How To Shape Your Dog: The Ultimate Guide To Training Success #328 #podcast

How to shape your dog for training success starts with understanding that shaping isn’t about waiting and hoping, it’s about designing success from the start. In this episode, I’m sharing the ultimate guide to shaping, including the three phases I use to design, execute, and reflect on shaping sessions so they’re clear, efficient, and confidence-building for our dogs. We’ll look at how to define clear criteria, split behaviors into achievable pieces, choose reinforcement with intention, and recognize “cheap behaviors” before they become habits. When you shift from hoping to intentional planning and data collection, shaping becomes predictable, your dog learns faster, and your sessions become more effective and enjoyable. 🐾Key Episode Moments: 00:00 Shaping vs “Hoping” in Dog Training 03:00 The 3 Areas of Great Shaping 04:15 Designing the Learning 04:57 Stationary vs Motion Behaviors 07:01 Breaking Behaviors Into Smaller Pieces 07:58 Choosing the Right Emotional State 09:23 Split, Don’t Lump Your Training 10:43 Your Body Position Matters 11:27 What Are “Cheap Behaviors”? 14:36 Reinforcement Strategy That Works 17:29 Using Reinforcement to Reset 18:01 Setting Up the Environment for Success 19:13 Game Day Execution 20:12 Your First Session is an Evaluation 22:49 Train One Criterion at a Time 23:50 When to Add a Cue 25:09 Reflection: Where Progress Happens 28:39 Get Your Free Shaping Checklist Download Your Free Shaping Checklist: Click HERE to get your Complete Checklist to Shaping Behavior https://dogsthat.com/y/328/checklist Resources: 1. YouTube Playlist: Shaping Success in Dog Training with Susan Garrett - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLphRRSxcMHy3O-_a1dHX3DDwsYKu9osB8&si=kcsMUKfY7SZ1a39t 2. Podcast Episode 245: Make Dog Training Easy! Quick Guide To Antecedent Arrangements - https://youtu.be/quPNF0tWdvk?si=sBskGI0Nm-g44sSL 3. Shaped by Dog Podcast - https://dogsthat.com/podcasts/ 4. Podcast Episode 327: Beyond “Yes” And “Good”: Why Your Dog Needs “Spotlights” - https://youtu.be/pWMf2hyIEBU?si=uSYoUs9PGt3FdYui 5. Podcast Episode 196: Why Mastering Reinforcement Is The Linchpin To Reinforcement Based Dog Training - https://youtu.be/aDe3GiJRXVg?si=4-X-N_1y-WW41VJd 6. Podcast Episode 89: Why Dogs Should Not Tug: The Truth Revealed - https://youtu.be/zBH2lKVxj58?si=U8n2z2v17ZIA3_i9 7. Podcast Episode 133: Become Your Own Dog Training Coach With This Video Strategy - https://youtu.be/gxEKyks9UGY?si=hUmTbjinH9wCBAcv 8. Podcast Episode 184: Proofing Vs Generalizing In Dog Training To Grow Skills And Confidence - https://youtu.be/FKUo3NWXhLE?si=m5lZgKz4tcNA-Fql 9. Podcast Episode 227: My Foolproof Strategy To Overcoming Dog Training Challenges - https://youtu.be/Oirv9seNtLE?si=QDv3n7iyMM1EkRQE 10. Podcast Episode 266: Hot Zone And Stays – How One Dog Training Nuance Can Fix Anxiety And Duration - https://youtu.be/x9_iX6--lXk?si=2ti0DgxvWgpiCkEW P.S. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel so you get notifications of new videos! - - - - - - - Dogs That is brought to you by Susan Garrett and the Say Yes Dog Training Team. Susan Garrett’s interest in animal behaviour started at the University of Guelph where she earned a Bachelor of Science majoring in Animal Science. Since then she has developed into a preeminent dog trainer and canine sports instructor and competitor. Susan is one of the most successful agility competitors of the last three decades. She has won multiple Gold Medals at National or World Championship events with every dog she has ever owned over the past 30 years. A natural teacher and an entertaining speaker, Susan is world renowned as a leading educator of dog trainers. Her understanding of how to apply science-based learning principles to both competitive and family pet dog training has been pivotal in changing how dogs are trained. Susan is now helping many thousands of dog owners in 132 countries have the best relationship possible with their dogs. The real joy for her comes from bringing confidence to dogs and their owner through playful interactions and relationship building games that are grounded firmly in the science of how animals learn. - - - - - - - Our Website: https://dogsthat.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanGarrettDogAgility/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/SusanGarrettDogsThat/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dogsthat LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dogsthat Pinterest: https://pinterest.ca/dogsthatcom/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/susangarrett There’s always something new happening at Dogs That, so if you’d like to be the first to know, visit our website, register to receive updates, and we'll keep you in the loop. https://dogsthat.com