The shape of things

In this class we have spent a bit of time getting accustomed to using clicker training to teach our dog’s some fun and useful tricks, as well as some important skills. Let’s spend a little bit of time going into some more ways to practice your behavior shaping skills.

First a practical one that is shared in our clicks & tricks: shaping your dog to file their own toenails.

Making your Scratch Board

MATERIALS:

Piece of wood larger than a sheet of sandpaper, you can make your board longer and add a second piece below (be sure if you add a lower piece you lay the high piece on top of the lower piece so their nails don’t snag the lower piece)

Sandpaper: Grit 60- 80- 120 (the lower the number the courser the grit)

Dogs under 25lbs start with 120 grit and once they are trained you can lower your grit but move gradually to see what works their nails best. Most smaller dogs a 80 grit is sufficient to keep their nails filed.

Dogs over 25lbs - 50lbs I start with 80 grit and once they are trained you can lower the grit. I use 60 grit successfully with my collies.

Dogs over 50lbs I start with 60 grit and move down to a 50-40 grit.

You need to start with that higher number (finer grit) until your dog has figured it out as they might be wiping their paws rather than scratching at first and the lower grit can scuff up their pads. All dogs have varying density of nails so you will figure out as you train how course a grit you need, for example Nick’s nails are not as dense as Emily’s since he’s a younger dog so his nails file more quickly than hers.

Staple gun and staples:

For a quick starter board you can use double sided tape but to create a nice firm scratch surface a staple is going to give you a nice firm flat scratch surface which will lead to less ripping and and slipping of the paper and the firmer the paper is adhered to the board the better filing you will get.

You only need short staples (1/4)

When Stapling make sure you place them vertically so the dog’s moving nails don’t catch on them.

Gorilla Tape:

This is an extra step I take that many folks skip, I find It makes my board last longer. By taping the edges and over the staples the paper doesn’t snag or rip as quickly and again keeps that firm flat surface longer. But you don’t have to do this step if you are just wanting to check it out and don’t have any handy.

Once your board is ready it’s time to train. You want to start sitting where you can comfortably and firmly hold the board as your dog touches it. It’s important in the beginning stages that you are able to hold the board so the dog is doing a controlled scratch. If they knock the board over it can startle them so you want to make sure you are keeping it from falling. If you use your legs to brace it against, one hand to steady the board, and have treats in your other hand to reward the dog for scratching. Watch the video for some tips on teaching it.

To shape the back feet, work on having your dog standing up with their front feet on a pedestal or table, placing the scratch board lower on the table, click and reward any movement of the back feet, even if they do not hit the board. As the back feet movement gets more purposeful begin to wait to click until the back foot makes contact with the board and move to clicking for scratching.