Clean Run - July 2014 - 35

If you are new to the concept of shaping, I promise you that,
with practice, a whole new world is about to open up for you.
Once your dog gets used to the game and realizes he is in control of earning his reinforcement by the actions he takes, your
dog will love it. He will become a happy and active partner,
always eager to play and train and learn something new. And
your relationship will grow stronger and stronger as you become the center of his universe-the one who can make all
these great things happen.

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When shaping, you will create a safe learning environment
for your dog so he feels confident trying to earn his reinforcement, without fear of reprisals for being wrong. He will work
harder than you could ever dream possible to make the pleasant consequence happen.
First your dog will need to learn that he can affect the outcome
of his actions. We need to teach the dog that if he tries certain
movements, he makes a sound happen (usually a click), and
then good things appear (often food, though the clicker can
be paired with anything the dog considers to be reinforcing). I
often teach this by playing a game developed by Karen Pryor
called 101 Things To Do with a Box. This is not a new game
and it is one that you can read about in more depth in many
good clicker training books. It is also easy to find all the rules
of the game with a Google search. However, this game is one
that I feel is often misunderstood. The aim of the game is to
encourage your dog to think and learn that he can do things to
make you click and provide reinforcers to him. The game is not
meant to be teaching him to do any specific behavior.
The game can be played with a box or any object that is new to
your dog. As soon as you place the object on the ground near
him, be ready to click and treat any interaction with the box. Here
are some actions that you might observe your dog performing:
· Looking at box
· Stepping toward box
· Accidental contact with
box (any part of body)
· Sniffing inside box
Click and treat any of these
interactions. But once your
dog is confidently trying to
interact with the box, do
not click and treat the same
behavior more than once.
The idea is that he learns to oﬀer different behaviors. If you
click and treat a nose-touch on the box too often, that is all
you will get.
I know, this is where I really got lost at first! In fact, this is where
I feel we lose most people, as it is only human to want to teach
something specific. But, remember, this game is designed to
teach the dog to try things and to experiment. We are teaching
him to learn, that it is safe to try, and that if he keeps trying hard
enough good things will come his way.
July 14

| Clean Run

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What Are the Advantages of Shaping?

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Clean Run - July 2014

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