Capturing involves marking and putting on cue behaviors that animals naturally offer. While capturing is often used in conjunction with other shaping techniques, the question arises: is there an advantage to capturing without prompts? Should capturing be done without considering the environmental set-up? Join Ken Ramirez and Michele Pouliot at ClickerExpo Portland, OR as they share their perspectives and guidance on “capturing” as a technique for training behavior. ...

As good dog trainers, we work systematically and methodically through the challenges that routinely stand in the way of fluent performance, including both routine environmental and novel distractions. However, our dogs aren’t the only ones involved in the training process; we are as well, and we face similar challenges as our dogs! ...

At ClickerExpo Portland (4/5 – 4/7) Michele Pouliot delves into two training choices: marking behavior or not marking behavior prior to reinforcement. As an enthusiastic clicker trainer, Michele constantly strives to utilize the power of a well-timed click. However, she also selectively sets the marker aside for specific reasons. ...