by Cassi Bee, CPDT-KA
What is Capturing?
Capturing behavior in training means waiting for a behavior to occur, then marking and reinforcing it, rather than asking for a behavior first. Instead of luring, where you are using food in your hand to “get” a behavior, or prompting with a cue, you just wait for your dog to offer the behavior naturally.
Think of it as taking a Polaroid photo at just the right moment of your dog doing something you’d like to see more of while observing them throughout the day in different environments and circumstances, and hanging the photos on the fridge. When you say “yes!” you’ve hit the shutter button, and you just need a cookie or two to develop it!
For example, if your dog always lays down on the kitchen rug while you’re making coffee, but *doesn’t* always lay down when you’re making your lunch, you can capture the down position as this happens every morning while you brew your coffee. By doing so, your dog will opt to lay down more often on that rug and will do so more frequently.
How to Capture…
To capture the preferred behavior of laying on the kitchen rug as it happens, follow these steps:
- Observe your dog walking toward the rug to lay down, but do not say anything to them.
- Once your dog lays down, gently say “yes!” and offer them praise, a treat, or a little scratch behind the ear.
That’s it! Really! Your dog may be a little confused at first, and may even get up off of the rug the first few times to see if they can figure out how to get more snacks and attention. But if you stick to it just like so for a few days — acknowledge, reinforce, continue with what you were doing just previously until they lay back down again or return to their own activities — you should notice your dog go to the rug and lay down a little more intentionally, more often, and perhaps even while you’re making dinner this weekend! Don’t forget to heavily reinforce (or jackpot!) those extra awesome moments to make sure they keep happening.
As a bonus for dogs who are having a difficult time learning to lay down with a treat lure (typically smaller breeds or those pups who are a little too excited during training) this is a great way to build a calm, positive reinforcement history with a down position too.
Once a couple days of “taking a picture” and giving pets or treats for laying on the rug have passed, you can start to say “down” as your dog lays down, then capture the behavior as you have been doing. Don’t forget to continue to mark with “yes!” and offer a treat or ear scratchy! That acknowledgement and reinforcement is most important.
Other Applications…
When you’re working on behaviors like four-on-the-floor (keeping four feet on the ground) or teaching your dog to go into a “sit” during greetings this can be a great way to help them to get a bit better under pressure, as well… just direct your family or guests to say “yes!” when they see your dog sit politely or keep their feet on the ground, and have them toss a treat or two to the floor for another round. While the dog is sniffing for the treats you’ve tossed in their direction, you’re also encouraging engagement with the person they’re working with!
To make sure you’re ready for any and all “photo ops,” you should have treat stations around the house wherever you are working on training, like the entryway, the kitchen, and/or the living room.
Let your household know where all the stashed cookies are and how to use them, and pick one or two behaviors to take a “snapshot” of (or capture!) throughout the week ahead.
Soon you’ll have a whole photo album of good behavior, a well-behaved dog to give modeling credit to, and some new cues to use in your training toolbox! You can even take this “capturing” strategy out for a walk and use it whenever your dog checks in with you naturally, stops at a cross walk, or *doesn’t* chase the stray cat that morning. Just remember to bring some treats and to use your “yes!” marker so they know what they’re being reinforced for!
If you’re having trouble picking which behaviors to “take pictures” of, or would like some extra guidance with your training goals, reach out via email at info@phillyunleashed.com to schedule a private lesson with one of our trainers or join a group class in the city or at the farm.
