Leave It
The Leave It cue is great for calling your dog away from things they shouldn’t have, like the sandwich on your coffee table, a baby’s toys, or chicken bones left on the street. This cue is great for your dog's safety and your peace of mind.
Practical Uses for Leave It
Prevent your dog from picking up or engaging with something they shouldn't, such as food, trash, or dangerous items.
Redirect your dog from distractions on walks.
Teach your dog which items are not for their use (shoes, baby toys, etc).
Step 1: Start with a Treat in Hand
Place a low value treat in your hand and close your fist. Hold your hand at your side at your hip or slightly behind you where your dog can see it but it’s far enough away that they can easily look away.
When your dog looks away from your hand and at you, say “Yes!” or click and reward them with a treat from your treat bag or other hand.
Note: trainers used to teach this cue by holding the treat in a fist right in front of the dog, where they’d try to lick/chew it out- and eventually give up. In some dogs this adds a LOT of frustration, so now we hold the treat further away. This means we make it easy for them to make the right choice, versus failing a bunch before getting it right.
Step 2: Add the Cue
Hold your hand with the treat at your side. Say the cue "Leave it." We are asking our dogs to make a really good decision, so use a happy voice! We want this to remain a happy cue.
When they look away from the hand and back at you, say "Yes!" or click a clicker and reward them with a treat from your other hand.
Step 3: Increase Difficulty
Start to present your hand a little closer to your dog where it’s more tempting.
Practice with the leave it treat in your right hand, then your left hand, and in many different environments.
Work towards presenting a treat to your dog with an open hand.
Once your dog understands the cue, you can start to generalize to different situations.
Getting Your Dog to Leave Treats on a Table
Place low value treats on a dining table, coffee table, or counter. Stay within arm’s length so you can cover up the treats if needed. You can place them on a plate to imitate real life.
When your dog shows interest, say “Leave It.” When they look away or hesitate, say “yes” or click and reward them with a treat from your hand.
You can increase distance or the value of the treats when you have a consistent success rate. You can enlist a friend or have your dog on a leash to ensure they can’t get to the treats.
If your dog moves towards the treats, make sure you can get to them first. This exercise might be too hard, go back to the treat in hand exercise to get more practice as needed.
Teaching Your Dog to Leave Treats on the Floor
Repeat the above exercise, but with food on the ground. You can also use something more resistant to being immediately eaten, like a closed treat bag or a toy.
When your dog shows interest, say “Leave It.” When they look away or hesitate, say “yes” or click and reward them with a treat from your hand.
You can practice while walking by the items with your dog on a leash. Begin by walking by at a distance and work your way closer as your dog becomes more consistent.
Don’t jerk your dog away or reprimand. Make sure you set up the environment so that your dog is successful.
You can do this with anything you see on the ground that you don’t want your dog to have! The earlier you use the cue the better!
Training Tips for Leave It
Practice in different environments and situations.
Don’t wait until your dog has an item to use Leave It, using the cue earlier makes it easier on your dog.
Using a happy voice helps to keep the cue positive; we don’t want the dog to feel punished or reprimanded. The goal is that they easily do this when asked.
If your dog is on leash and you need to direct them away from something urgently, don’t use the cue! We don’t want to associate Leave It with being jerked with the leash.
Resources
Smart Bitch Dog Training - Leave It