The Leave It Command

As many of you know, Misha has been a challenging dog to work with. I've been working with her on her leave it command a lot lately. She has a bad habit of picking things up off the ground, so I want to be able to stop her.

Anyway, I think she finally gets it! Usually when I am training with her, I have to put the treat far away so I can grab it in case she cheats. The other night I put the treat right by her paw. She did not move. She stared at me and she shook a little (that's what she does to manipulate us when she must wait for something). She waited until she got the okay command.

Woo hoo! Hard work finally paying off! This command has been difficult for her. She doesn't always have the patience. LOL

How well does your dog do the leave it command? Is there a command that is difficult for your dog?

 

Congratulations, Mel. LOL. Why the need to learn leave it when Misha is beyond that. Her manipulation techniques should attest to that.

Leave it? LOL... I doubt they'd be learning that trick any time soon. I can't even get one of them alone because the others will follow. There's this one dog who, due to desperation, has learned how to climb the ladder (yes, a ladder! not the stairs) to the second floor which is a story high.

 

Haopee, I have to give some semblance that I am the one in charge. LOL She is quite manipulative. She demands neck rubs by hitting you on the chest. She shakes throughout her entire body while laying in front of you to let you know she is waiting for dinner. Yes, she is quite the drama queen.

The leave it command can be so useful when you've lost control. It reminds them who is boss. It's sort of the same as using the sit command to teach them that must ask before getting something. The leave it command works the same way. And, it is useful when you have a dog that picks things up that she shouldn't (like mine).

 

Let me just say, my dog DOESN'T do the leave it command. She loves food so much, I don't know if I could get her to leave it if it was at a distance from me. When we first got her, she would try to take food right from our hands. Of course, that couldn't continue. But, she will steal food from the table if we leave the room. How do you start the leave it command without having her just snatch the food immediately?

 

Congratulations, it must be a great feeling to teach your dog something like this My Homer is terribe at 'leave it'. When he hears it, he quickly grabs the thing that I wanted him to leave, an he runs away with it as fast as he can. I don't exaggerate here. He really is naughty

 

Loulou, The way I do it is with small challenges in a controlled environment. First, I start by putting a small treat on my knee when I am sitting on the couch. I put my hand right by it and give the "leave it" command. When the dog jumps up, I cover it with my hand and say "No, leave it." When they can manage sitting, 10 seconds, I congratulate them and give them the treat.

It usually doesn't take the dog too long before they put together the command and you covering the treat and scolding them. At first, always have the treat close enough so that you can grab it back if need be. I increase the time slowly.

Eventually, you can leave the treat on your knee without guarding it. Then, you can start bigger challenges. You can start putting the treat closer to them. You can increase the time.

The important thing is practice. Dogs learn things by repeatedly doing them.

If my Lab who was a terrible thief could learn the leave it command, there is hope for all dogs. She was so bad she would take toast out of the toaster. Once we left her at the groomers only to learn when we picked her up that she had eaten the groomer's McDonald's breakfast off the back of the counter when the groomer had left the room. She came back to wrappers tossed everywhere. (She got an "I'm sorry" present at the next visit. LOL)

 

Congratulation! This is a hard one - I've been trying for about a month now. My dog will not 'leave it' - he will simply grab on to the object harder and pull away. He doesn't seem to understand when to stop. I've tried teaching him to put it down on the floor and leave it there but as soon as I let go, he grabs onto it again I truly congratulate you on accomplishing this!

 

Good for you! The dog is understanding that you are the master and they have to obey you. I'm not going to turn into Caesar Milan here, but that is a great way to get the dog to obey you.

 

Bella, it does take time and patience. Misha struggled with this one as she isn't a very patient dog. But, she is getting it.

I was really please Monday night. I placed her treat right by her foot. It was so funny because she was trying to see me and the treat at the same time. She had her head up but tilted and her eyes were trying to do two things at once. She stayed put all the way through the commercial break. So, I think she finally gets it!

Pilot2fly, I will never be Cesar Millan, Brian Kilcommons, or even the walkies lady. But, what I know is that I am persistent and if something isn't working I'll try something else. I think it helps that I worked through problems with another dog. I know it can be done. I just don't always know how.

 

The leave it co mmand has been our must crucial command. And my dog does SO well with it. To the point that my dog aggressive dog, will 'leave it' when we pass another dog on the street. It only works if the dog is 25 or more feet away, but it used to be impossible to pass a dog no matter how close we were. He's getting better and better at it every day.

 

Mishka has no problems with drop it. She sometimes find old yukky bones she digs up and because she has a gut problem we have to get them off her. With reluctance she will drop them for us. So I guess we have been blessed with an easy going pooch.

 

MakingCents, that's great. I used to have the same issue with Misha and other dogs. She still has some problems when we are on the same side of the sidewalk. But, at least people can walk on the other side of the street now.

Argon, Drop it is a command that Misha is good at only when she wants to be. Usually, if she picked up a leave or rock outside she will drop it on first command. But, if she gets a piece of paper or something else in the house she becomes quite defensive. I can say she is great with drop it when we play. In fact, she usually throws the toy at me as she passes by. Her aim is pretty good for a dog.

 

Does she throw it so you can catch it?

Interesting how accurate a dog can throw or nudge things. Mishka can hit a ball on the floor inside with her nose and accurately roll it to my foot so I can kick it back to her. We have loads of fun playing soccer in this way.

 

We don't use "drop it' with our dog but we use the command 'OUT" Basically it means, whatever is in your mouth, should be taken out. We started by putting a toy in his mouth, and then waving a treat in front of his nose. As soon as he dropped the toy, we said 'out' and gave him the treat. He's REALLY good at this command now.

 

So you mean Misha is a cat incarnate? Because that's what cats do when they demand their owner's attention. The dogs will have a field day hearing that. Dogs are keen to belly rubs and strokes. They know that if they do a certain action, it will elicit an equal rewarding reaction.

My sister just taught Chooey the leave it command 2 days ago. We were having a blast laughing at what Chooey kept on doing with the Leave It command. If I catch it on video, I'll try to share it here.