Leave ItDog turns away from a temptation on cue
The opposite of take it. The dog learns that turning away from something desirable earns something better. This is impulse control, not obedience. The dog is choosing the smarter deal.
Also known as: Off, Nope
At a glance
- Tier
- 1 · Basic
- Time to fluency
- 3–6 weeks
- Practice
- 5× per week, 5 min each
- Equipment
- Small soft treats, Various temptation items
Prerequisites
Your dog should know these words first:
How to teach leave it
Lure
Cover a treat with your hand; reward from the other hand when the dog backs off
- Place a treat under your closed fist on the floor
- Wait for it. The dog will paw, nose, and lick. The instant they pull back, mark and reward from the other hand
- Never let them get the covered treat. The leave-it item is off limits, always
- Once they back off quickly, upgrade the temptation gradually
Hand Signal
Flat palm facing the dog, like a stop sign
- Show the palm, reveal the temptation, mark the moment they look away
- Build from boring items to high-value ones over sessions, not minutes
- Reward from your pocket or other hand. The leave-it item is never the reward
Verbal Cue
The cue word before revealing the temptation
- Say the word before showing the item, so the word is the warning
- Practise with food on the ground, then on low surfaces, then on tables
- Use it on walks for dropped food, but only when you can enforce it with the leash
Success criteria
- Unlearned
- Dives for any dropped food or interesting object
- In progress
- Turns away from dropped food on the word alone, indoors
- Mastered
- Leaves food on the ground or another dog's toy on cue, outdoors
Common mistakes
- Letting the dog get the leave-it item even once, which teaches persistence pays
- Rewarding with the leave-it item instead of something from the other hand
- Starting with high-value items before the concept is understood
- Using it reactively (after the dog has the item) instead of proactively (before they reach it)