“Leave it” is a cue that teaches your dog to turn away from whatever he is focused on and back to you. This crucial life skill could even save your dog's life.
You can use “leave it” to prevent your dog from picking up and ingesting rubbish when out on a walk, food that has fallen on the floor at home, or to prevent him from making contact with another dog or person. You can even use the cue for dogs who like to jump up on people and chew on things they shouldn’t (especially puppies).
The “leave it” cue helps keep your dog safe. It should be taught as soon as your new puppy or dog joins your family.
Teaching “Leave It”
STAGE ONE: Food in a closed hand
- Hold a piece of food in your lightly closed hand so that your dog does not have easy access to it, but can smell that it’s there.
- Extend the food toward your dog’s nose and let him work out how he is going to get it out of your hand.
- Your dog may try sniffing, nibbling, or pawing at your hand to get to the treat, but keep your hand closed until he hesitates momentarily. He’ll either stop and move his nose back or turn his head away.
- When he makes any motion to move away, click or use a marker word and give him the food you have in your hand.
- Repeat this exercise as many times as required until your dog consistently makes the decision to take his nose away from the food.
STAGE TWO: Adding the verbal cue
- Your dog is now ready to learn what you call this new behavior! Now say the words 'leave it' in a normal, natural tone of voice (no need to shout or be harsh) while he is in the act of moving his head away. This will build up an association between the cue (‘leave it’) and the behavior.
- Repeat this process until he stops any forward movement toward your hand.
- Once he is responding reliably, ask him to 'leave it' as you present your hand to him; then reward him for moving back or turning his head away.
STAGE THREE: Seeing the treat
Now that you have built up an association with the word and the desired behavior, you can move on to showing him the treat in your hand.
- Place a food reward in one hand and move it behind your back (this will be the reward treat).
- Hold another treat in your open palm and calmly say “Leave it” as you lower your hand between you and your dog. At this stage, it may be harder for your dog to resist, because now he can actually see the treat right in front of him.
- If he tries to get it, calmly close your fingers over the treat, but resist the urge to pull your hand away or say anything. Just the act of the treat disappearing under your fingers is enough.
- If your dog does not make any movement toward your hand, click or use a marker word and give him the food reward from the hand behind your back. At this stage, it’s essential that he never gets the food that you have asked him to leave, and the reward now has to come from elsewhere.
STAGE FOUR: Putting the treat on the floor
Your dog is consistently not making any movement toward your open hand? Great! You’re both ready to get the food out of your hand.
- Put a piece of food on a table or the floor and ask your dog to “leave it.” Wait only a second at first as this treat on the floor in front of his nose will be highly tempting. When he makes no move toward the food, mark, and reward with a treat in your hand. As above, it is important that he doesn’t get the food once it is on the floor.
- As your dog is successful, repeat the process, increasing the time your dog has to wait, just a few seconds at a time, up to a count of no more than 10 seconds. Click or use a marker word and reward your dog with a treat in your hand.
STAGE FIVE: Walking by the treat
- Put a piece of food on a table or the floor.
- Put a leash on your dog, walk toward the food on the floor, and ask him to “leave it” as you approach.
- If he makes any movement toward the food on the floor, stop and wait holding the leash steady, so that he cannot reach the food. Do not yank back on the leash. Simply wait. If he won’t move away or you get a little too close and he gets the food from the floor, just keep walking! Next round, try walking by at a greater distance or repeat an earlier stage of training.
STAGE SIX: Generalizing the cue
Keep repeating the exercise by using other objects that you wish for him to ignore. Next, decrease the distance between your dog and the object on the floor. Then increase the value of the object. For example, start with a little piece of food, then move on to his favorite toy, then his favorite human, etc. Once your dog is doing well with the “leave it” cue inside the home, you can start to use it outside.
Troubleshooting
Problem: My dog will respond in my home, but he doesn’t listen to me outside.
Solution: This is normal while you’re still training “Leave it!” There are often so many distractions outside – sights, sounds, smells – that make concentrating and performing a brand-new skill much harder for your dog. Increasing the value of the reward will make the behavior more likely to happen – get out the tidbits of chicken, steak, or a favorite treat to help him.
Your dog also just might not understand what you’ve taught him in this new busy environment. Make it a bit easier: go back to Stage Five or Six, but practice in a quiet, familiar, outdoor environment. Practice in front of an open door while still inside, so he can see and smell everything outside. Or try it in your yard or garden. Once you are successful, try taking it on the road.
When you’re out walking, be sure to reward your dog for seeing something and choosing to turn his head away. For example, if your dog sees a squirrel, garbage, or a person walking a dog, anything that he historically would want to go toward or put in his mouth but now chooses to keep on walking, that’s a rewardable moment! Reinforcing the behavior you want increases the probability that the behavior will be repeated, so keep rewarding behavior that you like when you see it.
Problem: My dog just can’t help himself. He cannot resist that treat!
Solution: Try using a lower-value food/treat when you first start teaching the “leave it” cue. Go through Stage One through Three using food that your dog doesn’t go crazy over (but is still interested in), or start with a nonfood item. We always want to set our dogs up for success, so helping him learn the behavior with a treat or item that he can resist at first will ensure success for both of you. Even the “foodiest” dogs can learn to “leave it” when we proceed slowly, practice at their pace and don't move on to the next Stage before your dog can reliably “leave it” every time.
Problem: My dog doesn’t stop trying to get the treat out of my hand.
Solution: Wait and watch for even a tiny pause in his efforts. Because dogs do what works for them, not being able to get the food from your hand is inefficient and so they’ll stop trying. The very second he stops trying to get the treat, moves his head down or away, click, or use a marker word. Your dog will very quickly learn that the fastest way to get the food is to not go towards it.
