"Dig" as an example of Shaping
- petravasilik
- Sep 15, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 12
My favorite part of dog training has always been shaping a new behavior or trick. There is nothing cuter to me than watching a dog think, problem solve and the exhilarating "lightbulb moment".
There are so many things to "shape"!
Of course, there are lots of funny tricks you can shape, like hiding in a suitcase, stacking toy rings or fetching a tissue when you sneeze.
Shaping is also frequently used in canine fitness, for example, for teaching a behavior as simple as stepping onto a prop. Yes, you can lure some of these behaviors, but generally, they don't learn as quickly. It's like giving them a cookie, but they don't know why they got it. Luring can also cause a degree of distrust, if for some reason the dog is wary of the behavior you're trying to achieve. In shaping, it's always the dog's choice.
Shaping involves teaching your dog a final behavior by rewarding approximations towards that particular behavior. As many of you know, I love clicker training and although you could say "yes" or another quick marker word, the clicker is always "neutral", always the same, crisp and quick sound, which makes it very clear for the dog and thus speeds up the learning process. Once they know the behavior, you can always use your marker word instead.
So many fitness exercises can be shaped, for example pivoting rear legs while the dog stands with front legs on a bowl. You would click/reward when the dog moves its rear sideways even the slightest bit...
Targeting of nose, chin and paws toward objects or your hands are extremely valuable tools for achieving good form in canine fitness exercises, and these behaviors are also all shaped.
Another exercise that can be shaped very easily and is great for strengthening carpal and digital flexors, is teaching dogs to dig/scratch. No, it will not make your dog dig up the backyard.
The carpus is a highly complex joint and is often involved in sports injuries. It is also one of the most difficult to treat. Dogs that land with high impact on their front legs are at risk of carpal flexor/extensor tendon strains (hyperextension) or even ligament sprains, so it is important not to forget to include these exercises in a fitness plan.
Here is Rosi learning to "dig" by shaping. This can also turn into a useful "trick" for dogs that don't like their nails trimmed, as they scratch on a sandpaper/grit covered board. They even sell these boards online, but you can easily make one yourself.
This video is 2 min long and it gets the point across for those of you that are just learning about Shaping. I made some notes below about each step of the learning process.
In the first part of the video, I don't say anything and have the rag between me and her, and I click and reward any interaction with the rag. To speed up the process, you could put a treat under the rag to activate the natural dig behavior a dog would use to uncover something.
Then I reward when she puts her foot on the rag and starts scratching at it. At one point, I accidentally click when her nose targets the rag, so that stuck with her for a little while, but I was able to extinguish the behavior by highly rewarding the digs only.
To advance the exercise, I placed the rag over the board. With all the platform work we have been doing, she generalized and offered other behaviors - she wasn't quite sure what to do with that new situation. I just ignore it and wait for a few seconds to see if she figures it out. Out of slight frustration, she defaulted to a cute little "whisper trick" that she loves. I ignored it, although it made me giggle inside. Smiling at a dog can act as a reward, so you sometimes have to hide your feelings!
If for some reason she had shown more frustration or had disengaged, I would have taken it a step back and remove the board or put another treat between the board and the rag. Don't give up on your dog, instead try something different, keep them engaged and and don't let them have negative feelings about what you are trying to teach them.
In the next session, after she understands that digging is the correct behavior, I add the cue "dig, dig".
Because she already knows individual foot targeting and she's not a naturally "crazy" digger like my Jack Russell, I decided to add left and right alternating digs. "One" means lift right front, and "Two" means her left front.
With her weight shifting to the rear (elevated front), this exercise is demanding on the rear end stabilizers and core. When she raises her right front to scratch, the grounded left front, her core muscles and her right rear leg stabilizers are working hard at keeping her balanced. Vice versa for when she lifts her left front.
In the next session I will reward longer and harder "digs" as my main goal is carpal strengthening.
The next video is just a little extra for you and it shows how you can build one shaped behavior onto another. I shaped this exercise for Rosi a while ago, to strengthen her shoulders and elbow flexors (her front always needs help). She has now learned to alternate legs after every reward without me saying anything (except my marker word). Interestingly, this trick, which I call "chicken", started when she was a puppy and was very finicky about eating her food. She used to eat with the bowl on the floor. I shaped the trick so that once her bowl was empty and she put a foot into the bowl, she would get a piece of chicken (or other yummies that were higher value than her kibble). She started eating like a champ, cause she knew what the end behavior and resulting reward was, and that if she ate faster, she would get the reward sooner.
Once she started eating from elevated bowls, she continued to put her paw into it, and it turned into a workout, especially when I taught her to alternate legs. You all are thinking why she would wait to put her paw into the bowl until she was done eating? Most dogs wouldn't put their paw into a bowl filled with their food!
Feel free to post your fun experiences with shaping and/or post a video.
Thanks for your interest!
Best, Petra
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