When walking your dog there may be undesirable objects on the ground that you do not want your dog to pick up. You prefer your dog to “leave it” on the ground, ignore and walk away. Reason being is you have no idea if the item is harmful to your pup or not. You cannot put your pet’s health at-risk. But how do you teach your dog the “leave it” command? Where do you start? Here is some basic knowledge to pass along on how to teach your pup the “leave it” command.
First thing you need to do is grab a tasty pet treat, show it to your dog, put it in your hand, close your hand and say the words, “leave it.” Make sure the dog understands it is inside your hand. Allow your dog to sniff he closed hand. If your dog tries to get the treat, ignore your pup’s behavior. Then, once your dog stops trying and moves away say, “Yes!” Instantly give your pet the treat from the other hand. Repeat this technique.
Once this method is mastered, there are different levels to institute from here. It ranges from having your dog stop and look at you in the eye on the “leave it” command to implementing the action “leave it” while on your walk route with safe objects from your house laid along the way for practice.
The “leave it” command is not impossible to teach. It will keep your dog safe from harmful objects and other animals that may be encountered while outside. It is smart to teach your dog to “leave it.” Just have 100% bison pet treats ready and start training today.