As presented by Kathy Sdao.
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| Picture is unrelated. But beautiful! |
1. Physical Pressure
Also known as “molding,” this
method involves the trainer physically putting the dog into the
position you want. To do this, the dog needs to yield to your action.
Although this method can work (it’s how I taught Maisy to
shake/give me her paw, and how many people teach sit), it does
require a cooperative animal. Since the dog is passively allowing the
behavior to happen, it can be tricky to get the dog to understand
that he needs to offer the behavior.
2. Prompting
Similar to using physical pressure, in
this method, the trainer elicits the response by doing something that
prompts the dog to take action. For example, if you walk towards a
dog that is facing you, he is likely to step backwards. This is a
common way to teach the dog to back up. This tends to be used mostly
with reflexive instincts.
3. Luring
Kathy actually listed this as 2b
because it is a subset of prompting. In luring, we prompt the dog to
do a behavior by using food to get the dog to do what we want.
Although it is widely used among positive trainers, the dog is acting
more passively than some people would want.
4. Targeting
This requires the animal to place a
body part against an item. This does require some pre-teaching so
that the dog understands what he’s supposed to do when the target
item is presented, but once the dog has learned that, it can be used
to elicit a variety of behaviors. It can be used in a similar way to
luring, although it doesn’t have to be. It’s a great technique
for people who want the dog to be an active participant because the
dog has to think through the options and make choices.
5. Capturing
In capturing, the trainer can be quite
lazy. Instead of figuring out how to elicit a behavior, the trainer
simply watches for what she wants and then rewards it. This makes
capturing great for behaviors that are already in the dog’s
repertoire and that he’s likely to do (such as sitting or lying
down). Capturing doesn’t work for behaviors the dog doesn’t
innately do.
6. Shaping
This is what many people think of when
they think of “clicker training.” In shaping, we allow the dog to
offer behaviors and then click/reward small steps towards the goal
behavior. It requires the dog to be an active participant in his
training, and can often result in very creative behaviors.
7. Classical Conditioning
First discovered and studied by Pavlov,
classical conditioning is a method of getting behavior that relies on
creating associations between two things to create automatic
responses. In Pavlov’s case, he could get the behavior of drooling
by ringing a bell. Classical conditioning is used most often in
behavior modification, but can also be used for developing strong
recalls.
8. Removal of Inhibitors
If something is preventing a dog from
performing a behavior, removing that thing will often allow you to
get the behavior. Often, the thing that is inhibiting the behavior is
something scary, so this is really about allowing the dog to feel
safe enough to perform.
9. Modeling or Mimicry
This method of getting behavior
involves demonstrating what you want, and then having the dog copy
what you’re doing. Although it is possible for dogs to do this,
they are not naturally good at it. It’s really more useful
for primates.
10. Verbal Instructions
This one isn’t used for animals at
all as it requires a shared understanding of verbal language. In
other words, it’s only for humans, and only for those who speak and
understand the same language! Still, it is a way to get behavior, so
I’ve included it here!
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