How to fade the lure and the clicker

You'll need

• clicker or a word like “yes”
• small soft treats
• treat pouch worn behind you
• toys and brushing your cat enjoys

Why it matters

If the treat in your hand is the cue, your cat only works when food is visible. Fading the lure early makes tricks real. The click is a marker, not a crutch; only finished tricks need food less often.

Before you start

Play a few minutes, then train in a quiet room before a meal. Have 30 to 50 tiny treats and a clear click plan. Warm up with an easy trick.

Step by step

1. 1

   Empty-hand lure

   Do 3 reps luring with a treat. On the 4th, make the same hand movement with no treat. Click and treat from the pouch.

   Move on when: Follows an empty hand 4 out of 5 times

   Tip: Fade the lure within 5 to 10 reps of starting a trick.

2. 2

   Smaller signal

   Make the hand movement smaller each session, until it is a small gesture.

   Move on when: Responds to a small gesture 4 out of 5 times

   Tip: Shrink by about a third each session.

3. 3

   Word before signal

   Say the word, pause 1 second, then give the signal. Soon your cat moves on the word.

   Move on when: Moves on the word before the signal 4 out of 5 times

   Tip: New cue, then old cue.

4. 4

   Treats out of sight

   Keep the pouch behind you or on a shelf. Food appears only after the click.

   Move on when: Works with no food visible 4 out of 5 times

   Tip: Reach for the treat only after the click, never before.

5. 5

   Mix rewards for tricks

   For a trick your cat knows well, reward with food some times and with praise, a toy, a brush or a door opening at other times.

   Move on when: Keeps working with mixed rewards 4 out of 5 times

   Tip: Keep the clicker and treats for anything still being learned.

6. 6

   Verbal marker

   Use a word like "Yes" in place of the click for finished tricks, so you can train without the clicker in hand.

   Move on when: Same response to the word as to the click

   Tip: Charge the word the same way you charged the clicker.

The cue

Say

“The trick's own cue”

Hand signal

Shrinking version of the old lure

If it isn't working

Stops when the hand is empty

Go back to 2 reps with food, then 1 empty. Put food in the other hand for the reward.

Waits for hand signal, ignores word

Make the pause between word and signal longer. Keep your hands still for a beat.

Slows down with mixed rewards

Too lean too soon. Go back to food every time for a session, then mix again.

Mastered when

Performs 3 tricks on a word only, with no food visible, rewarded with a mix of food and non-food rewards

Video check: Film 3 tricks on verbal cues with empty hands at your sides

Variations

• Swap the clicker for a tongue click
• Use the cat's own life rewards: door opened, dinner served

Teach this first

• How to teach your cat to sit →

Learn next

• How to build a trick routine with your cat →