Why Bengals Are Brilliant Students

Bengals are descended from the Asian leopard cat, and they have kept much of that ancestor's alertness. They are intelligent, athletic and endlessly curious, which makes them some of the most trainable cats you can share a home with. It also means a bored Bengal will invent its own entertainment, usually involving your curtains, your kitchen worktops and anything that rattles at three in the morning. Training gives that energy a job to do.

The trick is to remember you are working with a cat, not a dog. Bengals do not obey out of eagerness to please; they cooperate because something in it for them is worth having. Keep sessions short, rewards generous and the whole thing feeling like a game. Treated that way, most Bengals will learn a handful of cues within a few weeks and will actively pester you to start training.

Your Training Kit

You need very little, but the quality of what you use matters more than you might expect.

• A clicker. A small plastic clicker costs a couple of pounds. Its power lies in precision: the click marks the exact instant your cat does the right thing, and it always means a treat is coming.
• High-value treats. Tiny pieces of cooked chicken, freeze-dried liver or a sliver of cheese work well. Keep them pea-sized or smaller. Choose one food your cat adores and reserve it for training only.
• A target stick. A chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon is perfect for directing movement without luring with food every time.
• A quiet space. Start in a room with no other pets, no television and nothing tempting on the shelves.

Before you teach anything, charge the clicker. Click, treat, click, treat, ten times in a row, asking for nothing at all. Do this for two or three days until the sound makes your Bengal's ears prick up and its head turn towards you. Without this step, the click is just noise.

Teaching Sit — Your First Real Cue

Sit is the easiest behaviour to capture, because cats do it constantly. Hold a treat just above your cat's nose and move it slowly back over the head. Most cats will drop their bottom to follow it. The moment the rear touches the floor, click, then reward. Repeat five or six times, then stop.

Once the movement is reliable, say the word "sit" just before it happens and add a small hand signal, such as a flat palm raised slightly. After a week or two, your Bengal should sit on the word alone. If your cat is pawing at your hand or throwing itself on the floor, you are moving the treat too high or too fast — lower it and slow down.

Building a Recall That Actually Works

Recall is the most valuable thing you will ever teach, and it takes the longest to proof. Pick one word — "come" is fine — and use it consistently. Never use it to call your cat for something unpleasant, such as a vet visit or having its claws clipped, or you will undo weeks of work in a single afternoon.

Begin half a metre away with your cat already heading towards you. Say the word, click the instant it arrives, and pay generously. Then build distance: a metre, then across the room, then from another room. Always pay, every single time. For an especially fast response, deliver a jackpot of four or five treats in quick succession. Later, add mild distractions and practise in different rooms so the cue does not become tied to one spot.

A trained recall makes garden time far safer, but a Bengal should never be outdoors unsupervised regardless of how well it responds.

High-Five, Spin and Other Showpieces

Tricks are where Bengals really shine, and they are a lovely way to burn off mental energy.

• High-five. Hold a treat in a closed fist at nose height. Wait — patiently — for a paw to lift and touch your hand, then click and treat. Once that is reliable, open your palm and ask for a slightly higher touch.
• Spin. Lure your cat in a full circle at nose level with a treat, then add the word "twist" and fade the food lure into a small finger circle.
• Target. Present the tip of a stick, click and treat any touch of the nose. You can then use the stick to guide your cat onto scales, into a carrier or up onto a shelf.

Teach one new behaviour at a time. Mixing two cues in the same week usually muddles both.

Short Sessions, Big Rewards

Three to five minutes, two or three times a day, is plenty. Bengals have short attention spans for repetition and long memories for fun. Always finish on a successful repetition, and stop before your cat loses interest rather than after. Training just before mealtimes tends to get the sharpest focus.

• Keep treats tiny so training does not affect your cat's weight or appetite for dinner.
• Never punish a wrong response. Ignore it, reset and make the next repetition easier.
• Vary the rewards — food, a favourite toy, a chase — to keep motivation high.
• Practise in different rooms and at different times of day so cues work everywhere.
• Supervise children closely; a Bengal will happily take charge of an over-enthusiastic trainee.

Some days your cat will simply walk off mid-session. That is entirely normal. Put the clicker away, try again tomorrow, and enjoy the fact that you share your home with an animal clever enough to decide for itself whether to play along.