Old style coercion, the basis of physical training, became popular during and after World War II, based on methods used to teach military dogs. These dogs had to be literally bomb-proof; they weren't meant to think, only to obey handlers under the direst conditions of war. Such training methods have no business when teaching pets, and most especially cats.

Physical Training

Physical training often relies on positive punishment-that is, adding something aversive to force the animal to perform in a certain way.

It can work very quickly with dogs, but can very easily be mis-used and cause problems especially by damaging the owner-pet relationship.

Physical training techniques use coercion to push, pull, or otherwise hands-on position the pet into a forced sit, for example. Jerking on a slip or "choke" collar prompts the pet to follow closely when on a leash. In order to relieve the discomfort, the animal is supposed to comply and "sit" when the owner pushes on the furry butt, or "heel" when the leash tightens around the throat. While many dogs have been successfully trained using physical training techniques, cats generally do not do well with physical training.

Most cats forced into a particular posture that they do not like can become frightened and/or defensive. Even confident cats won't appreciated being forced into a particular position and tend look and act disgusted at the notion humans want them to do such a thing. If cats could speak, they'd more than likely respond with, "You have GOT to be kidding me!"