How to shape your dog for training success starts with understanding that shaping isn’t about waiting and hoping, it’s about designing success from the start. In this episode, I’m sharing the ultimate guide to shaping, including the three phases I use to design, execute, and reflect on shaping sessions so they’re clear, efficient, and confidence-building for our dogs. We’ll look at how to define clear criteria, split behaviors into achievable pieces, choose reinforcement with intention, and recognize “cheap behaviors” before they become habits. When you shift from hoping to intentional planning and data collection, shaping becomes predictable, your dog learns faster, and your sessions become more effective and enjoyable.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- Why shaping can feel frustrating when there’s no clear plan.
- The difference between shaping and simply hoping your dog figures it out.
- The three phases I use to plan every shaping session: Designing the Learning, Game Day Execution, and Reflections.
- Why splitting behaviors into smaller pieces creates clarity.
- How your dog’s emotional state impacts the learning process.
- What “cheap behaviors” are and how to prevent them.
- What to consider when choosing reinforcement, including value, delivery, and placement.
- How your setup, environment, and body position influences your dog’s responses.
- How I use Push, Stick, Drop method to guide decisions during training.
- How to use evaluation sessions to quickly adjust your plan and increase success.
- Why you should only train one criterion at a time for clarity and speed.
- When to add cues and why adding them too early creates confusion.
- How reviewing your sessions helps improve your timing, mechanics, and decisions.
- How to get my FREE shaping checklist to plan your next session with confidence.
Download Your Free Shaping Checklist:
Resources:
- YouTube Playlist: Shaping Success in Dog Training with Susan Garrett
- Podcast Episode 245: Make Dog Training Easy! Quick Guide To Antecedent Arrangements
- Shaped by Dog Podcast
- Podcast Episode 327: Beyond “Yes” And “Good”: Why Your Dog Needs “Spotlights”
- Podcast Episode 196: Why Mastering Reinforcement Is The Linchpin To Reinforcement Based Dog Training
- Podcast Episode 89: Why Dogs Should Not Tug: The Truth Revealed
- Podcast Episode 133: Become Your Own Dog Training Coach With This Video Strategy
- Podcast Episode 184: Proofing Vs Generalizing In Dog Training To Grow Skills And Confidence
- Podcast Episode 227: My Foolproof Strategy To Overcoming Dog Training Challenges
- Podcast Episode 266: Hot Zone And Stays – How One Dog Training Nuance Can Fix Anxiety And Duration
- Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube
I would love to have an episode about how you shape dogs to NOT destroy their toys. In one of your episodes you mention that you do that and I would LOVE to see a step-by-step episode on how to train dogs to NOT destroy their toys. I have terriers (Toy Manchester Terriers) and my boy, in particular, will just destroy toys- even the ones that claim to be “indestructible”
Thanks!
I love this episode! I’d actually be very curious how to adjust shaping to a very excitable yet easily frustrated dog. Can you do a deep dive into training with frustrated high arousal dogs?
Great post! Picking the right dog name really helps with training, especially when it’s short and sharp. One of my favorites for training is **“Rocky”**—easy to say and dogs pick it up fast.
You can also explore more ideas here: Popular Dog Name. 🐾
I have a 10 week old havanese puppy. She has learned to run to go to the potty grass once carried outside ( the grass is about 15 feet from the door. , however I do not know how to train her to tell me she needs to outside.