How to practice leave it with your dog?

To practice "leave it" with your dog, start with a tasty treat under the toe of your shoe, letting your dog sniff, lick and paw the toe of your shoe, then patiently wait until they get bored and give up. The moment they turn away from your shoe, mark it with a word or clicker and reward your dog with a treat from your open palm. Next, add your cue, making eye contact and saying "Leave it!" firmly when your dog first notices the treat under your toe, and reward them with a tasty treat from your hand when they turn away. You can then put a treat on the floor and hover your toe nearby, immediately asking your dog to "leave it," and reward with a treat from your open palm if they leave it. As you progress, drop a treat from a few inches off the floor, asking your dog to "leave it" as you drop, and reward from your hand if they do. Continue to practice in different scenarios, such as gently rolling a treat or toy behind you between your legs, and asking your dog to leave it right when you release the object, marking and rewarding if your dog leaves it. On regular walks, try using your "leave it" cue when they're on their lead, asking your dog to "leave it" when you see anything interesting on the ground or approaching you, and always reward your dog for good behaviour.

To practice "leave it" with your dog, start with a tasty treat in one hand and a boring 'leave it' item in the other. Hold the hand with the item out, let them sniff and wait for them to look or move away from it. When they do, mark this and reward them with the tasty treat from the other hand. Repeat this until your dog is reliably looking away, and then start to add in the cue. Say "leave", hold out the 'leave it' item out, then as your pooch looks away, mark and reward them. 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. You can also begin to add in some movement by placing the 'leave it' item on the floor, and then dropping it from a low height. You can also begin to increase the value of the item you are asking them to leave. If at any point your dog is struggling to leave it, go back to a stage where they were successful and progress more slowly.

Offer your dog a tasty treat and encourage them to 'take it' in an upbeat, friendly voice. Hold a treat in your hand with your fist closed around it. 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 three steps until they consistently make the choice to move away from the treat. Practise this many times in short, regular sessions. Place a treat on your open palm so that your dog can see and smell it. Ask your dog to leave it by saying 'leave'. If your dog stays away from the treat, reward them with lots of praise and a treat from the other hand. Give them a treat from the other hand when they successfully manage to leave the treat in your open hand.