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How to Train a Retrieve Using Shaping and Back Chaining A reliable retrieve is a valuable skill for many dogs, whether for service work, sports, or just fun and games. This guide will walk you through training a retrieve to hand using shaping and back chaining. This method builds all the reinforcement around delivering the item to your hand, making the retrieve consistent and reliable. What is Shaping? Shaping is a training technique where you reinforce small steps (approximations) toward the final behavior. It’s like building a behavior piece by piece, celebrating progress along the way. What is Back Chaining? Back chaining involves teaching the final step of a behavior first and then working backward to the beginning. For a retrieve, this means starting with the dog delivering the item to your hand and gradually adding earlier steps, like picking up the item and going to get it. Training Steps for a Retrieve to Hand Step 1: Teaching the Deliver to Hand Start with an objec...

A Resource for Navigating the FDA's Gluten-Free Labeling Law If you’ve ever wandered the grocery store aisles, scrutinizing product labels, you know how confusing gluten-free labeling can be. What does "certified gluten-free" mean? Is "naturally gluten-free" different? And can you trust products labeled simply as "gluten-free"? Let’s break it down and clarify what each term means under U.S. law and common industry practices. The FDA’s Gluten-Free Labeling Rule In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a rule defining the term “gluten-free” on food labels to protect people with Celiac Disease and gluten sensitivities. For a product to carry the "gluten-free" label , it must meet the following criteria: Contains less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. This threshold was established because 20 ppm is the lowest level that can be consistently detected with current testing methods and is generally safe for most individual...