The "leave it" command
The "leave it" tells a dog to ignore something he would otherwise interact with, by eating it or playing with it, or just curiously sniffing. "Leave it" can eliminate the stress of worrying about your dog's safety all the time. Being able to just give a command and not have to yank the dog away, or pull things out of their mouth makes walks more enjoyable.
How to start training the "leave it"
- With a piece of food on your open palm, hold it out about level with the dog's eyes and a foot or two away.
- If the dog attempts to take it, slowly and methodically close your hand around the treat and raise your hand to your shoulder. Immediately present it again.
- When the dog doesn't try to take the food, go ahead and give it to them.
These three steps are in the video below
- When the dog is doing well, slowly start lowering the food until you're able to put it on the floor without the dog taking it
- At this stage, you can start using more enticing items for them to leave