There are several different ways you can teach your dog new behaviors:

• Luring – Using a toy or treat to move your dog into a desired position or behavior and rewarding it when it occurs. This is usually how we teach behaviors such as sit and down.
• Shaping – Using small increments or approximations of the final behavior, rewarding each small piece and gradually increasing what your puppy/dog must do to earn a reward. This is typically how we teach mat training and is also a great way to teach tricks!
• Capturing – Rewarding anytime you see your puppy/dog perform the desired behavior naturally. This is an often missed way to teach your dog how to do things we like, such as settle and chew on your toy!

Some dogs learn better through luring, while others take to shaping easily. Luring typically gets faster results initially but the goal behavior may not be as solid in the end. Shaping is dependent on the dog making choices and creates an engaged, thinking dog. Capturing can be beneficial in addition to shaping or luring.