Luring or Shaping a Behavior

There are two main methods used in clicker training to teach a new behavior to your dog. These two methods are: luring and shaping.

Below you will see how to use these two methods to teach your dog virtually any behavior!

Using these two methods you can teach your dog virtually anything, you just have to decide what you want to teach him, and then use one of the methods (luring or shaping) to teach it.

Which method you use is up to you and it depends on what you're trying to teach. Sometimes luring is the easiest method to use to teach a behavior, and sometimes shaping is the easiest.

1. Luring Method

STEP 1 - Lure your dog to perform the behavior

Hold a treat near your dog's nose and lure him through the behavior.

STEP 2 - Click and treat

At the exact moment he does the behavior, click and treat.

STEP 3 - REPEAT

Repeat steps 1 and 2 until he masters the behavior while being lured.

STEP 4 - Fade the lure

Without holding a treat in your hand lure him like before to do the behavior (pretend like you have a treat in your hand). Click when he follows your hand and does the behavior, and treat. Repeat this step, each time very gradually reducing your hand movements until you're making no hand movements at all and merely standing in front of him with the clicker in your hand causes him to do the behavior.

STEP 5 - Add a cue

Now you can add a verbal cue to the behavior. To do this, wait for him to perform the behavior and when does say the cue. Repeat this step, gradually saying the cue earlier until you're saying it before he actually performs the behavior.

From now on only click and treat if he performs the behavior after you've given the cue. (I.e. from now on, don't click and treat if he performs the behavior if you haven't given the cue).

2. Shaping Method

STEP 1 - Watch and wait

Watch your dog very carefully and wait for him to make a small step or movement in the right direction.

STEP 2 - Click and treat

Click the moment he makes a step or movement in the right direction (towards the final goal or behavior), and treat.

STEP 3 - Raise the bar

Repeat steps 1 and 2, each time making him move or step a little more in the right direction (towards the final goal or behavior) before you click and treat until he is performing the final behavior! (You've just successfully shaped the behavior.)

STEP 4 - Add a cue

Now you can add a verbal cue to the behavior. To do this, wait for him to perform the behavior and when does say the cue. Now very gradually say the cue earlier until you're saying it before he actually performs the behavior.

From now on only click and treat if he performs the behavior after you've given the cue. (I.e. from now on, don't click and treat if he performs the behavior if you haven't given the cue).

Next: Do I have to keep using the clicker forever?