What Does The Term Shaping Mean In Dog Training?

What do dog trainers mean when they say they are “shaping” behaviors? It’s actually pretty simple. It is another way to say they are training the dog to perform a behavior, by rewarding/reinforcing the dog as he/she accomplishes steps (successive approximations) towards attaining the final desired behavior. There are three basic methods of shaping behavior, and we will examine all three in this article:

Baiting and luring
Freeshaping
Capturing

However, all of these methods depend on the trainer following a few important steps.

Prerequisites for shaping

Have a plan

You must break down the desired end behavior into small incremental steps. We call these steps successive approximations. You want to create these approximations into small enough increments that it sets the dog up for success. I encourage you to put your plan in writing so you can make adjustments based on the performance of your dog. There are many ways to teach the same behavior; you have to be prepared to pivot if the dog is not following your current plan, and if the dog is excelling, a written plan allows confidence in what your next approximation goal will be for the dog.

Know your reinforcers

Spend time with the dog and have a clear understanding of the dog’s reward/reinforcer hierarchy. Have all the necessary rewards, be it treats or toys, available. I recommend chewable, small treats that are easy for the dog to consume quickly and get right back on task. That said, if your dog has a favorite toy, you can use that to end the training session with “play”.

Use a marker

What is a marker? It can be a verbal marker, “good,” “yes,” a word that lets the dog know they are on track and doing what you want. Many trainers use a clicker to communicate with the dog (if your dog is not familiar with a marker word or clicker-savvy, work on teaching the dog what the word or sound of the clicker means first).

Commit to the learning process

Don’t be in a rush, don’t compare one dog to another. Dogs learn at different paces, based on their learning history, breed, and the task/behavior at hand. Patience is key.

Types of shaping

Dog trainers have a lot of opinions. Some will agree with the following shaping methodologies, and some will disagree. I offer the following for you to consider and draw your own conclusions. The three training techniques we will look at are luring, free shaping and capturing.

Baiting and luring

Some trainers disagree that this is a form of shaping behavior, but it does indeed, meet the criteria of “shaping” a behavior. Through the use of successive approximations, and reinforcers, you teach a dog to perform a specific behavior. Luring uses food or a target to teach a behavior. The behavior may have multiple steps or a single end result. For example – without any verbal cues in order to teach a dog to sit, using the baiting and luring technique the following approximations may be used.

Find a treat that the pup loves, place the treat at nose level of the dog.
With the treat in your hand (between your thumb and pointer finger), slowly raise the treat over the top of the pup’s nose. (Be sure to go slowly and ensure the dog’s nose is following your hand. Most pups tilt their heads to follow the treat, causing them to naturally assume a sitting position.
The instant their bottom hits the ground, use your marker (word or clicker) and release the treat.

The baiting and luring technique will allow dogs to learn behaviors more quickly, and most dogs respond well to this method due to the high rate of reinforcers. You’ll need to plan on when to add a verbal cue or physical gesture, and when to put your reinforcers on a varied schedule.

Free shaping

Free shaping activates your dog’s problem-solving abilities. You will still use a marker and reinforcer, but you will not lure or give a cue. When free shaping, it is essential that you have identified the final desired behavior and planned out the steps (successive approximations) in order to achieve your goal. You will mark and reinforce/reward each small step throughout the training process. The cue word or physical gesture is not added until the entire behavior is understood by your dog. Free shaping is a very common training technique for teaching more complex behaviors to service dogs or competition dogs. Here’s an example of free shaping the cue, “place”:

Bring the platform to where you want to train the dog. As you put the platform on the ground, the dog will likely be curious and walk towards it. Mark and reward that behavior; repeat this several times.
Next step would be to have the dog go to the platform and stand there for a while, your goal might be two to five seconds. Use successive approximations to build up to your goal. Don’t expect the dog to stand a full five seconds immediately. Mark and reward for standing near the platform for one second, build up to five (using your successive approximations).
In the next step, you will no longer reward standing near the platform; now you want the dog to touch the platform with a paw. Even if the dog touches the platform by accident, you will mark and reward. When the dog puts one paw on the platform, mark and reward; repeat several times.
Repeat step three, but now you want two paws on the platform. You will mark and reward for two paws on the platform. Progress using step three for three paws and finally four paws up on the platform. As you progress through these steps, be sure you allow for repeated training sessions within each approximation.
Once the dog is going to the platform and getting all four paws on the platform, add your verbal cue or gesture.

*The above steps will likely be broken down into multiple sessions.

Free shaping requires patience from both the trainer and the dog. Some dogs get frustrated quickly and shut down. Other dogs will start performing everything in their repertoire, trying anything that has been rewarded in the past. Free shaping requires a detailed plan with successive approximation that may need to be flexible. In the platform example above, I may need to add more sessions if the dog flips the platform or bites at the platform.

Capturing

Capturing behavior is when your dog is demonstrating a behavior that you’d like to have them perform on a cue/command. I did this with my dog, Gretta. When she lies down, she sometimes crosses her paws, making her look very royal. I thought it was cute, so we would mark the behavior and reward it whenever she did it. We put the cue/command word “Queen” to it. Now we can say “be the Queen,” and she will cross her paws. Capturing behavior like this is often used for tricks, but it is also effective in capturing behaviors like sitting nicely instead of jumping on visitors. I marked and rewarded the “manding” or sitting nicely behavior and use the word “polite” when we have someone at the door, or visit with someone on a walk.

Extra tips for successful training

Be sure your planned approximations include when you will begin to vary your reinforcement schedule.
End your training sessions on a win.
Always end your training with play and freedom for your dog. Take them to their “Disneyland”! (Do what they love to do, not what you love to do.)

In conclusion

There are other methodologies used to train dogs, but these are my top three. I chose not to use physical manipulation, but there are trainers who do. While I do use all four quadrants of operant conditioning throughout my training methodologies, when teaching new behaviors, I stick with mostly free shaping.

Now go out and have some fun with your dog! Capture a behavior, or write a plan with successive approximation, and teach your dog to flip a light switch! Remember, training needs to be fun! You want your dog to look forward to their training sessions.