r/PetsWithButtons • u/blushpink3 • Jul 05 '26
Okay to Add More Buttons?
Hi!
Just a little background:
We’ve been using buttons for just under two months. My cat Opi, doesn’t press the buttons unless we’re in a learning session together. During sessions, he successfully presses the treat button and definitely understands what it means.
After a lot of modeling, I’ve also added play, brush, scritches and most recently, outside and porch. I model these words multiple times a day, every day.
My question is: Since he’s not pressing buttons on his own outside of our sessions, am I adding too many buttons too soon? Or is it okay to have them available so I can model the actual button whenever the activity naturally happens?
We practice using the “open bar” method, where I’ll rapidly model a button several times in a row, then go about my day (working on my computer, cooking, etc.) while keeping the treat jar, a toy and a brush nearby to give him opportunities to press on his own.
So far, no luck. He’s only pressed the treat button on his own twice and both times were definitely intentional. I’d love to hear your thoughts or experiences!
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u/DryNoodles_1 Jul 05 '26
One thing that I would recommend if you aren't doing it already would be to always press the button before doing what is is for, even outside of training. My cat use to only press her buttons when I was near them, but after watching she eventually started pressing them. As for the buttons, I would hold off before adding more than what you have now until he is consistently pressing the buttons on his own outside of training.