How long does it take to train a dog to leave it?

The ‘leave it’ command is easy to teach dogs and can prevent your dog from eating something that could hurt them. In repeating this dog training drill over the course of days or weeks, you are building up your dog’s skills by waiting for incrementally longer hesitations until it becomes clear they are beginning to understand. As your dog’s skill progresses and they achieve a rock-solid ‘leave it’ with treats in your palm, you can work on more advanced training. You can try this exercise but put the treat on the table or floor. With a bit of time and patience, your dog can learn this life-saving cue. Training should be fun, and your dog will learn better if they’re happy and not frustrated.

Practice this 10 more times, over a few short sessions. Once your dog begins to look for the food on the floor as soon as they hear the word “drop”, you’re ready to move on. Again, practice this over a few short sessions, with at least 10 repetitions per session. Continue practicing, until you have built up to using their favourite toy and they will successfully drop it when asked. If your dog doesn’t drop the toy, don’t try and take it from them, instead, stay calm and try to distract your dog with food instead. If this is necessary, your dog might need a break, or you may have moved on too quickly. Go back through the steps as far as you need to and try again at a later stage. With practice, your dog will begin to automatically drop the first toy when you offer them the second one. Keep doing this, and when your dog is immediately letting go of the toy when they hear the word “drop” you can move on to asking them to simply “drop” the first toy without using a second one.

Repeat these three steps until they consistently make the choice to move away from the treat. Practise this many times in short, regular sessions. Once your dog is consistently moving away from the treat, you can start to add in the cue word 'leave'. Wait patiently and don't say anything. Wait for your dog to back off from your hand, even just slightly or for a moment. As soon as they back off and there's a small gap between your hand and your dog's nose, open your hand, release the treat and give them lots of praise. Repeat these steps until your dog has made the association between the word 'leave' and backing off from the treat.

It can come in handy when your dog is reaching for something they shouldn’t have. Fair trade will help teach your puppy to give you something back because they will receive something better in return. Once they understand this, to help teach your puppy not to pick an item up, you can teach them how to 'leave it'. Start with a tasty treat in one hand and a boring ‘leave it’ item in the other. Repeat this until your dog is reliably looking away, and then start to add in the cue. Over time your dog will start to look away as soon as they hear the cue. Try it in new places and add in distractions. If at any point your dog is struggling to leave it, go back to a stage where they were successful and progress more slowly.