FEAR FREE GROOMING

Fear Free Groomers: Simple Behaviors to Help You

Slide 1:
Welcome to Fear Free Groomers: Simple Behaviors to Help You

Slide 2:
In this course we’ll provide a brief overview of what positive reinforcement is and how it can help groomers.
We’ll introduce the concepts of targeting and stationing, and we’ll provide plans for teaching three specific
behaviors to help animals be more relaxed and calm during grooming.
This course has three lessons:
• Lesson 1: Positive Reinforcement: Overview and Benefits to Groomers
• Lesson 2: Introduction and Uses for Targeting
• Lesson 3: Teaching a Chin Rest, Hand Target and Stationing

Slide 3:
Lesson 1: Positive Reinforcement: Overview and Benefits to Groomers

Slide 4:
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
• List some benefits of using Fear Free grooming techniques
• Discuss the basics of positive reinforcement training
• List some things that can be used as reinforcers for animals
• Describe what a marker is and list some examples
• Define what it means to capture behavior and to shape behavior
• Recognize the dangers of aversives and punishment-based techniques

Slide 5:
Helping dogs feel safe and relaxed in the grooming salon is a way to set groomers, the pets they are working
with, and the pets’ family members up for success. Creating a calmer, more tranquil grooming experience is
possible by using safe and Fear Free strategies. When it comes to the animals, you can help reduce their stress
by teaching them to collaborate in their own care. As a groomer or someone who works in the grooming
industry, gaining a better understanding of the methods, tactics, and goals toward providing Fear Free care
will enable you to work with animals in a safer, healthier, more productive way.

Slide 6

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Reducing FAS can go a long way toward helping groomers work with dogs more efficiently via cooperative
care. This efficient collaboration leads to increased repeat business, a safer working environment, happier
clients and happier animals.

Slide 7
Teaching and training equals education and communication. Every interaction is training. Therefore,
improving communication is key.

Slide 8
Part of communication is reframing how you think about undesirable behaviors, such as lunging,
barking, and growling. This means that instead of labeling behaviors for example as “aggressive” or
blaming the dog for them, it’s important to understand that the underlying reason for the behavior is
usually fear, anxiety, and stress. Once you understand the animal’s point of view, it’s easier to think
about teaching him to offer an alternative, desirable behavior that you can reinforce instead.

Slide 9
For example, if a dog is struggling with you holding his chin, he may feel afraid of your sudden physical
contact. He might demonstrate this anxiety via his body language. However, if you teach him to rest his
chin in your hand voluntarily this process may relieve lots of the fear, anxiety, and stress, thus making
the interaction safer and smoother!

Slide 10
You want the dog or cat to feel safe at your grooming salon and have positive experiences there. By
pairing previously scary things (which might include a grooming table, a dryer, the clippers) with things
that the animal likes, such as hot dogs, the scary things will come to predict good things. As we
discussed in the Groomer Certification course, we will see a change in the animal's conditioned
emotional response (CER). The change in CER will usually lead to a change in his behavior. Growling or
lunging might turn into calm acceptance or even happy tail wagging. This sets the stage for easier,
more relaxed grooming, which leads to pets and their owners happily returning again and again.

Slide 11
When you meet an animal the first thing that you want to do is assess their behavior, looking for signs
of calm or signs of FAS. If a dog or cat is displaying FAS in the moment, it will be difficult to start to train
cooperative care behaviors. You may instead need to slow down and simply get the animal
comfortable with the environment, with you, or with being on the grooming table at all. It’s important
to move at a pace that the animal is comfortable via “desensitization,” which we discussed in the
Groomer Certification course.

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Slide 12
In the past, harsher methods may have included forcefully holding down and restraining animals. We
now know that we can accomplish the same grooming goals using gentler methods that do not induce
FAS. So, instead of forcibly holding or even worse, having multiple people hold down a dog, we can
teach a dog behaviors such as targeting or stationing that will help them accept and even enjoy
grooming procedures.

Slide 13
Preventing FAS before it starts is always the best choice, because once a fearful association is made, it’s more
difficult and time consuming to modify behavior. As such, we’re going to review and introduce ways to work
with dogs and cats in a low FAS manner.

Slide 14
Now let’s talk about how we get there: Positive Reinforcement. Wouldn’t it be nice to try to catch your
dog doing something that you like? Imagine that if you reinforced a great choice, they would make that
choice more often. You can, and they will! This is positive reinforcement training. Positive
reinforcement just means that you use pleasant consequences strategically to reinforce behaviors that
you want to see more often or that you want to see continue.

Slide 15
Using positive reinforcement means adding something pleasant to the situation which serves to
strengthen the behavior. The pleasant something could be food, petting, the opportunity to choose, a
toy, or something else. In other words, if a favorable outcome happens in response to the animal’s
behavior, that behavior is more likely to be repeated. By offering pleasant consequences you can
choose which behaviors you want to see occur more often. By using positive reinforcement training,
you can help animals be more calm and relaxed at the grooming salon.

Slide 16
Reinforcing behavior that you want to see repeated will increase the likelihood of that behavior
occurring again. It’s backed up with science. With positive reinforcement training you generally find
that animals will go to great lengths to try new and exciting things in order to earn or have access to
reinforcers. Soon we will be discussing how you can help animals learn new behaviors that will benefit
everyone in the grooming environment.

Slide 17
Reinforcement starts with what the learner believes is “worthwhile” to work for. It is unique to the
individual animal. What one dog might think is a yummy treat, another may think is boring. What one
dog thinks is fun, another dog might think is scary! Therefore, it is important to observe and note those
things the dog or cat you are working with finds valuable. This information can be gleaned from

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chatting with caregivers and observing the animal—another reason that understanding body language
is key!

Slide 18
Food is often used as a reinforcer because it is a primary reinforcer. In other words, we don’t need to
“teach” animals to enjoy food. They need food in order to survive, so all animals are food motivated.
That said, there may be times when an animal is highly stressed and doesn’t want to eat, or when you
offer something that they don’t find appealing or don’t find as appealing as other reinforcers in the
environment, such as a great smell, another dog, or the chance to escape from something they are
afraid of.

Slide 19
Food is a convenient reinforcer, and it’s often perceived by the animal as high value. However, in
addition to food, other reinforcers might be freedom to move, tactile (touching), and/or play and
games. Choice is another primary reinforcer, so when we involve the animal and allow them to have a
dialogue regarding the interactions you have with them, their ability to choose can be highly
reinforcing.

Slide 20
Allowing dogs and cats the space needed—aka taking a break, taking a step back, or giving them a bit
of room to move around can also be a powerful reinforcer.

Slide 21
Some animals in certain situations may also find tactile interactions reinforcing. For a familiar dog and
person, a belly rub may be reinforcing. However, if you are a stranger or if you choose to touch an
animal on a part of their body that they are protective of, tactile interaction may have the opposite
effect: It may be aversive.

Finally, toys or play may be reinforcing, too. A game of “on the table, off the table” might be more
reinforcing than picking up a dog and placing them in a spot on the table. Or, having a favorite rope
bone, a squeaky toy, or a tug toy might be a fun distraction that is reinforcing and helps make the
situation less stressful.

Slide 22
When teaching animals, positive reinforcement trainers often use a marker as a precise
communication tool. Markers indicate to the animal that what they have just done has earned them
access to something that they find reinforcing.

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Slide 23
Different types of markers include whistles, clickers, visual signals, and/or a specific word. The marker
or event marker is a signal that tells the animal the behavior they just performed is what you liked.
Every marker should be followed by a primary reinforcer.

Slide 24
Positive reinforcement trainers often use a device called a “clicker.” Clickers make a very clear
communication tool because they make a unique sound, they sound the same no matter which person
is using them, and they carry no emotion, such as fatigue, frustration, over-excitement, etc.)

Slide 25
When using a marker, it is like making a promise. You are essentially saying, “Hey! I liked that thing that
you just did and now you have earned access to something that you enjoy!” By using this system of
marking and reinforcing behavior, you can increase the chances of seeing the behaviors that you like
over and over. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the most effective way to train a dog or cat or
any animal is to reinforce behavior you like.

Slide 26
There are three key steps in marker-based positive reinforcement training:
Step one is to observe the animal’s behavior watching for versions of the behavior that you like. If the dog or
cat offers a behavior that is incrementally moving toward the behavior you are seeking, you can mark and
reinforce it. If the behavior isn’t what you are seeking, you just wait and watch for some version of the
behavior that you can reinforce.

Step two is to mark the behavior with a clicker or whistle, a verbal marker (like “yes” or “good”) or a visual
marker (like a “thumbs up” sign). The marker again is what communicates to the animal that the behavior that
they have just performed is the one that has allowed them to now gain access to something they like.

Step three is to reinforce the behavior—every single time following a marker. This is very important as the
marker only maintains its value when it is regularly followed by a primary reinforcer. That means that every
time you use your marker you must then reinforce. The marker and reinforcer are two separate steps because
they are two separate behaviors. You want to mark at the precise moment the dog or cat performs the
behavior and then reach for the treat.

Slide 27
Capturing an animal doing something that you like is one way to use positive reinforcement. When you
“catch” an animal doing something desirable, such as lying down, giving you eye contact, or sitting, you
can mark the instant the animal does that desirable behavior. Marking and reinforcing it encourages
them to repeat that behavior again. Learning is a result of reinforced repetition!

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Slide 28
In this video, you’ll see a trainer capturing the behavior of “sit” with an 8-week-old puppy. This is the
puppy’s first time working on this behavior, and at first she has no idea what to do. But when she
offers a sit, quite possibly by accident, the trainer clicks and treats. After that, the puppy quickly figures
out what it is that’s making the clicker go off and begins to sit more and more often!

Slide 29
Sometimes, it’s too much of a leap to try and capture a behavior (such as hopping into the tub). It’s usually too
much to expect most animals to offer that behavior completely on their own at first. So, in that case, we might
use a technique called “shaping.” Shaping is breaking the behavior down into successive approximations
toward the goal behavior and reinforcing those approximations until, eventually, you reach the goal behavior.
In the case of the tub, we might mark and reinforce the animal for first just looking at the tub, then for sniffing
it, pawing at it, putting two feet in it, and eventually, all four feet in the tub. Depending on the animal’s
reinforcement history and the amount of previous positive reinforcement training they’ve had, this might take
several training sessions or might be accomplished fairly quickly with clicker training.

Slide 30
You may remember this video from the Fear Free Groomer Certification course. In it you’ll see a trainer
shaping a young dog to climb the stairs into the tub. Instead of going for the goal behavior of “get in the tub”
right away, the trainer marks and reinforces steps along the way – both literally and figuratively! The trainer
also uses a previously taught behavior of a hand target to help the dog. We’ll talk a lot more about targeting in
the next few lessons!

Slide 31
Now that we understand a little about positive reinforcement training, it’s also important to note what
positive reinforcement isn’t. It isn’t used to intentionally suppress unwanted behavior. That would be
punishment, which we will briefly discuss.
While positive reinforcement is Fear Free’s recommended training methodology, you may encounter clients
who have used punishment-based methods on their dog or have taken their dog to a trainer who did.

We want you to be aware that some of the animals in your care might be suffering from the effects of
punishment-based training. It will help you, their Fear Free groomer, to know this, because it might explain
where some of their fear-based behaviors stem from.

Simply put, punishment is the opposite of reinforcement. Whereas reinforcement, by definition, increases or
builds behavior, punishment, by definition, decreases or shuts down behavior.

Examples of punishment-based training techniques include choke chains, prong collars, shock collars,
hitting, kicking, shouting at animals, and any coercive or correction-based methods.

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Slide 32
Punishment relies on aversives, which are stimuli that an animal finds unpleasant or seeks to avoid.
Aversive methods can have harmful and potentially dangerous side effects including the following:

1. Apathy: Keep in mind that if a dog is “shut down,” this is not the same as a dog who is relaxed. They may
be too fearful to offer any behavior at all.
2. Aggression: Maybe you have seen a dog growl or snap at the groomers? This can sometimes be the result
of aversive associations.
3. Escape/Avoidance: Dogs trying to jump off the table or being “dragged” on the leash can be
demonstrating reactions to aversives.
4. Generalized Fear: Animals may be shaking, panting, drooling, and/or demonstrating other body language
communication. These displays of FAS could be the result of previous or current aversives.

It is possible that some dogs may show these behaviors even without a history of aversives, so if you see a dog
displaying one or more of these, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve been trained with aversives.

Slide 33
Sometimes, in the short-term, aversive tactics succeed in shutting down a particular behavior in that
immediate moment. But, they don’t succeed in addressing the underlying cause of the behavior. The harmful
and potentially dangerous side effects and fallout from using aversive techniques make them not only counter
to Fear Free grooming, but counter-productive. Using aversive methods often leads to an animal that has high
anxiety about grooming in general. It is entirely possible that a dog or cat will develop a negative association
with a particular person, a piece of equipment, a particular salon, or even the entire grooming process after
just one aversive experience. Keeping in mind those lasting effects of aversives can often help you empathize
with an animal and understand and explain to clients and colleagues WHY that animal is behaving as he is.

Slide 34
When we use positive reinforcement, we avoid all of the harmful and potentially dangerous side
effects of aversives. A behavior change might not happen overnight. Positive reinforcement training, as
any training, relies on consistency and repetition. But, be patient and you will see results. And you and
your colleagues and the animals you groom will be safer because of it!

Slide 35
In conclusion:
• Benefits of Fear Free grooming techniques include a safer work environment, more relaxed and happy
animals, and repeat clients
• Positive reinforcement involves providing pleasant consequences in order to increase behaviors we
find desirable
• Reinforcers can include things like food, toys, petting, choice, and space

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• A marker communicates to the animal that what they have done has earned them a reinforcer.
Examples includes clickers, whistles, words such as “good” or “yes” or signals such as a thumbs-up sign
• Capturing involves catching and reinforcing the animal doing something we find desirable and shaping
involves reinforcing successive approximations toward a goal behavior.
Aversives are harmful because they can lead to dangerous side effects such as aggression, and they can quickly
cause an animal to shut down or become fearful of the entire grooming experience.

Slide 36
Lesson 2: Introduction and Uses for Targeting

Slide 37
In this lesson we will talk about what targeting is. We’ll review its uses to allow for calmer and safer
interactions between animals and people. Finally, we’ll look at specific husbandry/grooming behaviors which
can be enhanced by teaching targeting and stationing behaviors. After completing this lesson you will be able
to:

• Discuss what targeting is

• Describe how targeting allows for safer interactions
• List specific husbandry and grooming behaviors which are facilitated via the use of targeting and
stationing

Slide 38
Targeting is a basic building block behavior that you can teach an animal to increase relaxation, confidence,
and focus—all skills which will be beneficial in the grooming environment. When you train an animal to target,
you teach him to touch a specific part of his body to a target. The target can be any number of things,
including an object, a surface area, or very commonly, a person’s hand.

Slide 39
Laurie Luck, Karen Pryor Academy faculty member, says, “Targets can be almost anything. Use a kitchen rug as
a settle mat for your dog; the dog targets his whole body onto the kitchen rug. Your cat can sit on a drink
coaster while you fix dinner; as long as her feet are on the coaster, she can't jump on the counter and pester
you. Teach your dog to ring a bell, and you have a doggie doorbell for him to use when he has to go to the
bathroom outside. Targeting the dog's nose to the bell is the easiest way to avoid damage to the bell. Teach
your horse to target a hoof to a bucket, and you have made soaking the hoof a lot easier—for you and the
horse!”

Slide 40
Targeting is a skill that can be taught to any animal at any stage of the animal’s life. Teach a 4-year-old dog to

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target their nose to a spot on the grooming table or the table arm and you can safely work on trimming
around the dog’s body, for example!

Slide 41
Some of the most common body parts used to target are the nose and the paws. However animals can also
learn to target their chest, head, bottom, hip, shoulder, ear, tail, or any other relevant body part.

Slide 42
Some examples of targets include the palm of a hand, a closed fist, a finger, a pen, a commercially available
target stick, a yogurt lid, a mouse pad, a carpet square, a towel or dog mat.

Slide 43
Once an animal has learned the concept of targeting, you can begin to ask him to respond to the target cue in
the presence of environmental distractions, such as dryers, scissors, clippers, other dogs and people.

Slide 44
After an animal learns to target, they can generalize this skill to other targeting lessons, thereby easily
expanding the repertoire of behaviors you can reinforce and use to teach additional new behaviors. For
example:
• Performing nose targets as he enters the grooming salon to help ease his anxiety about an unfamiliar
location
• Targeting the grooming table with the whole body (also known as stationing)
• Targeting unfamiliar objects such as clippers, dryers, nail trimmers
• Targeting a chin to your hand as you groom his face

We will be showing you how to train some of these in the next lesson!

Slide 45
By teaching a dog or cat to target you can incorporate choice and reduce FAS. Teaching a stationing behavior
can also reduce FAS as instead of restraint you help the animal learn to remain in place on his own. Stationing
in this context is essentially targeting with the entire body and then remaining in place for a given length of
time.

Both targeting and stationing are valuable behaviors that when taught in the grooming context can help
create more successful grooming interactions.

Slide 46
Targeting is one of the first behaviors that we suggest teaching due to its many benefits which include positive
emotional effects and options for husbandry and collaborative interactions.

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These advantages range from enhancing the human-animal bond, to increasing the animal’s confidence by
avoiding physical manipulation and adding choice to the equation.

Slide 47
Renowned animal trainer Ken Ramirez says, “Training is not a luxury, but a key component to good animal
care.” Working with an animal on a targeting behavior helps to build a solid foundation for a positive
relationship.

Slide 48
Because targeting does not involve any physical manipulation, it is less “scary.” Instead of taking hold of an
animal’s body part, we are asking him to engage his brain by touching a nose, ear, or chin to a target and thus
gaining access to favorable consequences. We teach that touching the target earns a click and a treat. By
making it easy for the animal to figure out how to earn access to reinforcers, and delivering them in a timely
manner, we can teach the animal to quickly equate this “game” to a positive experience with you.

Slide 49
Targeting is a fast, simple behavior that you can work on to set the tone for a positive relationship with an
animal. Remember that behaviors that are reinforced are repeated. Targeting allows you to get in a lot of
reinforcement history with the animal in a short amount of time. Therefore, once the animal learns that
targeting has a positive outcome, you can use that behavior to interact with the animal in a way that sets
everyone up for success.

Slide 50
In addition to helping to build a positive relationship, teaching a targeting behavior can help increase an
animal’s confidence. Targeting is a trust-building behavior for animals because they are not forced or
manipulated into doing something. Instead, the animal learns that if he makes the choice to touch the pre-
determined target, he has the power to create a situation where reinforcement occurs. This “gateway to
reinforcers” can empower and enable animals to feel more in control of their environment. Remembering that
choice is a primary reinforcer, when we allow this small interaction, the animal gets to choose whether to
touch the target. That choice can help that animal feel more confident and comfortable.

Slide 51
In addition to targeting as a foundation behavior upon which you can build many other behaviors, teaching an
animal to target is a great example of how you can have a dialogue with an animal. For example, once a dog
has learned to target, if you cue the behavior and he does not target, this is useful information that can help
you decide whether to move forward with your grooming procedure or re-evaluate and take a step back. The
animal may need more time, a slower pace, and/or higher-value reinforcers. Creating a back-and-forth
conversation based on choice and trust allows animals to relax and enjoy the exchange.

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Slide 52
In a grooming situation, the feeling of being restrained is even more anxiety provoking than the actual
grooming procedure itself. This means that by teaching targeting behaviors that allow safe husbandry and
relaxed handling you can reduce the FAS associated with the situation.

Slide 53
By teaching an animal to touch a part of his body to a specific target and then building duration on the
behavior, you can help an animal learn he is in control of the situation, and reduce his FAS. If a dog voluntarily
targets his chin to your hand you can help him to feel calmer about a face trim, for example. We’ll go over
how to teach a chin target in the next lesson.

Slide 54
Using positive reinforcement techniques that include targeting is how modern, science-based behavior
consultants and trainers work with captive animals. Therefore, as groomers, it only makes sense to
incorporate these methods!

Slide 55
Teaching an animal to target can be used as an alternative option in the case of undesirable behaviors—such
as growling, snapping, or biting. For example, if a dog has tried to snap or bite when clippers come near his
paw, instead you can teach this dog that the sight of clippers is the cue to orient and seek a targeting
opportunity, which leads to the chance for reinforcement. Building a strong pattern for this new behavior can
eventually replace the original unwanted response.

Slide 56
Targeting can also be used to move animals from one place to another without picking them up or using any
kind of force. Shannan Skitch, well-known ferret expert, has taught ferrets to participate in their care via
target training.

According to Shannan, “There are many benefits to teaching a target but the number one reason I encourage
it is because it will allow you to move the ferret into cages, carriers, and on or off surfaces without having to
pick up the ferret, which increases the risk of a bite. For people that are either unfamiliar with the animal or
ferrets that have not been handled extensively, training a target will help keep everyone safe and allows them
to build trust and confidence before having to work on more difficult behaviors such as a ‘pick me up’ cue.”

Many dogs and cats in the grooming salon also struggle with being unceremoniously picked up. Teaching a
target cue can help to increase their participation and thus relaxation.

Slide 57
Targeting also works for parrots. Marie-Elisabeth Gagnon KPA-CTP is the director, lead trainer, for behavior
and rehabilitation of the parrots at the ParrotSanctuary.ca

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Marie-Elisabeth states, “we have many parrots that need to be rotated in order to have access to common
spaces. To do so safely, I teach each parrot a reliable targeting behavior to station on a specific perch. For this
behavior, the parrot will need to place (target) their two feet on a particular perch.”

Moving animals around the grooming shop is a key aspect of day-to-day operations. If a group of parrots can
be taught to target and thus move around successfully, dogs and cats in a grooming salon certainly can, too!

Slide 58
Cindy Peacock, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, Lead Trainer, Kicking Horse Grizzly Refuge, shares perspectives on teaching
target training with Boo the grizzly bear.

Cindy states that the very first behavior she taught Boo was how to touch a target stick and that “Over the
years this (targeting) behavior has allowed us to shape other behaviors, including ‘hold’—a behavior which
allowed us to deliver topical medications.”

Cindy also explained that “This behavior is incredibly helpful in being able to move Boo in ways we need to
observe his body condition (like standing to see his belly).”

There are times in grooming too where this would come in handy.

Slide 59
Lastly, at the SOS Wildlife Elephant Sanctuary in Mathrua, India, elephants are taught to target ears and feet
for examinations and husbandry care. Like elephants, dogs and cats can be taught via targeting to voluntarily
offer a foot for relaxed nail care in the grooming salon.

Slide 60
In conclusion, now you should have a good idea about what targeting and stationing behaviors are. You should
be able to describe how targeting and stationing behaviors allow for safer interactions, and you should be able
to define specific husbandry and grooming behaviors which are facilitated via the use of targeting and
stationing.

Slide 61
Lesson 3: Teaching a Chin Rest, Hand Target and Stationing

Slide 62
In this lesson we’ll show you how to teach three different targeting behaviors to help animals feel more
confident and comfortable with grooming. By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
• Describe how to teach an animal a hand target
• Describe how to teach an animal a stationing behavior
• Describe how to teach an animal a chin rest behavior
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Slide 63
The following three behaviors are foundation behaviors that can help to ease stress and anxiety and create
collaborative working environments in the grooming salon:

• Hand Targeting
• Stationing
• Chin Rest

Slide 64
The first on our list is to teach a hand target. To review, this means teaching an animal to touch his nose to
your hand or another target. This behavior is an alternative to other less desirable behavior like barking or
expressions of anxiety (example: whale eye around another dog).

Slide 65
This video shows an 8-week-old puppy learning to target her nose to the trainer’s hand. The hand is very close
to the pup’s nose at first, but as the training progresses, the trainer moves her hand farther away so the pup
has to get up and move toward it to touch it.

Slide 66
Step 1: To teach a hand target, bring your flat palm deliberately but calmly within ½ inch of the dog’s nose (if
you move your hand too abruptly toward the dog’s face, you could startle him). The dog will likely sniff your
hand or touch it with his nose. The instant he does, mark and reinforce. If the dog shows no interest in your
hand, you can try rubbing your hand with a piece of hot dog or something smelly and delicious first, then
presenting it to the dog again.
Step 2: Continue marking and reinforcing for nose touches to the hand. You can begin to move the hand
farther away from your dog’s nose so he has to reach a bit to touch it.
Step 3: Once the dog is reliably touching your hand, (even without the smell of food rubbed on it!), begin to
make it more difficult by asking the dog to hold his nose to your hand for just a second. VERY gradually extend
the duration before you mark and reinforce, being careful not to frustrate the dog. Alternate between easier
reps and more difficult ones (ex. See if you can get to 2 seconds, 3 seconds, then go back to 1 second, then 4
seconds.) Now you have the beginnings of duration!

Slide 67
We encourage you to practice in short sessions of 1-3 minutes and continue building a strong reinforcement
history for this practical behavior! Once the dog has the hand targeting behavior in his collection, it’s an easy
alternative you can use on a regular basis.

Slide 68

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Stationing is when you teach a dog to target a specific spot, such as a bed or a mat with his entire body and
remain there. For grooming, it is often desirable to have a dog in a standing position.

Just how do we train this skill? We begin by shaping the behavior. Remember shaping means watching for
some small part of the behavior that you can reinforce. Start by placing the station, such as a mat, a towel, or
the grooming table, between you and the dog.

Slide 69
This video shows the early training of a stationing behavior, often referred to in Fear Free terms as a
“Treatment station.”

Slide 70
Mark and reinforce every interaction the dog directs at the station. If he looks at the station, mark and
reinforce. If he moves toward the station, mark and reinforce. If he sniffs the station, mark and reinforce. To
speed things up, deliver your reinforcers on the station, thus encouraging further station interaction and
creating a positive association with the spot.

Continue in this manner until the dog is readily getting on the station area.

The next step is to encourage the dog to remain on the station. Ideally, for grooming, you might want the dog
in a standing position. At first you can wait to see if the animal offers the behavior. If he does, then mark and
reinforce. If the dog remains on the mat, you want to mark/reinforce with a high rate of reinforcement. A high
rate of reinforcement means marking and reinforcing about 10 to 15 times per minute. You can alternate
between delivering treats directly on the mat and delivering some off the mat so that dog has to “re-set” to go
eat the treat, thus giving you another opportunity to click him for moving onto the mat. Doing so will
communicate to the dog that this spot is a very worthwhile place to be!

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If the dog does not stand on his own and you’d like him in a stand, you can encourage him by luring or cueing
the behavior. Cueing means to ask for an already-known behavior. It is possible some of your clients’ dogs will
have a “stand” on cue, especially if they compete in the breed ring. If the dog already understands what
“stand” means, you can ask him to do so in a light, happy voice, by saying, “stand” or whatever the dog’s cue
is, or presenting a hand signal if it’s a visual cue. Be sure that your voice does not convey an “or else...” as that
could be perceived as a threat. Cues are requests, not demands. It’s an important distinction.

A “cue” indicates that there is opportunity for reinforcement if the appropriate behavior is displayed. Whereas
a “command” gives a threatening message. As a Fear Free professional, you want the animal to perform the
behavior to gain access to something positive vs. to avoid something negative.

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A lure is when you use a piece of food to encourage an animal into position. With the lure, the food comes
before the behavior and the animal “follows” the food. With a reinforcer, the food comes after the behavior
and as a result of the behavior. A lure can be useful for helping encourage an animal into a stationing position,
however be sure to fade out the lure very quickly (usually after 3 to 5 repetitions) or you risk having a behavior
that is dependent on the presence of the lure in order to be performed.

To continue the practice after this step, invite the dog off the station and then see if he’ll go back on. Play this
“on/off” game marking and reinforcing voluntary stationing behavior.

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The final step is to build duration for the stationing behavior. To do this, just as with the targeting behavior,
start slowly. At first mark and reinforce after just one second. Then try for two. Be sure to vary your durations
while building them to prevent the behavior becoming too difficult too quickly and thus frustrating the animal.
So, you might mark and reinforce after 3 seconds, then 1 second, then 5 seconds, then 2 seconds, etc.

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Once the animal is reliably stationing, you can begin to incorporate distractions, too. This means that you
might begin to touch the dog gently and/or move your hands around and maybe pick up a tool, like a brush.
You want to help the dog feel relaxed stationing while grooming, so you will slowly build distractions into the
behavior.

To do this you will mark and reinforce for the dog remaining calmly at station while you touch his body gently,
then while you pick up a brush, then while you begin brushing. Continue adding different distractions while
the dog holds his station. The sky is the limit here!

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Keep each practice session short so that you aren’t asking for a long duration station right when you begin
adding distractions. Multiple short repetitions will help the dog gradually build up his positive association to
stationing with duration and distractions!

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The final targeting behavior that we encourage you to teach dogs which will help with grooming is for the dog
to target a towel, your hand, or your lap with his chin. This “chin rest” behavior can have many applications for
grooming and veterinary husbandry behaviors.

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The video shows a chin rest behavior being put to practical use for grooming. The handler has the dog rest his
chin in her hand as she combs him.

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To teach the dog to target his chin to your cupped hand, you can begin very gently placing your flat hand palm
up under his chin and marking the second his chin makes contact with your hand.

Repeat this step several times in a row, marking and reinforcing each repetition.

Next, when your dog is touching his chin to your hand reliably you can begin to add duration to the time his
chin is touching your hand. To start, mark and reinforce for just a touch. Then, wait one second, mark and
reinforce. Next, wait 2 seconds and mark and reinforce. Finally, wait one second again, mark and reinforce.

Just as with stationing, while extending the duration, it’s important to bounce between easier and slightly
more challenging durations. Avoid making it increasingly more difficult each time or your dog may decide that
this game is only getting harder and is thus no fun.

The final step after your dog offers to put his chin in your hand for increasing duration of time is to begin to
introduce distractions. At first this can mean slowly moving your other hand around and can gradually build
into touching his ear for an ear examination.

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Dogs can also be taught to target their chin to a towel or an elevated surface like a platform. Realistically, this
might be easier for you as a groomer, so you can use both hands while grooming and allow the dog to rest his
chin on a platform or a towel.

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Targeting behaviors have so many varied Fear Free grooming benefits that teaching your animals to target is a
cornerstone to a healthy relationship and a building block skill toward a repertoire of confident behaviors that
any animal can learn, which will improve his quality of life!

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We encourage you to incorporate target training into your Fear Free grooming foundation skills to help your
clients’ animals feel more calm and confident about handling and grooming. Teaching an animal to target
enables him to have more control over his surroundings, interactions, and consequences. In turn, this will help
you with better cooperation which leads to a better relationship and a smoother exchange.

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By taking the time to teach and reinforce targeting behaviors you can ensure a safer, more relaxed
communication system in place when working with animals on grooming behaviors!

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Thank you to our course author, Terrie Hayward.

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Fear Free would like to thank its corporate program members!

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