Teach Your Dog to ''Leave It'' | Dogs at myPetSmart.com
“Leave it” can be a lifesaving cue for your dog to know. It can stop him from chasing the cat, eating medication that fell on the floor or stealing your dinner off the TV tray. And it’s not difficult to teach.
You’ll need a large, boring treat or toy that will fit under your foot. From here on out, I will refer to the treat as "forbidden" because your dog will not be allowed to have it. You’ll also need a bunch of small, yummy treats or rewards and a clicker (or verbal marker – read more about markers. Let your dog see you place the large “forbidden” treat under your foot. He will probably begin to lick, nudge or paw at your foot. Be still and do not say anything. When he stops trying to get the forbidden treat and looks away, click and give him a yummy treat. Uncover the large forbidden treat and when he tries to get it, quickly cover it back up with your foot. Again, as soon as he looks away, click and treat. After five to six repetitions, you will only click and treat if he looks away from the forbidden treat AND looks at you. This is easy because he expects a treat for leaving the forbidden item alone. As soon as you can tell he’s got the idea, you will say, “Leave it” as he looks at the forbidden item. If he doesn’t leave it, cover it up. Try very hard not to let him get the forbidden treat, but if he does, safely take it back from him. If you allow him to steal and eat the cookie, he will just learn to be faster than you! Progress to working on this with forbidden items on the coffee table, couch, counter, etc., and cover them with your hand if necessary. Your goal is to be able to leave anything uncovered and your dog leaves it alone when told.
For items that are too large to place under your foot like plants, shoes, the cat or other dogs on a walk, place your dog on leash and keep him out of reach of the item. Tell him one time to “Leave it” and then wait until he looks back at you. When he does, click and treat him. This is easier if you have done the previous step first. To get the hang of it, you ought to practice this with food or toys before moving on to harder items. When he gets good at that, practice walking past it, always keeping the leash short enough that the dog cannot reach the item. If he lunges for it, stop walking, tell him to “leave it” and when he does, click/treat and keep walking. Your goal is to be able to walk by something with your dog on a loose leash. Try not to jerk your dog away from the item, but make sure you have the leash short enough that he cannot reach it.
Taught properly, using fabulous reward treats, your dog can become proficient at this exercise quickly. This is a hard, unnatural behavior for the dog so be prepared to reward your dog handsomely.
A. L. Seidel
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Halloween Training Tricks | Dogs at myPetSmart.com
Halloween Training Tricks | Dogs at myPetSmart.com
Halloween is a great time for the whole family to spend together. If you plan to let Fido participate in the trick or treating, teaching him a few basic commands will make your Halloween fun much easier. These three basics: Sit (so he won’t jump on the kids), stay (so he won’t run out when you open the door), and leave it (so he won’t touch the candy) should be plenty to get you through the night. Here are some basic instructions on teaching those three behaviors:
Sit – grab a good treat and place it right at the dog’s nose to get his attention. Keeping the treat right on the end of the dog’s nose, slowly move it up and back over his head. As he follows the treat, his head should come up and his back end should go down, resulting in a sit. When he sits, tell him, “Good dog!” and give him the treat. When you have practiced enough that you are sure you can get him to sit, you can begin to say the word “sit” right before you put the treat at his nose and start to move it. He’ll catch on quickly and soon he’ll be sitting after you say the word!
Stay – ask your dog to sit and praise him when he does. While your dog is sitting, say, “stay” and place your hand flat with your palm facing the dog (like a “stop” hand signal). Wait 2-3 seconds, then give your dog a treat and tell him, “All done!” When it seems like he understands that he’s supposed to sit still until he gets his treat and you say, “all done”, you can start to have him stay longer. You can increase the time he stays by a couple of seconds every three repetitions. It’s tempting to try and walk away from him while he stays, but it’s best to remain right beside him until you’ve worked up to 30 seconds.
Leave it – you’ll need a large, boring biscuit and some small, yummy treats. Put your dog on leash and place the large, boring biscuit out of reach of the dog. Allow him to attempt to get it, but do not allow him to actually put it in his mouth. When he stops trying to get it and turns away, tell him, “Good dog!” and give him a small, yummy treat. As he gets better at this exercise, you can tell him, “leave it” when he starts to go toward the large, boring biscuit. You can repeat this exercise with lots of different items; just make sure to reward him with something better than you ask him to leave.
If you start now, your dog will be a pro at these by the time Halloween rolls around. Have fun and happy trick or treating!
Halloween is a great time for the whole family to spend together. If you plan to let Fido participate in the trick or treating, teaching him a few basic commands will make your Halloween fun much easier. These three basics: Sit (so he won’t jump on the kids), stay (so he won’t run out when you open the door), and leave it (so he won’t touch the candy) should be plenty to get you through the night. Here are some basic instructions on teaching those three behaviors:
Sit – grab a good treat and place it right at the dog’s nose to get his attention. Keeping the treat right on the end of the dog’s nose, slowly move it up and back over his head. As he follows the treat, his head should come up and his back end should go down, resulting in a sit. When he sits, tell him, “Good dog!” and give him the treat. When you have practiced enough that you are sure you can get him to sit, you can begin to say the word “sit” right before you put the treat at his nose and start to move it. He’ll catch on quickly and soon he’ll be sitting after you say the word!
Stay – ask your dog to sit and praise him when he does. While your dog is sitting, say, “stay” and place your hand flat with your palm facing the dog (like a “stop” hand signal). Wait 2-3 seconds, then give your dog a treat and tell him, “All done!” When it seems like he understands that he’s supposed to sit still until he gets his treat and you say, “all done”, you can start to have him stay longer. You can increase the time he stays by a couple of seconds every three repetitions. It’s tempting to try and walk away from him while he stays, but it’s best to remain right beside him until you’ve worked up to 30 seconds.
Leave it – you’ll need a large, boring biscuit and some small, yummy treats. Put your dog on leash and place the large, boring biscuit out of reach of the dog. Allow him to attempt to get it, but do not allow him to actually put it in his mouth. When he stops trying to get it and turns away, tell him, “Good dog!” and give him a small, yummy treat. As he gets better at this exercise, you can tell him, “leave it” when he starts to go toward the large, boring biscuit. You can repeat this exercise with lots of different items; just make sure to reward him with something better than you ask him to leave.
If you start now, your dog will be a pro at these by the time Halloween rolls around. Have fun and happy trick or treating!
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