Big Dog - Teach Leave It

So what if you drop a piece of chocolate? Or raisins or grapes on the floor? These are just some things that can be really toxic to your dog. So it's vitally important that your dog understand the command leave it. So to start teaching your dog this really important exercise, you going to have treats in both hands. Make sure they are appropriate dog treats. Start by stepping on your leash to keep your dog under control. You going to present right hand with treats to your dog as you tell them leave it. Leave it. Initially they are not going to want to leave the treats. But after a little while, they are going to look away from the treat and look at you. Yes. Its at that moment you tell your dog yes and give them a treat from the other hand. Good boy! Let's repeat that. First, step on the leash. Present your right hand, leave it. When they look away, yes, give him the treat from the other hand. This exercise of course teaches your dog that they can still leave a treat and be rewarded for doing it. With enough practice, your dog should almost immediately look at you when they hear the leave it command. At this point you ready to move to step two which is tossing the treat on the ground When you start you'll want to step on your leash, until your dog masters that, and then you can practice it without. Leave it. Yes! For WebMD's One Minute Trainer, I'm Kate Jackson