Does your dog like to grab things and run with them? If so, you are not alone! This is a common problem I hear from dog owners. At some point, the dog probably picked up something they shouldn’t have had and the owner rushed over to get it. In the process, the dog got a lot of attention and decided that keep-away was fun. Now everytime they have something the owner seems interested in, they run with it thinking it’s an exciting game. Sound familiar? Don’t worry, this can be fixed relatively easily with some practice and consistency with a drop-it command.
Drop-it can be an extremely beneficial command for your dog’s safety. If they pick up something potentially harmful or toxic, having a command in place can be critical. The drop-it command is also a great tool to prevent resource guarding and one that I often use to retrain dogs who do resource guard. This is a great command to improve your dog’s overall obedience and can make play easier for games like fetch.
Getting Started
The best way that I have found to teach a drop-it command is to teach your dog that they are essentially “trading up” for a better item.
To start, get your dog interested in a toy and play with him for a minute so that he is holding it in his mouth. I like to play tug for a bit so that the dog and I are both holding the toy. Then, with your hand still on the toy, bring a treat to your dog’s nose with your other hand and say “drop-it” with the treat right in front of your dog. When the dog lets go of the toy to eat the treat, praise and pet him. Next, I like to teach a release word to let the dog know it is ok to pick up the object again. I teach this from the very beginning when he is first learning to drop an item. I use the command “get it” but you can use any word. After the dog has dropped the item and finished his treat, say “get it” and shake the toy to get him to grab it. Repeat this process multiple times in a row.
Once your dog has practiced this enough that he starts to anticipate dropping the toy immediately, it is time to move on to the next step. Rather than holding the toy and playing tug, toss the toy a few feet away from you. Let your dog pick it up and then give the drop it command. If your dog has practiced the first step enough, he should look to your hand to anticipate a treat. Try keeping the treat hidden in a pocket or behind your back and present it after your dog has dropped the toy. If he does not immediately drop the toy, wait a few seconds and then bring the treat forward where he can see it so that he drops the toy for the treat. The key is to always practice having success. Give the dog a chance to do it right on his own, but if he doesn’t, be prepared to back up to the previous step rather than practicing not completing the command. You could also practice this step on a leash if your dog tries to run with the object to prevent him from practicing that behavior.
Practice makes perfect
Practice this with several different types of toys and balls. Practice it indoors and outdoors. If you have a multiple dog household, practice it alone first and then with the other dogs present. Have other family members practice this game with the dog as well. All of this helps the dog generalize the command to any setting and improves your chances of it working when it is an item that your dog really needs to drop for safety sake.
Once I feel the dog has really mastered this command with toys in multiple settings with multiple people, I will increase the challenge. Try it with your dog’s favorite chew bone. Make sure that the treat you are giving as a reward is very high value since the object you are asking him to drop is also high value. When I practice it this way, I always immediately give the item back after asking the dog to drop it and repeat a couple times before giving him the chew bone to go relax with. I am teaching him that just because he was asked to drop it momentarily, doesn’t mean that he is giving up that item for good. This is a great concept to learn for dogs that resource guard. Be sure that you are continuing to use your release word here to let the dog know it is ok to grab the item again. You can begin extending the amount of time between when he finishes his treat and when you tell him to “get it” to ensure that he is waiting to be released before grabbing it again. This is also an important part of the command to have in place in case the item you need to ask your dog to drop is something you don’t want him to pick back up. In that case, you can pick up the item and remove it so that your dog isn’t tempted to pick it back up.
Drop-it or Leave-it. What’s the difference?
Don’t get “drop-it” confused with the “leave-it” command. While I teach both of these commands similarly, and I think it is great for your dog to know both, they have different uses.
Drop-it is used when your dog already has something in their mouth. Leave-it is for something that you don’t want your dog to touch at all. Examples of times to use leave-it is when you are walking your dog and you see something gross on the ground, or if you drop something in the kitchen that you don’t want your dog to pick up. You may be wondering, why does it even matter? The reason I like to distinguish these commands is because with drop-it, I may have the dog pick the object back up and release it again, like if we are playing with a toy or a ball. Leave-it is final. Once the dog is told to leave something, they never touch it. An important distinction if the object you ask them to leave is harmful.
Go Train Your Dog!
Give these tips a try and teach your dog something new! Remember, training should be fun for you and your dog!
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Looking for a low-calorie training treat your dog will love? Check out my go to favorite, Train-Me Treats. They come in tons of flavors, but the pulled pork and bacon are always a big hit with my training camp puppies! I normally get the mini size; I prefer just a small reward and use a bunch while I am training. But they are easy to break in half, so you could definitely do that with the regular size.
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