Shaping Up Shaping. Presented by Dr. Karolina Westlund

Shaping Up Shaping.

Presented by Dr. Karolina Westlund

CEUs: PPAB 1, CCPDT 1, IAABC 1, KPA 1

In this recorded session, the presenter will go over some of the ways she sees good trainers tweak their shaping sessions using completely different strategies depending on context. She will discuss:

• Why the 80% rule is problematic.
• Bold shaping.
• Cautious shaping – pingponging.
• How the 10 Laws of Shaping evolved into the Modern Principles of Shaping.
• Some common shaping mistakes – and how to address them.

Shaping is the sharpest tool in the animal trainer’s box…theoretically. Practically, it can be hard to execute, and many trainers get stuck. Hopefully, this lecture will provide you with some ideas of how to get unstuck.

Level of difficulty: Intermediate

      

Dr. Karolina Westlund

Prof. Karolina Westlund helps pet parents and animal professionals attain happier animals that thrive in the care of humans. She grew up pining for a kitten and pestered her parents until they finally gave in. The resulting black, green-eyed, half-Siamese cat she got for her seventh birthday became a true friend who lived to be 21 years old but was an easily startled cat who often went into hiding when there were visitors. She had grand ideas about becoming a field biologist, but instead she majored in ethology and developed a passionate interest in animal welfare as seen through a multidisciplinary lens, including behaviour analysis and affective neuroscience. She is now an associate professor of ethology at the University of Stockholm, Sweden where she mainly teaches about how behavior management can be used to improve animal welfare. She also conducts live seminars, free online webinars and masterclasses in addition to more extensive courses, as well as the occasional scientific publication on the topic of enrichment, animal training and well-being.