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Shaping is the process of creating a new behavior by gradual reinforcement,

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starting with an existing behavior, say a dog crouching on all fours.

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You then reinforce behaviors that get progressively closer to the behavior you want the animal to perform

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in this case you can start by reinforcing your dog rolling to one side..

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After reinforcing a particular behavior a few times,

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you then require the animal to respond with a behavior that is closer to your desired behavior.

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Now the dog must roll onto her back to get reinforced.

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Gradually, you require the animal to perform behaviors even closer to the behavior you want,

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until the animal finally completes the trick.

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This is shaping, defined as the reinforcement of successive approximations toward the target behavior.

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Finally, your dog must roll all the way over to be reinforced.