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Teaching Your Dog "Drop It"
"Drop
it" is an essential command for dogs to know. Since they investigate
the world first with their noses and mouths, they are often inclined
to pick up items with the intent of consuming them, gnawing for
pleasure, or guarding them from other dogs or people. That means
our dogs will often pick up items that are inappropriate for them
to have in their mouths. They need to learn what items are appropriate
and what items are not, but until they understand that concept,
they must know how to spit out an item when we tell them to do so.
This is the "drop it" command.
(NOTE: this command is essential for a dog to know before you play "Tug-O-War" with him. He must release the tug toy as soon as you command it, or that game is off-limits.)
You may have already attempted to teach your dog this, and failed. Why? Well, let's look at it from the dog's perspective:
Fido picks up an item and his human commands him to drop the item. He does so, and what happens? The human takes the precious item, and he doesn't get it back. Well, heck, why did he let go? Now he has nothing! The next time this happens, Fido is going to be much more reluctant to give up his prize, and then a frustrated human will usually try to force him to let go. Now we have a rousing game of tug-o-war going. Whee! What fun for Fido…but not so fun for human.
Lesson learned? DON'T let go--all the fun ends when you do. Pretty soon, the dog learns to "grab and gulp" (food items that fall on or are found on the floor or street) or to" grab and hide" with non-consumable items.
Dogs believe strongly in the concept of "finders, keepers," and this usually works out fine with other dogs. But a dog that picks up contraband items and will not give them up, or swallows them quickly to avoid the human getting them, is a dog that is confused about his place in the "pack" (human family) and this can cause problems in the pack. Not only that, but this behavior can injure or kill the dog if he gets a hold of something dangerous.
So let's fix the problem by teaching the dog to spit out anything he has in his mouth when we say so. (It is a fine idea to teach the dog a good "leave it" command as well so that he doesn't pick up things in the first place.)
1. Put the dog on a leash and find a quiet spot away from distractions. Grab a handful of Yummy Treats (small bits of meat such as hot-dog or chicken --NOT crunchy dog biscuits. Treats HAVE to be irresistable) and one or two of the dog's toys that he will take in his mouth if you offer them.
2. Have a treat in one hand and a toy in the other. Offer the toy to the dog and encourage him to "take it." (Use the leash to keep him from going anywhere with it.) Offer mild resistance for a few seconds (play tug) and then put a Yummy Treat right up next to his nose while telling him to "Drop It."
3. Most dogs cannot resist a treat, and it is highly likely that he will let go of the toy to eat the treat. Praise him as he eats the treat, and pick up the toy again.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 about four times and then take the toy and the treats and go do something else.
5. PUT THE TOY AWAY until the next session, which can be anywhere from 4 hours to one day later.
6. After 3 sessions with that toy, pick an item the dog likes to "steal," i.e. a dish towel or sock; or, if he's not a thief by nature, another toy that he doesn't get to play with often. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the dog is dropping the item quickly and consistently for a treat in several places in the home, and even outside some.
7. Now it's time to "up the ante." Gather some discarded used food wrappers for the next session. The best type to use for this are larger paper wrappers, such as those that are used to wrap fast-food burgers. If you don't have any handy, don't go plucking them off the street; get a piece of wax paper or a piece of newspaper and smear some food on it: meat juice, ketchup (a small amount), tomato sauce, or anything that will "stick" to it.
The key is to use something that is too large for the dog to gulp down without chewing. Roll the paper up and make sure it has the food smeared on the outer part of the roll.
8. The dog definitely should be on leash for this, and tied up to a sturdy object is preferable. Make sure your treats are Very Yummy. Keep the "contraband" out of sight until you have a couple of treats in your other hand.
9. Offer the paper roll to the dog and tell him to "take it." When he does, don't play tug - just immediately give the "drop it" command and put your treats up to his nose. As soon as he spits out the contraband, praise very enthusiastically and give him several treats. (Make sure you pick up the contraband off the floor while you are doing this.) Repeat 2 more times, as long as you are having success, then quit.
10. Repeat the above step in several sessions at least 4 hours apart. When the dog is readily spitting out the food wrapper consistently, in several scenarios (even outside), you are in a good place.
11. Go back to playing tug with the toy, and after you say "Drop it," and the dog spits it out, give it back to him IMMEDIATELY and play some more. Now, the reward for spitting it out is that you get to have it back. By this time, treats should be mostly unnecessary, except for occasionally to keep him interested.
Did you know? Tricks are not only fun for your pet, but they help keep them happy and well-adjusted, and more focused on you!