There are many commands people teach their puppies or dogs soon after they get them. Everyone seems to teach the sit command and when people come up to your dog they inevitably say “can you sit?” But there are a couple commands that I teach my dogs that many people forget about. Those are “leave it” and “drop it”. I think I started teaching these with a Lab puppy who loved to eat sticks. Labs love to eat everything and some of those things can be dangerous to their health. These are really simple commands to teach your dog and can be made a lot of fun in the process.
Leave It
For both of these commands we use something to tempt the dog. This can be anything they like, a toy, a treat, food. I have even used sticks and leaves when the dog loves to eat those. You can do this inside or outside too. Put some of these items around an area where you can walk through with your dog on a leash. As you’re walking by them and your dog is tempted and tries to pick up the item, give a little jerk on the leash and say “leave it”. When they follow your command give them a treat or praise, just as you would for any other behavior you want to enforce. Remember that most living things will repeat a behavior that is rewarded. Another way you can teach them is to keep the temptation (ball, food, etc) in your hand. When they try to get to it, give the command “leave it”. When they follow your command let them have it.
Drop It
This command is a little harder to teach because the dog already has the object. It is much easier if the object is fairly big and not edible. Balls work good. You may have to physically force your dog to drop the object. One thing you can do is grab hold of their collar with one hand and with the other grab the toy and repeat the command while gently pulling on the toy. Praise them highly when they drop the ball. If they won’t drop it you can squeeze their lips against their teeth to get them to drop the item. Reward them when they drop the ball by giving it a toss for some playtime.
Lifesavers
Becoming adept at these 2 commands will enable you to control what your puppy puts in their mouth. There are many dangers inside and outside your house and it’s hard to puppy proof everything. Using either of these commands just once could save your puppy from becoming sick or worse.
