Capturing & Shaping
Level 3: Build a Captured Behavior
​into a New Behavior

You will learn:

• Observation​​
• Shaping
• Cueing
  

Your dog will learn:

• Offer behavior​
• ​Give attention
  

The goal of this exercise is to develop your ability to shape
​small increments of movement toward a goal behavior.

uses for this behavior

• Capturing & Shaping Level 4
• Recognizing other opportunities for shaping
• Increasing the dog’s capacity to experiment and to look for ways to get clicked

tips for success

• Beginning with the head dip (Level 1), you can teach a bow or a down. Or, beginnning with a paw lift (Level 2), you can shape a wave or "high five".​

Make it a game!

• Have the dog give your neighbors and friends a bow, wave, or “high five.
  

Training Steps:

Step 1:
Warm-up with a few repetitions of the captured behavior.

Click Points

• Increase in motion

Tag Points

• Click for motion
• Toss treat to reset

Step 2:
Begin to selectively click for stronger moves. Click only during the movement.

Click Points

• Increased range of motion during the movement

Tag Points

• Click during the movement

Step 3:
​As movement strengthens, capture additional movements (e.g., for a head dip, capture crouching or elbow bending; for a paw lift, capture weight shift or shoulder moves to support higher paw).

Click Points

• Stronger movements towards the goal behavior

Tag Points

• Click during the motion
• Toss treat to reset
  

Step 4:
​Cease clicking weak movements; click only for improvement as shown on shaping plan.

Step 5:
When the dog is reliably offering the goal behavior, add a cue.

Click Points

• Goal behavior

Tag Points

• Say the cue before the dog starts moving
• ​Click for the goal behavior
  

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