Name Game - Level 4

Capturing & Shaping
Level 4: Cup or Box Game

You will learn:

Observation
Shaping
Cueing

Your dog will learn:

Offer behavior
Give attention

The goal of this exercise is to build your shaping skills and experimentation (offering behaviors) in your dog.

uses for this behavior

Any new skill or behavior that can be shaped in small increments
Learning to observe small behaviors that you can click
Teaching your dog that his behavior causes you to click
Increasing the dog's capacity to experiment and to look for new ways to get clicked

tips for success

You will click, then treat, interaction with a prop and then shape for a specific action.
The steps provided are for shaping interactions with a cup, but could be applied to a box.

Make it a game!

You can conduct additional fun sessions of shaping interaction with a new prop.
Try shaping your dog onto the couch, into the bathtub or around an ottoman.
Try shaping your dog to face a corner, put his butt into a corner, or look at the TV.
Be creative!

Training Steps:

Step 1:
Place the cup on the floor and observe the dog. Click, then treat, if the dog looks at it, approaches, or touches the cup. Toss treats to reset.

Click Points

Tag Points

Step 2:
Continue to click any behavior directed at the cup.

Click Points

Tag Points

Step 3:
Cease clicking weak movements; click only more vigorous nosing, bumping or pawing.

Step 4:
Select a specific action the dog has offered (e.g. pushing the cup with his nose), and begin to selectively click for stronger actions.

Click Points

Step 5:
When the dog is reliably offering the selected behavior, introduce a cue.

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