Training
using the training methods of "Capturing" and "Shaping"
are by far my favorite ways to train most behaviors. After all, I'm a clicker
trainer. It's my specialty. Using a clicker is the best way to get fast results
because it's quick and accurate. Speed and accuracy are key to success when using
these methods.
Before
I get to my story, let me first explain just what "Capturing" and
"Shaping" are. They are different, yet related and are often used in
unison with one another. "Shaping" is using a marker, like a
clicker, to mark and reinforce (with a food reward) tiny increments or
approximations of behavior towards an ultimate goal behavior. A
"click" means the dog is moving in the right direction and no click
means he is not and he needs to try something else. Using this training method,
you can create complex behaviors like closing a door or putting away toys.
"Capturing"
occurs when your dog just does something you like (for instance, he flops on
his side as if dead) and you click and reward that full behavior. You then just
wait for the behavior to occur again so that you can repeat the click and
reward. What happens next is truly amazing. The dog soon figures out that a
particular behavior is causing YOU to click and the dog repeats it, over and
over. Trainers call that "offering behavior." From this point,
you can simply add a cue or command when the dog is "offering
behavior" and in just a few minutes, you will have a behavior on command.
So
now, on to my story. This story is about MacKinley, the most beautiful
(and big) Greyhound I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I first
saw MacKinleywhen he was walking down the stairs of the facility where I
teach training classes. He was there for his first training class, my Canine
Good Citizen: Clicker Style class. As I
mentioned, MacKinley is BIG; as large as an average sized Great Dane.
His head comes up to my chest and he is thin, yet muscular and sleek, and
elegant and light on his feet like most Greyhounds. But, unlike many
Greyhounds, MacKinley was friendly, VERY friendly. Don't get me
wrong, Greyhounds are not generally unfriendly, they just aren't
typically exuberant, especially if they have just retired from the
Greyhound racing circuit asMacKinley had.
At MacKinley's side
was his owner, Leah. Herself thin and elegant. And, also a real beauty.
They matched.
After
interviewing Leah, I learned that she had tried to register for my Therapy Dog
class but it was full and she was counseled to take the CGC class to
help towards their goal of becoming a Therapy Dog team. What at first was
disappointing for Leah, actually turned out to be fortuitous because in this
smaller class, I was going to be able to give them more one-on-one instruction.
At this time, I also found out more about MacKinley's personal
history. He retired in the Spring of 2012, was relinquished to a Greyhound
rescue. Leah came along very soon
after and adopted him. He
literally went from the track into her home, his first home. As of January
2013, they had only been doing obedience work for about a month. Before that,
for the previous 6 months, they had just bonded, nothing else. That is where
the "Trust" part of this story began. And, that would prove
critically important as this pair worked at the formal obedience training phase
of their relationship.
I
always start this class with an explanation of what
the AKC CGC test entails along with a quick evaluation of where
each dog stands on the test behaviors. Leah and MacKinley did very
well on almost all the requirements. But where they needed work, to put it
bluntly, those behaviors were going to be a challenge. You see, retired racing
Greyhounds generally don't know how to sit. Why Greyhounds don't sit is a
matter of debate. Some say it's because they are aren't allowed to sit or are
punished for sitting so that they don't sit down in the starting gates. Some
say, with their super long legs and highly muscled thighs, they just aren't
comfortable doing it. I suspect it's a little of both. But the fact remains,
the AKC CGC test REQUIRES all dogs to "sit." Therapy
Dog International does not require dogs to "sit," but
the CGC test does. And we knew that getting an adult Greyhound to sit
on command when he has NEVER done it before was not going to be easy. So this
was not a behavior we could simply "capture" because MacKinley had
NEVER sat down before. He also didn't know "down" on command and his
"stay" was not reliable.
When
coming up with a plan to get MacKinley to "sit" on command,
I ask Leah if he ever did anything similar to a sit; come to find out, he did.
He "leaned." He often leaned against the sofa or even sometimes, a
pile of pillows. That was important because when using the "shaping"
method of training, we need to mark (with a clicker, of course) and reward any
approximation of behavior towards our final goal. AND, (this is really
important) I was NOT going to allow Leah (not that she would anyway) do
anything remotely negative with MacKinley that could jeopardize the
trust he already had and the mutual respect they were currently working on
creating. I asked Leah keep her clicker attached to her and treats squirreled
away somewhere close to carefully watch MacKinleywhen they were at home.
She needed to be ready to reinforce ANY leaning he did. I also noticed
that MacKinley pretty easily backed-up when she moved into him. We
would also use this to reach the first week goal: Get Mackinley to
"sit" on the sofa.
And
you know what, she did! When they came back to class the next
week, MacKinley was easily sitting on the sofa (his back legs
sticking straight out in front of him) with just a little forward pressure of
Leah walking up to him. He had started offering the behavior and she had
started attaching the cue/command to "sit" every time he did it. Leah
was well on her way to teaching her dog to sit by "shaping." Over the
next few weeks, we worked on downs (both capturing it at home and luring it
while in class) and "release" as a precursor to a good, strong stay.
All of which were progressing very nicely. Then one night they came into class
and Leah had something to show me. Sure enough, MacKinley sat! While
he wasn't doing it on command yet, he was randomly offering the behavior. And,
he was DOING it, over and over. He was doing it just because he knew Leah liked
it and when he did it she clicked and he got a treat. That is the power of
clicker training. A few days later Leah posted this picture on
her Facebook page...Enough said!
Last
week Leah and MacKinley took the CGC test. Yes, they
PASSED! I couldn't have been more proud of MacKinley and Leah! And when
you see the two of them together, there is no doubt that this human/dog
relationship is based strongly on Trust, Respect and so much Love....with help
from a little "shaping"and "clicking."
