Contrary to popular misperception, ragdoll cats are made out to be highly dependent, goofy, and lazy beasts. It’s little off since they are pretty intelligent and CAN learn “funny tricks” or even outshine dogs and other domestic pets.
If you teach your ragdoll cat with good treats and positive reinforcement then sooner enough, you get them to carry out tricks like coming when called, sitting, staying, roll over, or clicker training.
Read on to learn how to teach ragdoll to do tricks, our favorite ones (both easiest and advanced), and what perks ragdoll tricks training can come up with.
Why Ragdoll Cat Training Is Important – Core Reasons & Benefits
In the first place, you might wonder why I should teach my ragdoll cat any sort of fun tricks when it’s getting the love it deserves. The major reason behind laid back ragdoll cat training is that, like dogs, they do need physical and mental stimulation.
You barely see them overly energetic though they’re people-oriented and love to cuddle next to you on the sofa or curl up nearby. Teaching Tricks helps keep your cat physically active, release pent-up energy, and strengthen the bonds the two of you share. It also helps your raggies behave well and be fully content all the time.
Without it, they risk weight gain (weigh 10-20 lbs, on average), depression, boredom, or destructive behavior like overly scratching or excessive grooming (same as if you left them alone for longer periods).
How To Teach a Ragdoll Cat Tricks – Training Tips!
Keep The Training Sessions Short
Teaching cat tricks to your ragdoll can be real fun and you’ll never run out of tricks to teach though it takes the right approach and patience. You can’t just start off with longer training sessions since they could stress your kitty out and lose their interest way faster. Rather than rush, aim to keep things brief.
Ideally, you can try out two or one session a day of no longer than 15 minutes. Manage it like their grooming sessions. Short and sweet works wonder! If your ragdoll starts wandering off or ignoring you, wrap it up and try after a few hours or tomorrow.
Start With Something Easy
Keep things very simple, especially for younger ragdoll kittens. Focus only on one command at a time. You can kick things off with the easiest cat tricks like “sit” or “high-five. Once your kitten ragdolls get accustomed to these you can set the foundation for obviously more tricky tasks.
Reward Them with Their Favorite Treats
Positive reinforcement is the backbone or is the best ally for teaching cool cat tricks to your ragdoll. A lickable treat or the one they go totally nuts for can be your reward. Pair these with verbal praise (“Good job!”) to reinforce behavior.
Whatever treat you go with it should make up no more than 10% of your ragdoll cat’s daily calorific intake. Give the treat (small portion) right after they perform the desired behavior to turn training into something they’ll look forward to.
Pick a Quiet Area For The Training Session
We do believe where you trick train your ragdoll cat matters just as much as how you train. Ragdoll cats get along well with everyone either kids or other pets. However, during training it’s best to set noise and crowd aside.
Their safe room where they used to play, sleep, or in short chill out works out great for the purpose. A calm space helps them tune in to you without getting sidetracked by sounds or activity. If they’re relaxed, they’ll be more open to learning whatever ragdoll cat tricks training you’re working on.
Be Consistent
Timing is very important in trick ragdoll training, and consistency is sort of what you shouldn’t miss out on. Stick to the same one command at a time (e.g., “sit” vs. “sit down”) and pair it with hand signals (like an open palm for “stay”).
This clarity helps your ragdoll cat understand the desired behavior. We recommend teaching trick training only when your cat is active. It could be after mealtimes or during playtime.
Don’t Be Mad Over Mistakes
For cats, there is no moral understanding of right and wrong and so do ragdolls. They learn from their past experiences and reactions from their owners. If they mess things up and don’t get the command right away, be one step ahead and repeat the same thing without nerdily losing your cool. Patience is all you need in teaching ragdoll cat tricks.
7 Easy Tricks To Teach Ragdoll Cats
Come When Called
Training your ragdoll to come when you call them is one of the easiest tricks to teach a ragdoll and for the most part to start with. Sit in front of your ragdoll with their favorite treat and a clicker (a handheld tool that makes a clicking sound).
When your ragdoll cat looks up to you, click the clicker and toss a treat. Repeat the same action (cat looks at you, click, toss the treat) a few times to get them accustomed to the process. The clicker tells your cat that the action (looking at you) earned a reward.
Now take things up a notch, move a few feet away, and wait for your ragdoll to approach and look at you. Once they do it, click and toss a treat as a reward. Over time, they constantly come close to you, at that point, you need to add a verbal cue.
It could be her name, or a simple “come” or “here”—just make sure to use only one word for this specific action to keep it clear. Down the road, when your Ragdoll is well trained and knows the trick, you won’t need the clicker anymore since the verbal cue will be sufficient.
Sit
The best tricks to teach a ragdoll cat leverage their natural behavior. To teach them “sit” trick, you can either use a clicker or only a treat for this one. What you need to do is to hold a treat above their head, slightly out of reach.
Your ragdoll when look up, their furry bottom will naturally lower and hit the ground. When it does, click and toss the treat a few feet away so they have to get up to grab it.
Once they’re sitting consistently, add the verbal cue “sit” right before you lift the treat. After multiple successful attempts, they’ll associate the word with the behavior and learn to do it even without the clicker.
First Bump
“First bump” is a cute, easy cat trick to teach your ragdoll cat that uses their curio. All you need is a puzzle ragdoll toy or a plastic container and some healthy treats. Hide a treat inside the container and set it up in front of your cat.
Naturally, after watching the whole scene your ragdoll cat uses their paw to touch the container top or on their sides. Our goal though is to help them touch on the top. Once they do it, click and reward them with a treat from your hand and not the one inside the container.
Repeat the same exercise up until they reliably bump the cup. Next either replace the cup with your hand (hold a treat in your closed fist and say “bump”) or hold your hand over the container.
When your Ragdoll bumps your hand with their paw, click and reward. This fist bump paw trick is a great stepping stone to more advanced tricks and a fun way to teach your Ragdoll something new.
High Five Or Paw
If your ragdoll masters “first bump,” the fun ragdoll trick to teach next is “high five.” Kick things off by holding your hand out like you did for the first bump though bit by bit raise it higher.
When your cat stretches out their paw to reach your hand at shoulder height, click and reward with a treat.
If he or she doesn’t reach out far enough at first, use your other hand to gently tap their paw upward while saying “high five.” If your ragdoll kitten gets five in a row, you’ll know they’ve got it down.
Spin
You can teach your ragdoll to act over “spin” command using a treat or a wand toy. Hold the lure near their eye level and slowly move it in a circle. They’ll follow the motion, say “Spin” and reward them if they complete the turn.
If anyway they lose focus, break the spin into smaller steps (e.g., reward halfway). You can either use your finger to train them to spin. With your ragdoll sitting in front of you, hold the treat at your ragdoll eye level and slowly move it in a circle around their head.
They’ll follow the treat in a full circle, eventually spinning around. This cool trick to teach your Ragdoll also doubles as physical exercise.
Stay
Teaching your ragdoll to “stay” trick can be a bit trickier, especially if you haven’t introduced the “sit” command. Fortunately, we already went over that one. To command them over ”stay” trick, have your ragdoll sit, then hold your hand out in front of them and say “stay”. Take a small step back. If your ragdoll holds the position, even for a moment, reward and praise them.
If they break, calmly reset, and try again. We recommend starting out in a quiet room to minimize distractions. This trick can be pretty difficult initially, as Ragdolls docile temperament may make them want to come behind you though. Use high-value treats and practice consistently to let them master this fun trick.
Roll Over
“Roll over” is a pretty natural fun trick for ragdoll cats since chances are, you’ve already seen them rolling over near you without any teaching. To conquer it, hold a treat near their nose and move it slowly around their head toward their shoulder. The trick works out even better when they are lying down.
Once they follow your treat direction, they’ll roll onto their side or back. Repeat this ragdoll trick over and over again and reward them with lots of cuddles and treats to build confidence.
Don’t forget to pair the action with the verbal cue “roll over” right before you guide them with the treat. Ragdoll cats are overly friendly and by teaching these funny cat tricks, you can show off and impress your friends and family.
2 Advanced Cat Tricks To Teach Your Ragdoll Cat
Aside from the easy tricks to train your ragdoll cat, there are also more advanced tricks that you can teach if your raggies have a strong grip on the basics.
Jump Up
Although, ragdolls are lap cats and love to go limp when you pick them up, teaching them to jump up on your lap or on your chest is an advanced cat trick. To do so, lure them onto a low surface (like a sturdy stool or sofa) first.
Hold the treat slightly above their head and say “Up!” or “Jump!” Use your free hand to tap the spot as a visual cue. They’ll jump up to get the treat. Click and reward them right away. Their nails should be trimmed since it could hurt you in the first few attempts.
Sit On Shoulder
You might have seen cats sitting on their owner’s shoulders in lots of dramas, sitcoms (friends), or movies (A street cat named Bob). It’s btw not so easy for big domestic cat breeds like ragdolls though with some patience and consistency, you can teach your ragdoll this trick.
Sit on the sofa while your ragdoll sits on the sofa back beside you. Put treats in a ragdoll food bowl and raise it more or less at your shoulder height. With your hand, tap the spot you’d like them to sit onto and say “shoulder”.
Once they’re at ease, you could hold a treat in your hand near your shoulder instead of using a bowl to lure them up. We advise you to wear thick hoodie jackets or sweatshirts initially cause trimmed nails can still catch you off guard.
What Tricks Can You Teach a Ragdoll Cat (FAQs)
Are Ragdoll cats easy to train?
Ragdolls are pedigree cats (TICA & CFA registered) with very affectionate, playful, and intelligent traits. Despite their medium energy, they indeed can learn all the tricks any other cat does. You can teach them tricks like sit, stay, come when called, or high five with little patience and consistency.
How long does it take for a Ragdoll cat to learn a trick?
The time it takes for a Ragdoll to learn a trick can vary. Some pick it up in a few days, while others need weeks, depending on the ragdoll breed type and how dedicated you are though. Don’t put intense pressure on your raggie. Keep trick training sessions short and sweet (under 15 minutes) to get the best results.
Can you teach an older Ragdoll cat new tricks?
It’s a pure misconception that you can’t teach an old or senior cat new tricks. There’s no age limit when it comes to teaching your adorable ragdoll some cool tricks. With the right approach, patience, and especially positive reinforcement teaching tricks to your ragdoll can be not only easier but fun for both of you.
Wrapping Up...
Ragdoll cats are so easygoing attention seeker that can learn very much every trick that other breeds can. From basic commands like sit, stay, and come when called to more advanced tricks like jumping up or sitting on your shoulder, there are plenty of fun and impressive tricks you can teach your ragdoll cat. All these easiest cat tricks if taught with positive reinforcement would help you to build a closer bond with your feline companion.
Written By: Usman Malik | Reviewed By: Ali Abbas | Fact Checked By: Aqib Zulfiqar
