Obedience training
What is the difference between luring, capturing and shaping in dog training?
Last updated 23 September 2026 · How we write and check this
Short answer
Luring invites a dog to follow a reward into a movement. Capturing rewards a complete action the dog offers without being prompted. Shaping rewards progressively closer versions of a goal. These describe different teaching approaches, not a ranking from best to worst. Choose an approach that suits the action and keeps the dog comfortable.
Compare what you reward
If you guide a dog into a sit with food, you are luring. If you reward a sit that happens voluntarily, you are capturing. If you reward a smaller part of an action and gradually develop it, you are shaping. Shaping can refine an existing behavior as well as build a new one.
Write down the actual task
Instead of writing teach a trick, describe what you will see: for example, the dog puts their nose against a target. Then note whether you will invite a movement, wait for an offered action or reward smaller steps. This is a planning exercise, not evidence that one method will finish the task fastest.
Separate teaching from proving reliability
A movement that happens with a visible lure does not establish that a spoken word is understood. Cue learning and practice in new settings are additional work. Neither a fixed repetition total nor a single successful attempt proves the skill is reliable everywhere.
Key takeaways
- Luring invites movement; it does not physically force it.
- Capturing rewards an offered action.
- Shaping develops an action in smaller steps.