반려견을 셰이핑하는 방법: 훈련 성공을 위한 궁극의 가이드 #328

Because when you strategically plan your training this way, shaping becomes predictable. Your dog grows far more confident and every training session is effective and efficient. It's the best use of your time. So, I will walk you through the three sections that I go through when I'm planning a shaping session for my own dogs. If at any point along the way you have any questions or need me to flesh out any of these ideas in a bigger way, hey, Shape by Dog will give you another episode on it. I just love sharing about shaping and I think done effectively, it is the absolute best way to train any dog. Okay. The three areas that I break down my plans into. Number one is designing the learning. This is where we think about what exactly we are trying to get and how we get that. When done correctly, this will probably be the section that takes you the longest amount of planning, but it's planning and time that's well worth it. The second section, well, that's game day execution. That is what you should be doing when you're actually shaping your dog. And the final section, that's reflections where we're looking at what data to collect and what do we do with that data. This is going to be such an epic masterclass on shaping. I don't even have time to talk about troubleshooting. So, be sure to leave me a comment if you have a hiccup in your shaping that you would like me to troubleshoot for you. But let's jump into designing the learning. And what do I mean by that? Designing the learning takes into consideration your vision of what you are trying to shape, the dog in front of you. That's important because not all dogs are the same and your shaping session is going to be altered based on that dog's strengths, that dog's likes, that dog's fears, and that dog's emotional state. The final consideration that goes into this area of planning is your own level of expertise. You can't expect brilliance right off the bat, but even if you can only absorb 10% of what I'm sharing today, I promise you your next training session will be your absolute best. So, the first thing we're going to consider is what are you trying to shape? It might be you're trying to shape a trick like one that's going around social media right now is getting your dog to hit their paw onto an egg flipper that flips a cookie in their mouth. Or it could be getting your dog to blow bubbles underwater, or maybe it's something for a sport that you want to play, targeting an area with their paws. It could be anything, pretty much anything I want to teach my dog, I teach them through shaping. So, you have to first have

that vision. What is the end product? And then you've got to dial in. Not only what is the criteria that you will know this is success, what are the things that you don't want to see in that end behavior? So, things like, is it a stationary behavior or is it a behavior in motion? Because stationary behaviors, we need to consider duration and when is it over. Behaviors of motion, we need to consider what is our marker word selecting for? Because if we only mark at one part of a behavior of motion, we're going to turn that behavior into a stationary behavior. Believe it or not, it's absolutely the truth. I've done it myself. If we're working on a stationary behavior, we need a reset. Is it one of my favorites is just telling the dog search where the dog chases a cookie in the corner. It could be a game of tug that resets the behavior. It could be another game that resets, but you've got to have it in mind. What is the reset that you're going to use if you're training a stationary behavior? Because stationary behaviors grow from the strength and understanding of the dog leaving position and finding it again on their own. If you're decided you're going to shape a behavior of motion, like running out to wrap a cone or running on a paw target or doing an agility obstacle at a distance. How far away, how fast does the dog go? Are they going straight away from you? Are they lateral from you? And just a little asterisk, distance is just a distraction that we add after we have fluency with that behavior. Put that one in your notebook. So, now we need to consider, we've got this goal, this vision of what we want, and now we have to break it down into smaller pieces. And they might be pieces that your dog already knows. For example, if I was going to teach a dog to back up, I would want them to start in a standing position. So, I would either start my session by reinforcing the dog for standing a couple of times, or you could cue them into a stand. Not something that I do, but you wouldn't be wrong. But you've got to have that vision in mind. If I want my dog to back up and they're lying down, it's going to be hard to get them to stand up and back up. So, better to transition with a game that leaves the dog standing. Likewise, if I was wanting to teach my dog to crawl forward, I wouldn't want them to start in a sit. So, consider, are there behaviors that could be building blocks towards that final picture that you have in your mind's eye? Something that a lot of people don't consider before they start shaping is, what is the ideal emotional state for the dog when they are doing

this skill? So, if I was shaping my dog to lie on their side for something like a massage or a nail trim, I'm not going to select a spotlight or a marker that's going to excite the dog. Likewise, I'm not going to start my session off by getting the dog all jacked up. If I have a dog who naturally is super, super excitable and I want them to do something that requires more focus and thought, then I'm going to take those things into consideration in my first reps of what I do with that dog. So, you need to know what is the ideal emotional state for the dog that's in front of you and the behavior you're trying to shape. And therefore, if for example, I have a really high, high food drive dog, I'm not going to take the best reinforcements I ever had to try and shape something that I want calm from. Because that dog's going to be so excited about the cookies that you've chose to use that they're probably not going to be able to be thoughtful for you. The most important thing about this stage is the clarity of the vision you have. Because if you can't clearly state the criteria of what you're looking for, it's impossible for your dog to get it. You have to have the structure in your mind of what correct looks like before you can teach it to your dog. Now we're going to take that criteria and we're going to map it in a way that makes sense for you so that it can make sense for the dog. Now I might have a behavior that has several pieces to it and I might shape them individually and then bring them together. So, the order may or may not be important. But what is important is that you split the big behavior into smaller ones. For example, if I wanted to shape my dog to put their face in a bowl of water and blow bubbles, I wouldn't bring out a bowl of water and a bunch of cookies and wait. You could shape it that way. It would probably take you hundreds if not thousands times longer shaping it that way. Versus breaking it down into smaller behaviors. My mentors, doctors Bob and Marion Bailey, they would constantly, I would hear the voice in my head saying, be a splitter, not a lumper. Ideally, you're bringing clarity by breaking things into small pieces, bringing success to the dog, and then adding those pieces together. It doesn't have to be linear. It does have to make sense to you and your plan. If you're the kind of dog owner who truly wants to understand, not just manage your dog, then subscribe to the channel. Another consideration at this stage is what is the best body position for you to adopt when you're shaping the dog? So, if I was wanting to shape my dog to back up,

I probably wouldn't be standing up because my dog would have their head up and would likely offer a sit. So, every time I shape a puppy to back up, I always start with me flat on the ground, usually in a kneeling position or sitting cross-legged on the floor. Think about the position you're going to adapt. Plan for that in your training. If it's a behavior of motion, what is the path you plan on moving? Or do you plan on moving? Do you plan on letting the dog move and then you're going to mark and throw the reinforcement? All of this has got to be part of that plan. Okay. Another big consideration that most people don't think about and it bites them in the butt. And that is cheap behaviors. Cheap behaviors will very likely at some point in your life show up in a shaping session. They might show up in every shaping session. You have got to have a strategy before they show up, or you have to have a strategy to prevent them from showing up. Okay. What's a cheap behavior, Susan? A cheap behavior is something the dog can do effortlessly, mindlessly, sometimes in conjunction with something else. For example, you want your dog to hit their paw to something. A cheap behavior might be a bark as they hit. Bark. And if you mark that and feed that, you will be building bark and work. Now you might say, oh, I don't mind. You don't mind with this behavior, but you're also teaching a dog when you work with me, when I'm shaping behaviors, vocalizing is really helpful. Something I don't like. So, I make sure that I am well aware of any cheap behavior that happens. And if it does happen, I will know it's very likely coming from either the dog or puppy is too frustrated or the dog or puppy is too over emotionally aroused. So, I will change that so that the vocalization goes away. Other cheap behaviors dogs might show you could be digging, spinning, using their paw when you don't want them to use your paw. That is a common one for my border collies. So, cheap behaviors have to be listed somewhere so you can be aware, oh, every time I get down on my knees, my dog offers the relaxation position because it's been so reinforced. So, I might start sitting on a footstool. So, it doesn't look like the position I'm in every time I do the relaxation game with them. You just have to be super clear in your criteria, define what you're going to reinforce. When you see a cheap behavior, what are you going to do? I'm not going to mark it. I'm probably going to break it off, reset the dog, think about what could I do to prevent it next time

from happening. For example, every time I've taught one of my dogs how to blow bubbles, put their face in water and blow bubbles, the paw has always been something they've wanted to do. So, with one of my dogs, I knew it was coming up. I just did the training on a raised stool. So, I put the bowl with water when I got to that stage on a raised stool because I increased the response cost. The response cost was the bowl's here, my paw's here, I'm just going to hit it. Or the bowl's here, my paw's here, I'm just going to put my paw in the bowl. Now the bowl on a raised surface, I increased the response cost. So, I'm not going to raise my foot up that tall. That's just too much work. Increased response cost decreases the behavior. You're golden. Once you build in what you want, that cheap behavior goes away because they know how to get the reinforcement. Cheap behaviors come up when there's an insie bits of frustration because they're really not clear how to get that reinforcement. Next stage, we're going to think about your reinforcement strategy. That is the reinforcers you're going to use and the markers you're going to use to go along with those reinforcements. So, it could be food, but you need to consider, do I want super extra high value? Do I want moderate value? That's going to really depend on the age and the stage of the dog. Most of my dogs are so experienced with shaping. I don't have any ultra crazy high value rewards in my training. I might bring some out if I'm doing something brand new that is more challenging. So, the more challenging the skill, maybe I might go to some crazy high value rewards. But my dogs, they get excited about belly button lint at this stage because they just love to work. So, think about where you're training. The floor behind me is blue. So, it doesn't really matter if I use light colored treats or dark colored treats. But in my house, the floor is a slate color. So, I prefer to use light color treats when I'm shaping behavior on that slate floor. So, you have to consider the color of the rewards. You have to consider if you are doing something like backup, I like to roll my reinforcement. So, if I'm doing something like cheese, it's not going to roll so far. So, these are the things you need to consider when you're using food, what ones are going to be, how much value, how are you going to deliver them? If you're using toy, the same thing is what toys and how are you going to use them? So, knowing what you're going to capture with your marker will dictate, is my reinforcement,

be it toy or food, going to be out in the environment that the dog is just going to ignore while we're working? And then I'm going to give them a spotlight that tells them to go and grab it. Is my reinforcement going to be something I throw? Is my reinforcement going to be something I tell the dog to drive back to me and grab? Is the reinforcement to me something the dog is going to retrieve to my hand? Like these are the considerations and I will use them all depending on what I'm shaping. So, think this through. If I'm shaping the dog to hold position, would I really want them to come and tug as a reinforcement? It will work, but the location they receive the reinforcement will help build the strength of the behavior you're trying to shape. So, yes, I could break them off and play tug, but I would want to deliver placement of reinforcement critical in dog training. So, I want to load up the final position with some high value reinforcement for the dog. Remember, reinforcement isn't just about the rate of reinforcement. It's about the value. It's about how quickly you deliver it. How do you deliver it? Throwing it, handing it. And it's also about the placement. Rate, value, delivery, placement. Four elements that you need to consider in your plan for shaping. Your reinforcement can also be, as I've mentioned earlier, part of your reset in the midst of your shaping. It could also be part of a balance break. So, I like to break up a shaping session. Clearing the dog's brain with a fun game of tug is my preferred one. If your dog doesn't yet have a great tug, you would use something that is going to build up their enthusiasm for work, but take them away from the place that you were working. Yes, you have to get up and run if you don't have tug. A little bit of a punisher for you if you haven't got that tug. Another consideration before you begin training is where does this reinforcement live while I'm training? Is it in bowls on the ground? Is it in a bait bag? Is it just in piles on the floor? Is it around me? You need to have access to reload quickly in the middle of shaping. Whether it be, I'm a big fan of the kangaroo pouch when I'm wearing a hoodie, but you decide what that looks like. I actually mix it up. So, nothing predicts we're training today because my dogs aren't triggered by the sight of a bait pouch or a kangaroo pouch. Every day is game day around here. The environment you train in is so critically important to the behavior you're trying to shape. So, use barriers like baby gates or train in a small room. The more

that you can minimize the distractions for your dog and the environment, the higher the probability your dog is going to be successful. So, if you're training in an area where you have all kinds of training props, they have to be put away. Just get out the prop that's important for the behavior you're trying to train. You want clarity in the environment so the dog sees immediately what you want and just starts offering you correctness. Section two, we are on to game day, planning your execution. And that is the last thing you consider before you go and get your dog. Yes, we plan, then we get the dog. The first thing that I consider before I get my dog is where will I put my tripod to capture what I'm looking for in this training session? So, it's always a strategic location because I don't just want to see my backside. I really want to see what the dog is doing. That is data that I'll want to collect. Where is the tripod going to be? And what am I going to use for a timer? If I'm using my phone to video, what am I going to use for a timer? And yes, please set a timer. You can buy a cheap one anywhere. Dollar store has them. So, we've got our video is rolling. We've got our timer is rolling. I would, again, age and stage of learning is really important. My timer is generally set somewhere between one and three minutes, never longer than that. The very first shaping session you do on any new behavior is an evaluation session. That is your timer set for one minute. However, as you've heard here on the podcast in the past, we use Gene Donaldson's push, stick, or drop method where you have five cookies and you make that evaluation. So, we set a timer as an emergency backup, but I'm really hoping it will take you far less than one minute to find five things to reinforce in what your dog is doing. If that timer goes off and you still haven't delivered those five reinforcements, please jump back to your plan because your rate of reinforcement is definitely too low for a first time evaluation session for any behavior. Yes, rate of reinforcements for doing something where the dog has to run 50 feet away from you is going to be a lot lower than shaping a trick where the dog's right in front of you. But an evaluation session of a new behavior, that rate of reinforcement should be very, very high. And if you haven't found things to reinforce in the dog, then you have not set up the environment for success. Go back to your plans and see how you can change things so that the correct choice is the obvious one for your dog.

Now you've had your evaluation session. You realize that you need to alter maybe your mechanics, maybe your props, maybe how you're holding things, maybe the reinforcement is too stimulating for the dog. Make the change and then go back for session two. Every training session should be following that strategic pattern of push, stick, drop. Watching your dog's behavior, reading their emotional state. Are they showing you signs of frustration? That goes back to your strategic plan. So, don't be afraid to end the session, make alterations, come back and do it again. Just because one dog that you've shaped was able to Eureka find the solution doesn't mean the next dog who might be more environmentally sensitive or might just be not having a great day, might not get it. So, it's okay to make it easier and clearer. And you can do that through environmental manipulation. That is the ABCs of dog training. The antecedent arrangements should make the correct choice, the obvious choice, especially early on. Of course, as we grow any behavior and add layers, those layers are distractions. The distractions make the dog make bigger and better choices. But we don't start off with tough distractions. We start off creating clarity because that clarity is what grows the confidence. So, how do you manage this criteria in real time in the midst of training? Super important that you're only selecting for one criterion at a time. If the behavior is, I want my dog to put their paws on a target and move and spin around. Then you teach those things separately. If you want your dog to hit the egg flipper and catch the cookie, then you don't try to lump those behaviors all to one. You break things down. When you manage the parts like that, the behavior comes together super fast. So, in real time, keep clear on what you expect. But what you expect and what the dog is giving you aren't in alignment. Break it off, have a game and know the dog's always right. The dog knows what you're reinforcing, even though you think you're reinforcing something else. Be curious. If things aren't going the way you expect, it is never on the dog. It's always on either your mechanics, your placement of reinforcement, the delivery of reinforcement, or your plan. But the good news is they can all be changed. So, we want to grow the behavior we are training. We want to then generalize that behavior by taking it to different environments. It could be that we add a little bit more distraction, open up the room, have maybe another dog sitting on the couch while you're training to really see if the dog understands the

behavior that you've generalized to different locations. Once the dog is giving you the finished product, then you can add a cue. Now, so often people add the name to a behavior long before the dog understands what they're doing. I've mentioned this on Shaped by Dog in the past. A lot of times the props themselves are the cue. You can add a fancy cue after, but don't do it too soon. The dog's going to offer you the same behavior because they've just got a quadrillion reinforcements over all of your shaping sessions for that behavior. No cue required. Adding a cue too early will prompt all of the messy behaviors that the dog has coming along with them. If you have prop dependency, the cue only means find this prop, but maybe we want them to do the behavior without the prop. So, be certain that the dog has complete understanding independent of you and independent of the props before you add a cue. The third area is our reflection. And this is really where the gold happens. You have your video, you have your journal. First thing you do, go to the journal and write your own emotional feedback on, oh, that was pretty good. I think we did this well. Then look at your video. You can skim through it right there after your training, you know, get your dog to hop it up in a hot zone and give them a handful of cookies. Tell them they're amazing. And then just skim through your video and see things like, what was the rate of reinforcement like? How successful was the dog? When you have more time, sit down and really figure out how was your mechanics? You can be your best instructor just by looking at the delivery of reinforcement. Did it pull the dog out of position? So, when we are data collecting, we're looking at how successful the session was, the success percentage, how many responses the dog offered that were incorrect versus how many they offered and they got reinforcement for. How long was your session? What was the dog's emotional state before and after the session? These are things that you can start writing in your journal so that you can improve upon your training. And the final thing you're going to do, you're going to write in that journal is what is your plan for your next session? What is one thing you'd like to do better? If there's more than one thing, like don't overwhelm yourself. Three things, three things that you know you can do better, write that as a plan for your next session. And then you don't start the next session wondering, well, what should I do? Where did I leave off? Even if you only take three minutes and jot these notes down, I promise you,

you'll thank yourself for it. Too many people think shaping is about the behavior you choose to reinforce, but really the heavy lifting is done in the planning and in the data collection after. That is where you are really making your training more effective and efficient because you're improving your own mechanics. You're improving your own decision-making. You're seeing in real time how what you chose to do affects the behavior of the dog. Because at the end of the day, shaping isn't just waiting for the dog to get things right. It's about creating an environment where they inevitably get things right, right off the top. I'm not saying you have a hundred percent success in your sessions, but your sessions are incredibly successful. I would think when I'm shaping any new behavior, I have at least 60 to 80% success in my sessions, more tending towards the 80%. And if they tend to go below 60, then I know there's too much offering of things that are not right. So, there is not enough clarity in the antecedent arrangements for the dog. If you're listening to this episode and you are feeling overwhelmed, like, whoa, I'm not a professional trainer. This is crazy. Pick one thing and integrate that into your regular training. And then next month, pick another thing. Do not try to do it all because you're probably going to say, I'm just not going to train. I don't want that. I want you to be training every day. I want training to be fun. Planning, give yourself, okay, I'm going to set a timer. I've got five minutes to plan this. I'm going to go through this checklist that Susan gave me and, oh, bell's up. I got most of my plan done. That's better than I've ever done before. I'm going to go and grab my dog and I'm going to start my session. Set my camera up. And once my session's over, I'm going to write one minute worth of thoughts. You're way to the races. You take on 10% of this. I promise you're going to be at a better place than you were before. Okay. The cheat sheet, the shaping checklist. I've put down all the things that I consider before I get my dogs out to start any training session. I know this will be helpful to you. So, just find the link in the show notes, pop in your email address, and my team will get you that checklist immediately. If not sooner. ASIP. You know, it's got to go into outer space and come back into your computer, but you will get that checklist. I would love for you to jump over to YouTube and leave me a comment about any part of this that you need more clarity on that you would like me to deep

dive a little bit deeper. I would love for you to use that checklist and give me your feedback. How did it help your dog's next training session? Thanks for joining me today. And as always, stay curious, stay humble, and keep making life better at both ends of the leash. I'll see you next time right here on Shaped by Dog. you