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<p>SHAPING FOR THE SHOW RING - Part I <br/>Karen Pryor <br/><br/>How to 'shape' your show dog into a winner by using a 'conditioned reinforcer', without using physical corrections. <br/>"Shaping" is a new technique for turning show dogs into winners. My friend Barbara loves Great Danes and enjoys showing her dogs but her new Great Dane, Heather, was frustrating her. Barbara showed Heather in her first puppy class at 8 months. When the judge leaned over to touch the dog, Heather ran behind Barbara and wouldn't let the man near her. Heather disqualified herself because of her seemingly poor temperament. She was terrified of strangers. It looked as if Heather's show career was over before it had begun. <br/><br/>Barbara approached me with this problem. I'm a behavioral biologist, and an author of books and articles on how to shape behavior with positive reinforcements. Shaping is scientific slang for building a particular behavior by using a series of small steps to achieve it. Shaping allows you to create behavior from scratch without physical control or corrections, but rather by drawing on your animal's natural ability to learn. Lately many dog trainers have begun applying this technique - called operant conditioning - to canine tasks and sports. <br/><br/>To shape behavior rapidly and effectively you must use a distinct signal, such as a touch or a noise, that marks the instant the right action occurs. After the signal the animal is given something it likes, such as praise, petting, toys or food. <br/><br/>Although praise and food conveys to the animal that you're pleased, the marker signal is actually more important because it tells the animal exactly what it was doing that earned it the treat. That information makes it both possible and likely the animal will do the right thing again. Dolphin trainers use a whistle as their marker signal, or 'conditional reinforcer'. Dog trainers seem to have settled on a toy clicker. <br/><br/><br/>How could this help Barbara? Barbara, Heather and I arranged to meet at a dog show, where Barbara had brought Heather just to get her used to the many new sights and sounds. Heather was certainly pretty, and the sights and sounds didn't seem to bother her. She gazed around with the aplomb typical of Danes - until I reached out to pet her. Then she shied like a horse and backed away to the end of her lead. <br/><br/>I had no interest in why Heather behaved this way; my aim was to see if we could get Heather to react in a more appropriate manner. <br/><br/>We found a quite spot, beyond the crowds. I bought some sausage at the hot dog stand on the show grounds (it's always wise to start this process with something truly delicious). Heather ate the sausage slices, but only if Barbara fed them to her (she wouldn't take them from me). I gave Barbara a plastic clicker and showed her how to begin the shaping procedure. Click, then treat. Click, then treat. Teach the dog to expect the treat when it hears the click. Then I had Barbara walk the dog around for a few minutes, clicking whenever Heather appeared to relax. <br/><br/>Barbara took the clicker home. The next day she took Heather to a nearby shopping center. Whenever someone came down the sidewalk towards them, Barbara clicked, then stopped Heather and gave her a treat. Soon Heather was walking calmly toward approaching strangers. <br/><br/>Often, of course, peopled wanted to pet Heather. On the third day Barbara began letting people touch Heather on the back. Barbara clicked if Heather stood still. Heather quickly learned to stand still on purpose. From her viewpoint, she had Barbara all figured out: if Heather accepted petting, Barbara clicked and gave a treat every time. <br/><br/>The next weekend Barbara took Heather to the second show of her life. Heather trotted calmly beside Barbara and stood politely while the judge looked at her teeth and felt her legs. Heather won her class. Three weeks later, Heather won a puppy class and beat several adult female Great Danes, earning her fi<td></td><tr></tr><br/><table class="i_table" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="880" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%"><tbody><tr class="head"><td><b>Steffie</b></td><td class="smalltxt" align="right">2004-02-06 01:21</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td class="tpc_content" colspan="2">[B]Part II [/B] <br/><br/>Improving your dog's gait for the show ring is as easy as using a click and a treat. <br/><br/>In the show ring, the way a dog moves can be more important than its coat, head, teeth or any other physical characteristic. Movement shows best at the trot because, unlike the walk or gallop, the trot is a symmetrical, balanced movement. In this motion, any unsoundness - a bad hip, a weak shoulder - will show up at once. To the trained eye, little defects in movement, such as spraddling the hind feet or crossing the front feet, can reveal poor proportions or structural flaws. <br/><br/>These flaws may not be evident under the thick coat of a Collie or Samoyed or when the dog is standing still, but they are characteristics that affect the dog's stamina, endurance, lifelong health and ability to perform the work for which it was bred. These characteristics will also be passed down to any offspring the dog might have, which is why showing is important to breeders and for dogs. <br/><br/>Judges, therefore, want to see each dog trot past them, which allows for a good side view of the animal. Judges also make each handler trot their dog directly toward and away from their line of sight, so they can gauge how closely the dog approaches its breed's ideal. <br/><br/>All too often, however, the behavior of both dog and handler make fair evaluations impossible. If your dog trots on a diagonal (known as 'crabbing') or lugs on its lead as if pulling a milk wagon, the judge has no chance to see anything but poor movement. Down go your dog's marks; down go your chances to win. But these handicaps can be avoided and your dog's movement improved by training with a clicker and treats. <br/><br/>Team-Training The Gait <br/><br/>In my previous column, I explained how to use a toy clicker (or any other distinctive sound) to mark the exact moment your dog does something right. After clicking, tell your dog with petting, praise and treats that you are pleased. The crucial information, however - what the dog did to earn all that - lies in the marker signal. You can also ring a bell, blow a whistle or jingle the coins in your pocket. It is important to use an artificial sound as a marker signal; research indicates that it is much clearer to dogs than any spoken word. <br/><br/>Improving movement with a clicker is more easily accomplished by two people: one to click, one to treat. Find a partner - perhaps someone who is also preparing to show a dog - and schedule some practice time. As you gait your dog, have your partner click when your dog does what you want. Stop instantly on the click and give your dog a treat of cubed cheese or diced chicken. After that, resume gaiting, giving your dog another chance to earn a click and treat. <br/><br/>Try not to tease or bait your dog with the food. Waving food around defeats the purpose of the clicker. It makes your dog watch and follow your hands, instead of looking straight ahead; it also makes your dog think about food, rather than what it is suppose to be doing to earn the click. Also, don't click at the end of the run. Click at random points during the run, or you'll rapidly develop a dog that looks bored during the run and elated only at the turnaround point. <br/><br/>Decide what needs improvement. Remember: You want your dog to be near you, perhaps even a little in front of you, and moving straight. You can put your partner alongside you to work on positioning your dog, or at either end of the track to work on its straight-line movement. Trade positions with your partner, so you can watch and click your own dog and see how it's coming along. Finally, keep your sessions short. Don't push yourself or your dog to the point of fatigue. <br/><br/>Working in teams will enable you to teach your dog in just a few five-minute sessions to move in a straight line, to keep its ears and tail up, to have a happy look on its face and to move on a slightly loose lead. Why not hand those responsibilities over to your dog? Use the clicker to explain what you want - and your dog will be thrilled to oblige. <br/><br/>A loose lead is important. If you hold the lead tau</td></tr><td></td><tr></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br/><table class="i_table" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="880" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%"><tbody><tr class="head"><td><b>Steffie</b></td><td class="smalltxt" align="right">2004-02-06 01:24</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td class="tpc_content" colspan="2">[B]Part III[/B] <br/><br/>Clicker training can help owners shape their small dogs into show-stopping <br/>specials. <br/><br/>Little dogs face challenges at conformation shows that big dogs do not. The length of the ring, which a big dog can cover in a few strides, can be a very long trot for a small dog. Bigger dogs are everywhere, a threat to even the bravest Miniature Pinscher. Worse, there are big people (with big feet) everywhere. <br/><br/>Small dogs know from experience that being stepped on hurts. I have often seen owners of little dogs waiting to go into the ring, oblivious to the fact that some bystander has just backed into or tripped over their West Highland White Terrier or Manchester Terrier, endangering and totally demoralizing the dog. <br/><br/>Little dogs must be shown to the judge on a table, one high enough that the dog may be justifiably afraid of falling off. Getting there can be an unpleasant experience, too. With some terriers, it is traditional to hoist the dog roughly by the tail and the lead, an airborne experience that many small dogs find visibly disconcerting. <br/><br/>Training Dogs to Pose <br/><br/>The process of shaping behavior by means of conditioned reinforcer - or as some dog owners call it, clicker training - offers enormous benefits to the small-breed conformation dog and its owner. Let's start with table work. One way to overcome a dog's fear of the examination table is to give it a job. Many handlers use a job that can be described as "watch my finger." <br/><br/>Give yourself a noisemaker. Plastic clickers are becoming very popular, but if you don't have one, a pocket stapler is easy to handle and makes a nice, distinct sound. (Spoken words are not as clear.) Cut up some desirable food, such as hot dogs, chicken or cheese, into pea-sized pieces. Put the food where you can reach it but your dog can't (in your pocket or on a nearby stool). Put your dog on a table. <br/><br/>Click. Give it a treat. <br/><br/>Now hold your index finger out, steadily, in front of the dog's nose. Click when it looks at your finger. Take your finger away and give the dog a treat. You don't need to wave the finger and you don't need to have food in that hand. In fact, it's better if you don't; you want the dog to listen for the click, not look for the treat. (You are not tempting the dog with bait, hoping it will look interested; instead, you are showing it that by focusing its eyes and ears on your index finger, it can make you go 'click'.) <br/><br/>Perhaps your dog crouches in fear. Hold the lead for safety's sake, but don't push or pull at your dog, or try to lift it. Keep your hands away. After a few clicks for looking at your finger, your dog will stand up. Click the instant it stands, then give it a treat. Don't touch your dog and, whatever you do, don't talk to it! Sweet talk and encouragement may actually reinforce timid behavior. Instead, hold your finger enticingly near your dog's nose and rely on your clicker to tell the dog, "That's what I want." <br/><br/>Your dog will break its pose while it eats the treat. That's fine. What happened when you clicked is what will count in the long run, not what the dog does between clicks while it eats. <br/><br/>When your dog is standing and focusing on your finger, move it away slightly and start reinforcing your dog to lean forward into a show stance. Keep the clicks and treats coming every few seconds in this early lesson by finding various good things for which to click: Click for standing with all four paws on the ground; for leaning forward a bit; for raising or wagging its tail; and certainly for pricking its ears. <br/><br/>What happens if you click for your dog's having pricked its ears and it simultaneously sits? Don't worry; give it a treat. The majority of clicks will catch your dog standing. It's the cumulative information that counts, not the occasional mistake. <br/><br/>How do you extend the length of time your dog will stand there? Once you have the dog standing nicely, you can convey the idea that it should hold its pose by waiting two or three beats until you click. If your dog breaks the pose before you click, fine. Don</td></tr><td></td><tr></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br/><table class="i_table" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="880" align="center"><tbody><tr><td><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%"><tbody><tr class="head"><td><b>Steffie</b></td><td class="smalltxt" align="right">2004-02-06 01:25</td></tr><tr bgcolor="#ffffff"><td class="tpc_content" colspan="2">[B]Part IV[/B] <br/><br/>The Extended Trot <br/><br/>The most beautiful way for a four-legged animal to travel is in what horse trainers call an "extended" trot. Instead of just jogging along, the animal reaches, taking longer-than-normal strides with each step. An extended trot is not a faster trot: the cadence may not increase in the slightest. What does increase is the distance covered by every step, and the extra strength used in achieving that distance. <br/><br/>A dog in an extended trot seems to move powerfully, purposefully, and gracefully, almost floating over the ground. These are the dogs that catch the public eye as soon as they enter the ring. You can hear the comments: "How proud he is!" "What a gorgeous dog!" "Look, you can tell she knows she's beautiful." <br/><br/>We get the impression of confidence, even pride, because of the function of the movement. In nature, the extended trot is what biologists call a "display" behavior. Display behaviors signal the message, "Look at me!" You can see an extended trot when a stallion patrols the fence dividing him from other horses. You can see it when a mature male dog notices and heads for another dog in the distance. You can see it sometimes when dogs compete in play: perhaps when one captures the ball from another and gleefully trots off, head high, tail waving, with the prize. <br/><br/>In the ring, people hope for that look. Some people spend many hours "gaiting" the dog, trotting it up and down, luring it with food, encouraging it with the voice, trying to tease the dog into "showing" itself. Many handlers simply haul the dog's head in the air with the leash and then pull it forcibly along at the speed they think most likely to produce a decent-looking trot. Some breeders tend to select and show rather dominant individuals, the "Alpha animals", as biologists put it, because they go into the ring innately eager to be, literally, the top dog. These individuals, male or female, may give you a flashy, extended trot spontaneously. Of course they can also give you very dominant offspring, way beyond the management skills of average dog owners. <br/><br/>Clicker Training The Extended Trot <br/><br/>There is an easy way to get beautiful show ring gaiting from any well-built dog, without relying on an overabundance of dominance. You teach it to give you an extended trot - on purpose, and on cue. <br/><br/>First, you need a way to identify for the dog what movement you want: the clicker will do that. Second, you need to be able to tell when the dog is beginning to give you the right kind of movement. However, it's hard to judge what a dog's legs are doing, when you are looking down on it from your end of the leash. You can use mirrors, but moving and watching at the same time is difficult too. The easiest solution is to find a partner or an assistant. Perhaps you can work with a friend who is also showing a dog, or with a neighbor or relative. (Many teenagers enjoy being given a chance to work with animals.) <br/><br/>If your helper has an experienced eye, give him or her the clicker, while you handle the dog. If your helper is not experienced enough to tell good movement from bad, then have the helper run the dog back and forth, while you watch and click. <br/><br/>The job of the observer is to click the instant the trotting dog happens to reach farther than usual with the front legs. (An easy way to spot even a small improvement is to crouch down to floor level and watch how far those front paws go, in relation to the dog's nose.) CLICK! <br/><br/>The job of the handler is to trot the dog back and forth, and to stop INSTANTLY on hearing the click. The dog stops too, of course, and gets its treat. Then the handler resumes "gaiting" the dog. What if the dog doesn't seem to be extending at all? Then click and treat at random points, a few times. That makes the dog begin to feel "Hey! This is fun!" Then you will see a new "spring" in the trot, giving you something to click. It does not matter that you "interrupt" the stride to stop and feed the dog; what the dog remembers is what it was doing when it heard the click. Be careful to CLICK</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></p> |
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