Leave it is an amazingly useful and versatile command — it can save your dog from eating something dangerous or instigating a fight with another dog or chasing your cat.
Here’s one way to teach your dog to leave an object/treat:
- Find some treats your dog can’t resist. Keep all but one out of sight. (The one is for training; the rest are for rewards.)
- Place that one treat on the floor or on a low table that your dog can reach. Your dog will almost definitely pay attention if the treat is good enough!
- As you set the treat down, say LEAVE IT slowly and firmly.
- Keep your hand near the treat. If your dog leans in to get it, cover it with your hand and say LEAVE IT again.
- Wait a few seconds, then take the treat away and praise your dog verbally and with pats. Give him one of the other treats as a reward — not the one you’re working with.
- Repeat several times per day, for a few minutes each time. Over time, you’ll be able to move your hand farther away from the treat and trust that your dog will indeed LEAVE IT.
Don’t tease your dog with this lesson. Always have other treats ready to use for a reward — and be generous with the pets and praise.
Keep the training sessions short and sweet, and always end on a success. That way, both you AND your dog will look forward to next time. If you end a training session frustrated, neither of you will want to try it again.
Some dogs will eat ANYTHING (my dog Moose comes to mind — he likes to scavenge “ground snacks” around the apartment complex dumpsters). This is a wonderful command for keeping garbage, harmful foods, and other no-nos out of your dog’s mouth.