Soon after learning that a click marks the exact behavior and tells the animal what earned its reward, newcomers to clicker training wonder how to go about getting that clickable behavior. On this point, the answer they hear depends on whom they ask.
Shaping and Targeting
Techniques for building behaviors
Stepping on the Food: A Memo from Karen
By Karen Pryor on 02/19/2008You're training "leave it." You drop a bit of food, the dog lunges toward it, and you cover it with your foot. Are you just managing the environment, or is this negative punishment, taking away something desired?
What is Microshaping, Anyway?
By Kay Laurence on 01/08/2008This month I'm welcoming a guest author to the Letter from Karen, British clicker training innovator Kay Laurence. Please enjoy this wonderful discussion of what Kay has dubbed "microshaping."—Karen Pryor
The Sea Food Circus: Training Fish
By Karen Pryor on 11/01/2007Are fish trainable? And if they are, why bother?
How Shaping Develops Learning
By Kay Laurence on 11/01/2007Free shaping sessions give us a window into the thought process of learners. We can see how learners make choices toward solutions, and we can see when they have run out of ideas.
