Drop ItDog releases whatever is in their mouth
A safety skill as much as a trick. A reliable drop prevents swallowed socks, stolen food fights, and the chase-me game that rewards a dog for running off with your shoe. Trade up, never pry open.
Also known as: Give, Release
At a glance
- Tier
- 0 · Foundational
- Time to fluency
- 2–5 weeks
- Practice
- 5× per week, 5 min each
- Equipment
- High-value treats, Assorted toys and safe objects for trading
How to teach drop it
Lure
Offer a high-value treat in exchange for whatever they hold
- Let the dog have something low-value, then show something better
- Hold the treat at their nose. Most dogs open their mouth to eat
- Mark the moment the object leaves the mouth, then pay
- Give the object back sometimes so drop does not always mean losing the prize
- Never chase the dog. That teaches keep-away
Hand Signal
Open palm held beneath the dog's chin
- Present the open palm and wait. The dog should release onto your hand
- Reward from the other hand, not the one catching the object
- Practise with increasingly valued items as the dog trusts the trade
Verbal Cue
The cue word alone triggers the release
- Say the word before showing the trade treat, so the word predicts it
- Practise during play with tug toys: drop, reward, resume play
- Never use the word angrily. It must stay a positive transaction
Success criteria
- Unlearned
- Runs away or clamps down when you reach toward their mouth
- In progress
- Drops on the word alone, including during tug play
- Mastered
- Drops a high-value stolen item on first cue, even outdoors
Common mistakes
- Chasing the dog to get things back, which rewards the keep-away game
- Prying the mouth open, which teaches the dog to clamp harder
- Always taking the object away, so the dog learns drop means losing the prize
- Using the cue in anger, which poisons it