Free Shaping

I mentioned in my last post that I signed Rundle up for a Performance Puppy class with the Fenzi Acadamy of Dog Sports. Although I am not allowed to share specific class lessons I am allowed to share the videos that I made for the class. One thing that this class has really forced me to do is to work on free shaping. This is something that is a bit out of my element even though I have been clicker training for some time. I usually shape with a specific goal in mind to teach a specific behaviour, but I never really got into the "101 Things To Do With A Box" that is the trademark game of clicker trainers. I guess I never really saw the point of rewarding any random behaviour the dog offered and to be honest, I found it a bit boring. I do think it is a good game to play to teach good timing and to teach you how to be observant, especially if you are new to clicker training. After doing this class, I do see the benefit for the dog in free shaping. It gives the dog permission to try new things and to offer many types of behaviors. It really gets them thinking and doing - Rundle seems to enjoy the game, so that is a bonus.