Teach Your Dog To Drop
STEP 1
The first step in teaching your dog drop is to show them that its worth it! You are going to be asking your dog to give up something of value to them. Get a small amount of your dogs’ food, or a treat, say the command “drop” and put the food/treats on the floor and allow your dog to eat. Repeat this 5-10 times over a few sessions. Once your dog looks for treats on the floor when you say the command drop, you are then ready to move to step 2.
STEP 2
Now you can start introducing items you want your dog to drop. Grab one of your dog’s favourite pet toys and a treat/food. Give your dog their toy and let them play for a minute or two. You then want to say the command “drop” and offer your dog the reward. Once they have released the toy, reward them and say the command “drop” again. Repeat this a 10-15 times over a few short sessions.
STEP 3
Now your dog understands the positive reward of the command drop, you should be able to verbally say the command, and your dog release whatever is in its mouth. You want to gradually build up distance between you and your dog, so from afar they still respond to the command.
Teaching your dog to drop is a very important part of building respect and hierarchy. It is a great way to play and interact with your dog, whilst been able to control playtime. Dogs can get overly boisterous when playing games, this can lead to them becoming dominant. If your dog becomes a dominant figure in the household, this can cause many other behavioural issues. Drop is also a very handy tool to have if your dog likes to pick up things they shouldn’t!
