FE440: Shaping Games - Clean Mechanics and Keen Observations

BETWEEN - Shaping a Concept Game, by Julie Daniels

Equipment

First, we must choose what we want our dog to go 'between.' Give this some thought! We will need to expand the equipment choices as we go, but this first presentation is important! What must we be able to do with this equipment? Let's look at the features we need based on the function we need:

This first choice will help the dog learn to seek two vertical posts close together and put himself between them. So we need something which will not fall apart if he touches one side or the other. We need something with two posts which will remain vertical and parallel, and close enough together that the dog can learn to recognize it as one item. That is the first requirement for our training plan, Equipment.

Establishing Operations (Antecedents)

OK, we have chosen our equipment. Now we can establish our operation. Where should we work with this equipment? We need to choose an area with enough space for the dog to move about freely. We need the dog to be able to see the equipment as a unit which is available for operation separate from the rest of the environment. So the space must not be crowded around the equipment.

Great! We have chosen our equipment and now we have chosen our workspace. What's next?

Attraction

Don't forget the need for Attraction as we go along in this class! That is the extra A in our ABC! We will be faithful to Attraction because this class is designed to further your relationship and not just your knowledge of behavioral science. In this class, your dog must be attracted to the objects before you ask for behaviors with them. We work on Attraction out of context from the work itself. Don't start off behind the game. This is the process of developing Curiosity. We want your dog to be attracted to novelty. This class will be perfect for that important but often neglected little piece of your training puzzle. It will strengthen your training for every sport, but that's not really my point. It will strengthen everything about daily life with your dog.

Do you need to introduce your equipment separately from the operant shaping session? If your dog is not always brave with new things, then that would be very smart! Bring your chosen equipment into the house and allow your dog to acclimate to it before you use it in training. That is what Attraction is all about. We start with the dog already attracted to our equipment, whatever that novelty will be. You will see this in the description of Maggie's session, below. Before we began this first session, we spent a few minutes playing click/treat just for investigating the zoner honer out of the working context. After she felt good about the equipment per se, then we put the equipment on the training floor and let her begin to operate. Can that kind of acclimation help your dog too? Don't rule it out just because it's not part of the actual shaping session. Attraction greatly raises the probability that you will make progress right from the start using that equipment in your shaping sessions.

Shaping the Act of Going Between (Operant Behavior Choices Driven by Consequences)

This first video is of a brand new student, Ellen, and her charming, talented but not-so-brave medium sized adult dog named Maggie. Ellen was very kind to let me talk her through this first step of 'between.'

Maggie

We spent a short bit of time clicking and treating Maggie for touching/investigating our chosen 'between' item, which happens to be a zoner honer. It took about one minute. Why would we do that? Think of it as Attraction for the equipment. Attraction will be the first order of business every time we introduce a new piece of equipment.

Our zoner honer works well here as a between. Some dogs might do better without a top bar, so you could use a 2x2 or any substitute pole arrangement, and if the dog is nervous about it you could use free-standing poles spaced wider apart (like my broad jump markers in the Intro video, for example). Whatever you choose, the most important first step should always be to make sure your dog is attracted to the item rather than suspicious of it. You can tell that we did a good job of that prerequisite task, because Maggie demonstrates happy tail and happy face around the obstacle from the outset of our 'between' game. Very important.

On to the first video, of Maggie and Ellen and their very first exposure to the 'go between' game.

Maggie and Ellen First Time with One Between

I think many of you will view newbie Ellen with a critical eye. That's good. And I appreciate her for being tough enough to let me tape her first effort. But really, pick her apart and learn from it! Can you understand what I was asking of her, and why I would say, for example, “get to the other side?” You have to let yourself become comfortable with varying your variables. Only practice can do this for you.

Don't forget that clicking is a mechanical skill. Please don't say 'I'm not good at clicking' because I will not let you talk about my student (you!) that way. Such talk is counterproductive. Remember what we already talked about with this skill. It takes practice. Practice clicking to a drum beat. Watch a person walking down the street and click when the left foot hits the ground. This gets easy so quickly that soon you'll have to be more specific, like clicking heel strike or toe roll. You get the idea. Practice. Pay attention. Practice some more. It's just a mechanical skill.

Thor

Here is a different kind of dog, a young adult GSD named Thor, also learning in his very first 'between' shaping session. You'll notice that I am very quiet in this session. There is no chit chat and no verbal encouragement. It is between the dog and the equipment, and the lesson is guided by the clicker. This means that the dog's behavior is being controlled by its consequences. When Thor does not hear a click, that is momentarily stressful for him! Isn't it interesting to see the dog figure out what pays and what does not pay. You can see that it is important that the dog see the simple 'between' obstacle as a good thing. He must be attracted to it in order for our work to be fun and games, because this work is difficult!

Ultimately, as your dog learns to learn, the fun and games will be what this is all about. These early shaping sessions are important! Make sure your dog is successful. Notice how I help Thor when he gets stuck and lies down. I don't mind his being frustrated for a second, as he was when he whined once and then immediately thought for himself to go through the between, which was instantly clicked and rewarded. That kind of very brief frustration is good for him, as it will make him more resourceful.

I know this dog's family well. He has a background of kind handling and he trusts people in general. So when he whined I let him think. But when he lay down I helped him. I didn't talk. I moved and changed my location. I walked to the other side of the between to help him see it quickly. That is to say, I used body language to invite movement and help his brain see a solution. If he had not immediately been successful in response to that, then all bets are off and I would have done whatever it took in the moment to make him feel good again. Probably I would have lured him through the gap, paid him well, and ended the session. Certainly I would have reassured him with my voice. We will be talking next week about the vast difference between Silent Shaping and Rigid Shaping. This is an example of good Silent Shaping.

This session is without any talking. But if Thor had unexpectedly had trouble for more than a couple of seconds, I would have done whatever it took to remove the pressure he felt and help him succeed. He is the judge of the pressure. We will all guess wrong about that now and then. Take a look at this video and see what you can see. We'll be talking a lot more about how to see details when we get to the shaping challenges of Week 3. So it's good to start looking for the important points of operation, and this is a great place to start. What do you see?

Thor, first Between

Thisby

Now we get to watch an experienced student, Sue, with her Corgi puppy, Thisby. Thisby is wearing a short line, which has to do with the large amount of freedom we are giving her in this training room. Some dogs like to do all the things, so we will step on the line only if she begins to operate on the weave poles which are off to the side. We need not have worried, but it's good to be prepared. There is no loop on the line, by the way, so it will not get caught on the equipment.

Here is Thisby's third (or so) session with the 'go between' game. Because she is learning to weave, we are using a 2x2 for her equipment. It is very familiar to her, and she is a rock star here. This is a model for how self-assured we want your dog to be with this concept game of Between.

Thisby, Experienced with One Between

See the faster pace, quicker responses. See how quickly Thisby develops a high comfort level with changing sides and angles. Notice that even when an errant cookie toss takes her over to her weave poles, she is not distracted for a second. She is fully engaged in our Between game. By her own choice, this game is better. This attitude comes with good practice. Good practice makes the dog feel good and feel confident. This is what we want to see as your dog learns this game, and each game we will play. Distraction? Ha! Just try to take them off task. No, they say, this is better. My person has the best game.

This is powerful stuff.