. Repeat this over multiple sessions until they run after the toy each time.

Next, switch to throwing a small toy mouse or ball a short distance instead of using the pole. If they don’t bring it back, walk over, pick it up and gently carry your cat back while praising. Throw again. Repeat until your Burmese cat runs after and returns with the thrown toy.

Now you can introduce fetch commands like “Get it!” when you throw and “Bring it here!” when they return with the toy. Always reward with treats and praise so they associate obeying the commands with positive feelings. With consistency, your smart Burmese will be happily playing fetch in no time!

Burmese Cat Potty Training

Successfully potty training your Burmese kitten requires patience and consistency.

Cats naturally want to eliminate in loose, sandy substrates. Provide an accessible litter box with unscented clumping litter. Show your Burmese the litter box by placing them in it after meals or naps when they likely need to go. Give praise and treats when they use it.

Clean accidents thoroughly with enzymatic cleaner to remove smells that draw cats to re-soil. Don’t punish accidents; instead redirect your Burmese to the litter box. Keep the box very clean by scooping twice daily. You may need multiple boxes while training.

Schedule is key for potty training. Feed scheduled meals and allow access to the litter box 20-30 minutes after. Kittens need to eliminate every few hours so provide frequent access. With supervision and prevention, you can potty train your Burmese kitten successfully.

Do Burmese Cats Come When Called?

With proper training, Burmese cats can reliably learn to come when their name is called.

Start by saying your Burmese’s name happily when giving food or treats so they associate it with reward. Call them over short distances at first, rewarding with praise and pets when they come. Slowly increase the distance and use high value treats to reinforce. If they don’t come, don’t repeat the cue or chase them. Remain positive.

Consistency is key. Practice calling your Burmese to you multiple times per day. Keep training sessions short and upbeat. Eventually your Burmese will come eagerly when you call their name expecting treats and attention. Always reward them for responding to build the behavior. With time and positive training, your Burmese cat will come when called consistently.

Never Punish Your Burmese Cat

Punishing unwanted behaviors in your Burmese cat will be ultimately ineffective and detrimental to training.

Burmese cats are incredibly sensitive, social cats. Physical punishment like hitting will make them hand shy and damage your bond. Yelling or scolding can also make them fearful and anxious. This will hinder training progress.

Instead, ignore mild unwanted behaviors or redirect your cat’s energy onto positive things like play. For serious issues, use deterrents like spray bottles or loud air from a can. Reward wanted behaviors lavishly. Your Burmese will learn faster with praise and consistency than punishment.

Burmese cats thrive on positive interactions with their beloved owners. Training should always focus on building trust, confidence and rewarding good behavior. Never use physical punishment or aggression with these sensitive, loving cats.

Conclusion

Burmese cats are highly intelligent, energetic and social. Their playful yet sensitive nature makes training them a unique and rewarding experience. By starting early with positive reinforcement, setting a routine, and discouraging unwanted behaviors appropriately, Burmese cat owners can set themselves up for training success.

Remember to be patient, consistent, and keep sessions upbeat and engaging. Work with your Burmese cat’s natural behaviors and Intelligence, not against them. With time and persistence, you’ll be amazed at the tricks, skills and manners your Burmese can master. Training this breed takes effort but forges an even stronger bond between cat and guardian.