2019 has been a great year for animal training! Animal trainers and owners around the world are continuing to add to those using positive reinforcement and an understanding hand when training the animals with whom they work and live! I have been encouraged to see more people interested in teaching animals the behaviors they need to know how to be part of our world while allowing them to maintain their animal nature.
As we come to the end of 2019, I encourage everyone to make resolutions to train both you and your animals in a practical and positive manner. So many times, we find ourselves making New Year’s resolutions that are not practical, resulting in us abandoning them by the end of January. But as 2020 comes into view, I am here to tell you, your resolutions are achievable! How? Let me explain.
Shaping
There is a process I use every day that allows me to help my clients and their animals achieve their goals. This process is called shaping. Shaping is when you break down a behavior into its smaller parts and gradually add on each part until the final behavior is achieved. This process is quite common in life, yet for some reason it seems to be thrown out the window when the new year arrives. I encourage everyone to make sure they keep shaping in mind when they make their New Years resolutions. To start you off on the right foot, lets chat about shaping behavior in both people and pets.
In 2020, I encourage anyone who interacts with animals to put in place the resolution to shape the animal’s behavior rather than forcing it. To do this with the animal, start by making a list of goal behaviors. For example, I know someone right now who has the goal of having his dog lay on its bed while dinner is being cooked in the kitchen. He also wants his dog to use one section of the yard to relieve himself, as the rest of the yard will be an edible garden. The third behavior is that he wants his dog to learn to ring a bell before going outside. Now that he has this list, he knows exactly what he is going to work on. Next, he can start breaking each of these behaviors down into small parts to work on shaping the end behaviors. Now if you are thinking that shaping sounds complicated, I will tell you something to help you out. Though there are a lot of steps, shaping can actually help simplify the learning process as each stage is set out clearly. Shaping used with positive reinforcement also creates reliable behaviors. Thus, the process is worth it! And to make things even better, it is really fun!
Shaping the Behavior of Shaping
So how do we get into the habit of shaping behaviors? Shape your habit! What is your goal behavior? Your goal behavior is that when your pet does something you don’t want, you immediately come up with a goal behavior and a list of the smaller parts that make up that behavior. To start, simply practice coming up with the goal behavior. Every time your dog does something you wish they wouldn’t do, take a few seconds to come up with the behavior that you do want them to do. This not only helps shape your behavior but will get your creative juices flowing for other situations as well. For example, maybe you want to stop a behavior that you do. You can apply this same process!
The next step is to practice breaking down the goal behavior into small parts. For your dog, maybe you want them to lay down while you cook dinner. What are the parts to this behavior? First, the dog must learn to lay down on cue; next they have to learn to touch their bed with their paws; next you combine the two, and so on and so forth. For you, maybe you want to learn to play an instrument. So, you start by sitting down and learning how to hold the instrument, then you learn how to play each note, then you learn how to put them together in a short song, then a longer song, and so on and so forth. With each step of the process you will begin to see that you can accomplish your goal!
Shaping in Life
As you make resolutions, remember shaping and how it can help you achieve your goals. But there is another important thing that shaping can help you accomplish. Shaping can help change the way you see life. It can help you begin to habitually look for opportunity. As someone who uses shaping to train animals, I now see their unwanted behavior as an opportunity to get creative and have fun! This has spilled over into other areas of my life, as I now find myself looking at challenges as an end goal with achievable parts that I can accomplish!
So as 2019 comes to a close, and 2020 comes into view, keep in mind that you don’t have to shy away from making resolutions. Whether your resolutions are for yourself or involve your pets. Simply remember to shape your future!
Stay tuned for New Year's Resolutions Part 2!
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