Of all the skills you can teach your dog, few matter more in an emergency than "leave it" and "drop it." One tells your dog not to pick something up, the other tells them to let go of what they already have. Together they can stop your dog swallowing a chicken bone, a dropped pill, or something worse. The good news is that both are simple to build with rewards and a little patience.
Leave it: choosing not to grab
"Leave it" teaches your dog that ignoring something makes good things happen. Start easy and build up.
- Place a boring treat in your closed fist and let your dog sniff and lick
- The instant they back off, say "yes" and reward from your other hand
- Repeat until your dog pulls away from your fist right away
- Progress to an open hand, then to a treat on the floor that you can cover if needed
The key is that your dog never gets the item they were asked to leave. The reward always comes from you, and it should be better than whatever they were tempted by.
A strong "leave it" is a choice, not a fight. You are paying your dog for self-control, not wrestling something away from them.
Drop it: trading, not taking
"Drop it" works best when your dog sees letting go as a swap rather than a loss. If you chase your dog or pry their mouth open, you teach them to run or guard. Instead, make giving up an object the start of something great.
Hold a treat near your dog's nose while they have a low-value toy. As they open their mouth to take the food, say "drop it" and reward, then hand the toy back. Handing it back is what makes the cue reliable, because your dog learns that dropping something rarely means losing it forever.
Practice before you need it
Both cues fall apart if you only use them in a crisis. Rehearse them daily with easy items so the words are automatic long before a real temptation appears. Play "drop it" during fetch, sprinkle "leave it" into walks when you pass litter, and keep sessions short and upbeat.
Raise the difficulty slowly
Once your dog is fluent with boring objects, gradually work up to more exciting ones, and practice in more distracting places. Go back a step any time your dog struggles rather than repeating a cue they cannot follow. Never punish a slow response, because hesitation usually means the exercise got too hard too fast.
Keep both cues fresh
Like any skill, "leave it" and "drop it" fade without practice. Fold them into ordinary moments a few times a week: ask for a "leave it" as you set down the food bowl, or a "drop it" mid-game with a favorite toy. Vary the objects, the rooms, and the level of temptation so the cues stay strong in genuinely distracting situations. A minute of upkeep here and there keeps these lifesavers reliable for years.
The payoff
A dog who happily leaves and drops on cue is safer on walks, calmer around guests, and far easier to live with. More importantly, you gain a reliable way to intervene in the moments that matter most, all built on trust and generosity rather than force.
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