Ferret Training - Strengthen the bond between you and your ferret

Ferret training is both beneficial for you as well as your ferret.

You benefit because you have a much better behaved and more obedient baby. The ferret benefits because it gets more cuddles and kisses from you for being good.

Some of you may be looking at your pets thinking “yeah right!” and I completely understand that ferrets are more stubborn, smarter and strong willed then any other domesticated animal out there. I'm not saying training will be easy but it can be done (perhaps with the help of a few treats!).

Two of the main reasons why training is encouraged are:

It gives your ferret extra mental stimulation
it will create a much stronger bond between the two of you (especially when things start going to plan!)

There are lots of different training methods out there however the best way to train a ferret is through positive reinforcement. This means that you reward your ferrets good/desirable behaviour.

So for example: If you like it when your ferret licks your feet and would like him to do more of it then you will reward him for doing so everytime he does it – OK...that is a stupid example but I wanted it to be simple enough for you to understand...now don’t get offended...I’m not saying your simple....I’m sure your highly intelligent...but I just wanted to make absolute sure that you understand what I am trying to say ;)

The most effective ways of rewarding ferrets for their good behavior include:

Food and treats
Cuddles, patting, kisses and making a fuss of them
Changing the tone of your voice to a soft loving sound when they are being good
Letting them have their favourite toy
Letting them play in their favourite area
You playing with them

Now let’s face it...ferrets are not always going to stick to being good and when you happen to discover one that is ripping up the carpet then you will not be in the mood for being kind, patient and gentle (verbally). But don’t fret!

There are ways of ferret training for those naughty circumstances.

Here are some examples of what you can do when a ferret is behaving badly:

Time out - eg. put the ferret in a pet carrier for 5min.
Scruffing
Hissing - Making a hissing noise at him/her just like other ferrets do to each other when they are annoyed.
Raising voice eg. “ NO!!!” - make sure your loaud and clear!
Combining all of the above

So now that you have a general idea about what is involved in ferret training lets get down to the details. Click on the links below to find specific areas which you are looking to train your ferret.

Stop your ferret biting and nipping

Litter Train A Ferret

Introducing Ferrets