Transcript of Episode 328: How To Shape Your Dog: The Ultimate Guide To Training Success

Speaker Key

SG Susan Garrett

Transcript

00:00:00

If you've ever stood around waiting and hoping that your dog would just offer you something so you could
click or mark or throw a cookie, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. 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. I just
love sharing about shaping and I think done effectively, it is the absolute best way to train any dog.

00:00:31

Hi, I am Susan Garrett, and this is Shaped by Dog, where training makes sense at both ends of the leash.
With a podcast titled ‘Shaped by Dog’, it probably doesn't come as a big surprise that today is the eighth
episode that we've recorded on the subject of shaping behavior.

Now, the previous seven are all excellent and definitely worth watching, so we'll leave a link in the show
notes. Please go back and revisit them. So why an eighth? You might ask.

It's probably not going to be the last, because shaping is something that a lot of people don't quite get a
good grasp of, and so what ends up happening is the trainer stands around navel gazing and the dog
gets frustrated trying to figure out how to earn reinforcement and the rate of reinforcement plummets and so neither dog nor trainer are having a great time.

00:01:23

But what I just described, that's not shaping, that's hoping, hoping that magic will happen and the dog
will just hit on what you're looking for. Great shaping doesn't come from waiting. It doesn't come from
hoping. It comes from a strategic design, designing what the dog will notice, designing what the dog will
try, designing the dog's success.

It's what I previously have referred to as arranging coincidences. So, it seems like the dog magically hit
on something, but it actually was your strategic plan, which led to the dog inevitably hitting on something
very quickly. Most shaping sessions break down long before the dog offers their first response.

00:02:07

There's a massive difference between elegant shaping and chaotic frustration. And if you've ever stood
around waiting and hoping that your dog would just offer you something so you could click or mark or
throw a cookie, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.

So today, we're going to look at shaping in a slightly different lens. I'm going to walk you through exactly
how I plan my own shaping for my own dogs. And at the end of this episode, I'm going to share with you
how you can download a cheat sheet that I prepared that gives you a checklist so you can make sure
your next shaping session is a brilliantly planned shaping session.

00:02:46

Because when you strategically plan your training this way, shaping becomes predictable. Your dog
grows far more confidence, 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, Shaped by Dog will give you another episode on it.

00:03:18

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.

00:04:02

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.

00:04:57

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?

00:05:38

So, things like, is it a stationary behavior or is it a behavior in motion? Because with 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 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.

00:06:15

It could be another game that resets, but you've got to have it in mind, what is the reset that you are
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.

00:06:33

If you’ve 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.

00:07:32

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 it 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.

00:08:18 

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.

00:09:05

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.

00:09:48 

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 Marian 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.

00:10:43

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.

00:11:28

Okay, another big consideration that most people 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.

00:12:15

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 their 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.”

00:13:12 

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.

00:13:38

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 paws here, I'm just
going to hit it. Or the bowl's here, my paws are here, I'm just going to put my paw on 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.

00:14:18 

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 itsy bit 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.

00:14:55

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 are 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 colored treats when I'm shaping behavior on that slate floor.

00:15:34 

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 a 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, is 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?

00:16:18

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 be 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?

00:16:47 

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 you deliver it, throwing it, handing it, and it's also about the placement. Rate, value,
delivery, placement.

00:17:26 

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.

00:18:01 

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 in, you know, 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 site
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.

00:18:40 

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.

00:19:13

Section two, we are onto 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 rolling. We got our timer
rolling. I would, again, age and stage of learning is really important.

00:20:07 

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 used Jean 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.

00:20:41 

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.

00:21:24 

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.

00:22:02

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.

00:22:37

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 don't 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.

00:23:15

When you manage the parts like that, the behavior comes together super-fast. So, in real time, keep
clear on what you expect, but if 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.

00:23:59

It could be that we add a little bit more distraction, open up the room, and 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.

00:24:36

The dog's going to offer you the same behavior because they've just got a katrillion 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.

00:25:08

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 a
dog out of position?

00:25:57

So, when we are data collecting, we're looking at how successful the session was, the success
percentage. How many responses did the dog offer 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?

00:26:28

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.

00:27:05

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.

00:27:45

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.”

00:28:21

“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,
ASAP.

00:28:58

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 have 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 dogs, 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.