FE135: Shaping Demystified

Your placement of reward matters, and I think you’ve gathered that thus far. But the range of how elegantly placement of reinforcement can be utilized is vast, and I hope to light some creative fires in you with this lecture. Think hard about movement, and think hard about how you can produce that movement, with your placement of reinforcers. Placement of reinforcement can hinder or enhance the learning process. It is never neutral, so always think about how it can enhance the learner’s experience. I have divided this trainer skill into categories, so that when considering your placement of reinforcement, you can check this list to be sure you have chosen the best one. 

Orientation 

One way we can utilize placement of reinforcement is to influence the orientation of the dog’s body while completing the behavior. In the same sense that we’d like the dog to face ahead on a stopped contact, we might want him to face his handler as he walks backwards. Let’s have a look at some examples: 

Front Position 

Here, I work on a front foot target with the end goal of producing an obedience-style front position. I reinforce by tossing in the direction of orientation, and while my dog is gone, I move so that his orientation again mimics that of the formal recall. 

Two on Two Off 

While working this dog’s two on two off stopped contact position, I utilize a forward-facing placement of reinforcement to keep him thinking “forward” thoughts as he engages in the behavior. You’ll also notice that I am using a two treat system here, as discussed last week. This way I can reset my dog in the same forward-facing position each time. None of the skills are designed to stand alone; they all work together to produce the best learning environment for your dog. 

Momentum 

Much in the same way that orientation of reinforcement can be used for or against our final goals, so can the momentum of the learner. When planning your reinforcement strategy, momentum is something we always want to consider. An object (or body part) in motion wants to stay in motion, so use that to your advantage! Consider which direction the body wants to move, and then be sure that direction benefits your final behavior. 

Chin Rest 

Here, Finnick is learning a chin rest behavior. I am using an upward food placement to capitalize on the natural motion back down toward a neutral head position. I am using momentum via reinforcement to get more reliable chin targets. 

Posture

Often in dog spots we are interested in specific posture for different behaviors. We can and should utilize reinforcement delivery to optimize posture. That can be done by keeping both momentum and orientation in mind, while banking on the third element: what is the dog’s body shaped like when he obtains reinforcement? 

Sit Pretty 

Here, I am clarifying sit pretty for Felix (I call it “be a bear”). I originally shaped this with paw raises and it quickly turned into a legs-flinging unsustainable posture. He can’t hold it the way he does it, and I would like him to be able to. I am utilizing a treat delivery that encourages the straight-backed posture I would like to see in his final behavior. 

Sit at Front 

When I shape fronts, I first worry about straight and close, then I worry about the sit. I prefer to encourage the sit with my reinforcement, rather than cue it verbally. Here, Felix is reliably targeting the foot target I am using for the straight and close portions, and so as I feed him I do so with his head high, effectively luring a sit. As the session goes, you start to see Felix offer a sit on the target.