How to teach your dog to drop it

If your dog has something dangerous or just really yucky in his mouth, being able to tell him to drop it quickly is a great training tool. It is quite easy to teach a dog to drop something, and there are several different techniques you can use. You can even make it into a game your dog will enjoy.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Small flavorful treats
• <br>Toys
• <br>Rawhides and dog chews

1. Teach your dog the "trading" technique. For this you will need a toy or a hard plain rawhide chew, something he will grab and want to hold onto. Have small, very enticing treats in one hand--hot dogs, pieces of cooked meat or cheese work well. Encourage him to take the toy or rawhide into his mouth. Then tell him "drop it" while letting him see the treat. He will let go of the item in his mouth in order to take the treat. Praise him lavishly and give him back the item. Repeat this several times over the course of a few days until he is reliably dropping the item for you. At this point you can phase out the treats and just give him lots of praise.

2. Make it a little more of a challenge once he is letting you take a plain rawhide or toy. Give him something a bit better. Perhaps a basted rawhide, pig ear or bully stick. Using the very tasty treats again, encourage him to "drop it" for a treat. If at any point your dog decides he'd rather hold onto his item, gently remove it from his mouth, give him the treat and praise, and let him have the item back. The message you want to give him is no matter whether he decides to drop it for you or not, you will still take it and he will still get rewarded for you taking it.

3. Up the ante until you know he will drop anything that is in his mouth for you. Your eventual goal is for him to drop anything, even a cooked porterhouse steak or the neighbor's cat. When you are walking your dog and he suddenly grabs some dropped cooked chicken bones and tries to eat them, you sure want him to reliably drop it on your command. So this important command may literally save your dog's life one day.

4. Make it part of a game if your dog enjoys playing tug. Once he understands the "drop it" concept, engage him in a fun game of tug. Tell him "drop it." When he drops his end of the tug toy, tell him "good dog" and resume play with lots of enthusiasm. His reward for dropping the tug toy is more playing.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a low, firm, almost growly tone of voice for the "drop it" command.
• <br>Always praise your dog's compliance, even if you have phased out the treats.
• If your dog growls or bares his teeth at you during these training exercises, consult a professional trainer. It is unsafe and unfair to the dog to let him get away with threatening behavior.