Capturing & Shaping
Level 2: Capture a Paw Lift

You will learn:

• Observation​​
• Clicker skills
• Reinforcement

Your dog will learn:

• Offer behavior​
• ​Give attention
  

The goal of this exercise is to build on the skills of noticing and
​capturing small movements, a precursor to shaping.

uses for this behavior

• Capturing & Shaping Games Level 3 and Level 4
• Tricks such as wave, “high five”, closing cabinet doors or other doors
• Touching objects with paw
• Identifying objects or people

tips for success

• This game also teaches your dog to offer a specific behavior repeatedly.

Make it a game!

• Continue to capture cute behaviors outside of training sessions, such as cocked head, crossed paws, sneeze, backup, etc.
  
• Use mouth click if you don’t have a clicker handy, followed by a treat.
  
• Record each click (put a checklist on the refrigerator door) and see if the “random” events become more frequent.
  

Training Steps:

Step 1:
With the dog in a standing position, click and treat any movement of a front paw. Drop the treat on the floor.

Click Points

• Any effort towards lifting a paw, such as a weight shift or wrist bend
  
• The start of any paw movement
• Click while the paw is in motion
  
• Repeated paw lifts
  

Tag Points

• Click the instant the paw moves
• Drop treat to floor
  

Step 2:
If the dog is not moving, move a step or two to get the dog active, and click the start of any move of the same paw.

Click Points

• Click for movement of the chosen paw

Tag Points

• Click for motion
• Toss treat to reset
  

Step 3:
Pause now and then to allow the dog to voluntarily lift his paw; click and treat any deliberate paw lifts.

Click Points

• Paw lift

Step 4:
​When the dog is deliberately lifting his paw, move to a different part of the room and continue to capture paw lifts.

Previous

Print

Next

Back to Course Materials Main Page