Beginning Shaping Tricks
The Box Game
Is one of my favorite starting clicker shaping games to play!!! It’s a very good way to get your feet wet and try it out without the pressure of messing anything up.
Below is a video of me working on the box game with Nick, a puppy. Below is a video with an adult. Puppies are usually much easier to start shaping with because they tend to be more learning flexible and have not yet learned how to suppress their curiosity like many adult dogs have. So watch both to get an idea how you might need to adjust your expectations or plans for an adult or a puppy.
HOT OBJECT GAME
The idea of this game is simply to teach your dog that one object holds more value than the others. This game is designed to teach your dogs to differentiate objects and isolate certain ones that we place value on. This game helps a puppy to learn how to filter out distractions and stay focused on the task at hand once we begin more formal training.
The idea is simple.
Take a few random household items your dog has no relationship with that are safe for a puppy to bite, hold, step on or anything a puppy might do with an object. (plastic spoon, metal tins, sponge, drink cozy, etc)
Have your clicker and treats ready and place down one of the items you most want the dog to interact with. Click as soon the puppy makes any moves towards the item.
Keep shaping until your puppy is touching that item in some way (paw touch, nose it, pick it up, etc)
End 1st session
Next session repeat above, but after a couple clicks for interacting with the item, now place down a second item. Do not click until they engage with the original item again, ignore all interactions with the new object.
Repeat until the puppy ignores the new item.
Next session, repeat as above and if they stay with the hot object add a third object and again only click for the original hot object.
Next session, repeat as above but now remove the hot object and put in a brand new item and now make that your hot object.
Paw Target Touch
Teaching your dog to paw touch a target
Hold a target between your thumb and forefinger, with a treat behind the target between your forefinger and middle finger, like you would hold a cigarette.
Present the target low, either on the ground or just above the ground.
Ignore when your dog does anything other than pawing at it, so ignore sniffing. If you have already taught a nose touch this can take your pup a little bit to figure out but they will get it.
At first if your dog is confused watch those front feet and click and reward even if they just move the foot towards the target even without hitting it.
Be sure you are looking at the target and not in your dog’s eyes!
As soon as your dog paws the target click and turn the target over to let them eat the treat from your fingers or even just drop the treat to the ground.
Once they get the idea start presenting the target to them in different areas so they have to reach around to hit it.
Don’t wiggle the target or move it to try to get the dog to touch it. Keep the target still and wait!
You can add the command as soon as you are sure that as soon as you present the target they will paw it.
Taking the paw target touch to the next level
Once your dog is readily touching the target in your hand it’s time to get the target onto the ground.
Be prepared they might stall out, don’t point at it, move it, or do something to help, just keep looking at that target and wait! If you do anything to help you will forever be stuck having to help when you teach your dogs, let’s get them thinking and offering.
When they do paw the target now on the ground, when you click, out the treat onto the target, don’t feed from your hand as we want them looking at the target, not our hands!
Once they are readily pawing the target with you right there let’s work on sending them to the target from further away. Always still follow them up after the click and put the treat onto the target.
Using a paw touch to teach a new trick
Taking your paw touch to a trick!
Ok, let’s put our paw touch to use teaching a fun trick, how to close a door for you.
Your dog needs to have their paw touch on command as in the previous two videos before you teach this trick!
Start by holding the target off the ground, but still low and close to the door you will be training with.
Gradually with successes raise the target to where you are having them paw it at the level with the door.
Once they are comfortable and touching the target confidently at that vertical presentation go ahead and tape the target to your door.
Hold your hand behind the door so it’s visible like it was and so if they hit the door it doesn’t slam and surprise them.
Once they are comfortably hitting the target again you can gradually drop your hand away, at this point take something like a small towel and place it so they door can’t slam yet.
Once they are confidently hitting the target, start to open the door a little bit so when they hit the target the door moves.
Gradually open the door more and more as they get more confident.
Once they are super confident, take it back to just barely open and pull the towel away and then rework your gradual steps to having it close more and more.
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.
Put your toys away
Using shaping and back chaining
This is a fun trick to use a clicker and shaping working your steps in reverse to teach your dogs a fun trick of putting things away.
Place one of your dog’s favorite toys (unless that toy makes them super hoarding and possessive, in which case use a lower level toy) into a small bin or box. You want something low and easy for them to get something in and out of.
Have your clicker and treats in your hands ready to roll.
Click as soon as your dog does anything to the toy: paws it, sniffs it, picks it up, etc.
Gradually wait for more and more interacting with the toy as you work on getting them to pick it up before you click.
Once they are picking it up, click very soon and early so their heads are still over the bin when they have the toy. The click should make them drop the toy as they expect the treat. Give all your rewards with your hand directly over the bin.
Once they are picking up the toy and dropping it into the bin with each click you can start adding your pick up cues and drop cues.
Once they are confidently picking up the toy and dropping it in the bin pick up the toy and place it just on the other side of the bin so they bin is now between you and the toy.
Because of your reward placement until this point your dog should naturally move towards you with the toy, click as soon as their head is over the bin.
Once you are moving the toy further and further from the bin it’s ok to click before they get all the way back even if they drop it, clicking to encourage that return is always a great step, so don’t feel like you have to hold out for perfect early in the process.
Once they have a real good idea of the game with that one toy, start to use different objects and toys.
Once they will pick up many objects you can start to ask for more than one delivery in a row.
Crawl
TAKING PAWING BEHAVIOR FORWARD TO A CRAWL
Going around stuff
I love teaching my dogs to go out around something
This trick is ALL about that reward placement!!! If you sort out where to put your rewards you can make this a much quicker process!