Starting Shaping?

any thoughts on starting shaping?

and how to make the swtitch to different way of working?

We've been doing a lot of target work with Pablo ( 11 month old) and so far he's offering repeats of nose targetting when I present him with a new object. I was hoping to encourage to do offer different behaviours.

I'm worried about weakening his nose targetting by withholding the click/reward.

thanks

I think a shaping video may be of use to you, what do you think?

Here's a link to one from YouTube - Paco being taught to close a drawer with free shaping

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW5mR...eature=related

A good way of starting shaping is to give a dog a box and play "101 things to do with a box"

You literally click your dog for any interaction with the box - a paw touch, a lie down by it, a nose touch, sitting in it, anything at all! So the dog learns he/she gets a click and reward for just offering a behaviour.

Once they get that idea, they usually start to understand they can offer other behaviours in other learning situations, does that help?

Wys
x

Yup it is really great fun
We are just starting out too but I was at a HTM day yesterday and I got some really good tips
as wys says - click for anything - to start with click for looking at the box, stepping towards it - anything
but once they have done something withold the click a second to get something else - and that something can be tiny - slight head movment

I have only shaped a couple of things but those behaviours he does with much more speed and joy than the lured ones
also we did a great game yesterday

looks like it would be good with a drink

someone is the dog and someone the handler
the dog leaves the room and you decide the behaivour you want
we went for go and sit on the seesaw and nod your head

Then the dog comes back in and it offers behaivours and you click as you would for a dog
v funny but also good to see what the dog has to work with - esech if you click at the wrong time

thanks Wys
the video of Paco being shaped to close the dawer is fascinating and fun - lovely to see his tail wagging all the time.

Since yesterday I've done a little more beginner shaping with my Pablo, we've 'found' touch the rim of box, and stand front legs on a stool.

These are new tricks rather than nurturing inventiveness, but I'll keep trying to get the hang of it.

Have you got a good clicker training book, or video?

Wys
x

I've read 'Don't Shoot the Dog' with extra chapter on clicker training- great but more theory than practice.

I've also read Karen Pryor's cat clicker taining book, and decided to give her dog version a miss after looking at excerpt on Amazon.

I've just ordered 'Click for Joy'.