Rat Training: A Comprehensive Beginner's Guide

by Miriam Fields-Babineau

Overview

The ultimate survivors that have flourished in the most difficult of circumstances, rats have a long history of being the smartest rodent in the room! Rats are growing more and more popular as pets for adults and children alike. Having raised and trained rats for over forty years, Miriam Fields-Babineau, in her book Rat Training, teaches rat owners to harness that intelligence through a reward and clicker system of training. An avid proponent of reward-based positive-training techniques, the author explains how to create a successful learning environment for your rat as you teach him how to come on command, jump through a hoop, walk on a leash, stand on his hind legs, and much more. Illustrated with color photographs by Evan Cohen and Virginia Broitman, Rat Training includes tips on what to look for when buying a rat, how to care for your new pet, and how to acclimate your rat to other household pets. In the chapter called "Rat Manner," the author describes how rats think and their social organizations and behavior. Fields-Babineau has trained rats for various purposes, including working in movies, and her chapter called "The Great Rat Race" describes the demands of rat shows and acting careers for rats. The chapter called "Scurry and Hurry" is devoted to agility training and trick training (such as shoulder riding). Resources and glossary included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937049065
Publisher:	CompanionHouse Books
Publication date:	10/11/2011
Series:	Complete Care Made Easy
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	866,820
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Miriam Fields-Babineau began training animals professionally in 1978. In 1981 she graduated from the University of Maryland with degrees in Psychology and Zoology. In 1983 she opened the doors of Training Unlimited Animal Training and Animal Actors, Inc. offering instruction in animal communication to pet owners and providing trained animals for media productions.

Since 1985 she has published 37 pet books, several short stories, 2 novels, numerous magazine and newspaper articles and currently writes web content for 4 websites. She also designs and develops pet training tools, fanciful collars and harnesses.

Table of Contents

1 Rat Array: The right rat for you 8

2 Rat-a-Roost: Acclimation, nutrition, and health care 22

3 Rat Domain: Cages, play areas, and toys 40

4 Rat Manner: Social organization and behaviors 52

5 Rat-a-Tat, Tap: The basics of training 64

6 Rat on a Rope: Leash and harness training 82

7 Scurry and Hurry: Agility training and shoulder riding 98

8 Dogs, Cats, and Rats, Oh My!: Pets living in harmony 114

9 The Great Rat Race: Shows, extreme challenges, and acting careers 130

10 Conclusion 148

Rat Clubs and Resources 150

Glossary 152

Index 156