Mrok and the Art of Shaping

Mrok went kayaking for the first time when he was five months old. At eight months, he was already paddling on the Atlantic.

Mrok on the kayak — paddling toward the Algarve caves, Portugal.

He behaved quite well on board, though sometimes, when he felt unsure, he tried to walk toward the bow or stern — with no warning at all. Whoever he was approaching had to stop paddling, talk to him, and try to guide him back — sometimes it worked, sometimes we just had to wait until Mrok came up with a better idea on his own.

Things changed once we started paddling on rivers. Turning, speeding up, or slowing down could no longer depend on whether Mrok was “ready.” We needed him to cooperate when we needed it.

Mrok and Monika — setting off on an adventure on the Obra River.

That’s when training became essential. We wanted Mrok to move to the bow when asked and stay there until a maneuver was done. To teach that, we used a method called shaping, which we first learned from Agnieszka during a “Dog Camp.”

What is shaping?

It’s learning based on confirming to the dog that he did something right — without giving him verbal hints. To make things easier, we divided the behavior into small parts and rewarded every correct step.

Step 1: Mrok climbs into the kayak – click and treat. Step 2: Mrok moves toward the front – click, treat, “yes.” Step 3: Mrok reaches the bow and sits in his spot – click, treat, “yes.”

Beginnings — Wojtek learning shaping together with Mrok at the dog camp.

After many repetitions, we waited to see if Mrok would skip the smaller steps and go straight to the final one — and when he did, we confirmed it the same way.

Eventually, Mrok started entering the kayak and going straight to his place as soon as he saw it ready. That’s when we added a cue word — Captain. Now, when he hears “Captain,” he proudly takes position at the bow 😊.

Mrok practicing “Captain” — though sometimes he adds a “Corpse” for good measure.

The second stage

Monika sat in the kayak while Mrok practiced responding to “Captain.”At first from outside, then already sitting behind her — same process: cue, confirmation, reward.

Learning to learn

Before shaping Mrok, we had to learn shaping ourselves — not interrupting, not suggesting, not rushing. It wasn’t easy for us at the beginning. Our first exercise was teaching Mrok to lie still on his side on cue — called, quite dramatically, “corpse” (in Polish: “trup”).

One of our crossings on the Obra River — shaping became part of our training so that Mrok (and we) could feel safe.

Imagine one of us kneeling in front of him, saying nothing, doing nothing, just waiting. Then reacting to every tiny move that was part of lying down — until it became the full picture.

When we later started teaching “Captain,” Mrok sometimes decided to play it safe — first corpse, then bow. It was hilarious… and deeply moving to see how he was trying to figure out what we meant.

“Captain” beginnings — Mrok trying to figure out what Monika really means.

And then came “Go to Wojtek”

All three of us in the kayak — Mrok at the bow in front of Monika, Monika on the front seat, Wojtek at the stern. When needed, we ask him to move from the bow to the center with the cue “Go to Wojtek.” It turned out to be very practical — especially when Monika scans for roots just below the surface and Mrok’s enthusiasm doesn’t help. We’re still working on this one.

Five-month-old Mrok discovering kayaking — with Wojtek on one of Poland’s lakes.

What surprised us most is how quickly Mrok began thinking — actively searching for what we wanted, testing ideas, and proudly confirming his success with a wagging tail.

We also learned patience: waiting, observing, not talking. Agnieszka’s calm guidance was exactly what we needed to get there.

“Corpse” — notice how the same action slowly expands with small details. That’s exactly what shaping is about.

Shaping only works if the training stays positive. The dog feels your mood — if you’re tense, he’ll be too. End every session when something goes right, not when you get tired or frustrated. Leave both of you wanting more — it’s the best way to keep the joy and curiosity alive.

Shaping is, for us, the art of mutual understanding — on the river, Mrok surprised us with teamwork we’d never directly taught him.

These days, Mrok runs to the storage room asking for “training time.” When he sees the kayak being inflated in the living room, his tail starts wagging like a propeller.

Shaping — it surprises both the dog and the human. Try it. It’s worth it.

If it’s shaping, then it’s a kayak in the living room — Monika teaching Mrok how to become a Captain :)