How to teach your cat to roll over?

Do you know the fact that it is possible to teach your cat to do tricks? As cats are pretty self-disciplined, therefore, people usually think that training them isn’t possible. Even though cats aren’t as attention-seeking and hardworking as dogs, you can still train them to roll over. 

To teach your cat to roll over, you need to motivate them. The cat may take extra time, patience, and effort to learn how to roll over. However, it will learn the trick with consistent patience and many retreats. 

Things to remember 

Introducing how to roll over to your cat can be an easier undertaking. The fact is especially truer if you have already taught your cat tasks like sitting, coming, or lying down. In that case, teaching how to roll over would be a breeze. 

However, whenever it’s to teach your cat to roll over, here are a few things to remember:

• All the cats can tackle this trick, but small kittens are too playful to learn rollover. 
• On the other hand, older cats might have less mobility for the trick.

Although teaching your cat a rollover is an easily accomplished task, you still need to focus completely on your feline. You also need to be patient to work with this free-spirit animal. 

Different ways to teach your cat roll over trick 

Unlike dogs, cats don’t feel much need to delight their owners. That’s why they don’t wag their tails or carry out any performance for you to make you happy. It is the key reason teaching your cat a rollover trick is tricky. Positive reinforcement and repetition are the best ways to teach your cat to roll out. 

You can guide your cat to do the rollover in different ways. Here are some of the most effective methods that you can consider to let the cat learn roll over trick:

The aromatic treatment method 

You can teach the trick most effectively using a lie-down method. Make your cat lie down with her paws tucked under the cat. Once the cat lies down, you can start the training process by kneeling in front of the cat. 

• Take a treat and hold that in your cat’s front. It is always important to choose a yummy-smelling treat and make that visible. 
• Hold the treat just 2 cm from your cat’s nose. 
• Now choose the direction you want to teach the cat to roll over. Going for the easiest side is always better. 
• Then move your hand with the treat toward the ear on your chosen side. Keep the movement slow to let the cat watch that it is going. 
• Now move the hand with the treat diagonal across the back. This step will encourage the cat to roll to the side to get the treat. 

When the cat rolls over, now give the treat to her as a reward. Remember, you can do this in steps if required. It is always better to refine these steps in every training session. 

You can also move the treat from the back to the opposite side. You can add the verbal command “roll over” to the process. 

Once the cat learns to roll over, the cue would only be needed. 

The click method 

Another effective method to teach your cat rollover is “The Click Method.” In this process, you can instruct your cat to lie down or find her in that position. Click the clicker once the cat has completed the action. 

Immediately treat the cat and grab another one for the next process. 

At this point, you have to be on your knees. Hold the treat at your cat’s front and move it over the head. Use your other hand to move their leg gently to help the cat roll over. If your cat isn’t keen on this, ask someone to assist you while keeping the treat in front of the cat’s nose. 

Add the verbal cue to the process at the same time. Keep the verbal cue “roll over” simple. 

*Additional tip*

Keeping your voice cheerful while adding a verbal cue “roll over” will do the trick. It is mainly because a cat’s training majorly depends upon positivity. 

Once your cat has rolled over the side, click the clicker and give it a treat as a reward. Ensure to practice these steps regularly. After a while, your cat will learn to roll over every time it gets the command “roll over.”

Tips to get success in teaching your cat to roll over

Teaching your cat to roll over is relatively easier, especially when you know how to do it properly. Here are some additional tips you must consider to succeed in the process. 

So, here we go:

1. Keep the cat in a familiar environment while training. Keeping your cat in the dining hall, living room, garden, or wherever the cat feels easier is always important. 
2. It is always important to incorporate frequent training sessions into a routine to make the process successful. It is always better to keep each training session maximum of 3 to 5 minutes. However, the best thing is to conduct multiple sessions throughout the day. 
3. Always train your cat in a distraction-free place. It will keep the cat from straying off course. Ensure that your cat is ready for tasty treats without having any other thoughts in mind. 
4. Understanding that not all cats respond to the training equally is vital. Some cats may learn things quicker than others. So, be patient if your cat takes longer to roll over. Staying consistent and positive towards the training process is important here. 
5. Give your cat a break, and never force your cat physically to get into the position. It will make the cat stressed.
   

   Final Thoughts 

   Even though cat training is possible, it requires creativity and trick. Unlike dogs, cats may also take longer to learn these things. Teaching your cat to roll over isn’t only a fun training process for you. It can also help the cat to stay stimulated mentally. In addition, the positive reinforcement involved in the process would also boost your cat’s confidence.