Field Guide · Glossary
Shaping
Learning scienceBuilding a behavior by reinforcing successive approximations of it, each one closer to the finished version.
How it works
It is used for behaviors a dog would never offer whole. The handler pays something in roughly the right direction, then stops paying that once it is reliable and waits for slightly more, repeating until the finished behavior appears. It produces dogs who actively experiment, because the way to earn something is to try variations. The main skill is step size: too large and the dog stops earning anything and gives up, too small and progress stalls.
What it looks like
A dog is being taught to go to a mat. First any glance toward it is paid, then a step in its direction, then a paw on it, then two paws, then lying down on it. At no stage is the dog lured or physically placed.
Commonly confused with
- Capturing
- Capturing waits for the complete behavior to happen naturally and pays it. Shaping constructs a behavior the dog would not otherwise offer, one approximation at a time.
Related terms
In the reading list
Gear that helps
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Clicker
A clear, consistent marker your dog learns to trust. One click means "yes, that, a treat is coming," which sharpens your timing on everything else.
Target stick
Teaches a dog to follow and touch a target, so you can shape movement without a hand full of food. The telescoping one collapses into a bag.
Treat pouch (clip-on)
You can't reward fast enough digging in a pocket. A pouch you open one-handed changes your timing, and this one has a magnetic close plus a built-in clicker.
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