I don’t generally emphasize teaching your dog what not to do. “Leave it” is an important exception.
Dogs naturally use their noses and mouths to check out the world. In nature, they don’t encounter many things that would get them into trouble. However, the human world is full of things dogs should not have—broken jars of peanut butter, children’s toys, freshly baked pies, and many more.
The positive way to teach “leave it”—a “no” concept—is to teach its “yes” counterpart: “take it.” You train the dog to “leave it” by offering a better alternative—a reward— and encouraging her to “take it.”
How to Teach “Leave It”
Obviously you don’t start with the broken jar of peanut butter. In the kindergarten level of “leave it” training, you have two kinds of treats, an OK treat and the dog’s favorite morsel.
- Hold an OK treat in your closed hand. Allow your dog to become interested in the treat, but do not give it to her. The moment she stops trying to get it, say “yes!” or click, and give her the favorite treat from your other hand.
- After you do this a few times and her light bulb goes on—that is, when she is purposefully ignoring the treat in your closed hand—start incorporating the cue “leave it.”
- Transition into the same exercise with your hand open.
- Then start alternating with “take it” by encouraging her to take the favored treat right out of your hand.
More advanced training involves working on the floor and increasing your distance from dog and treat. Put an OK treat on the floor—but stay close at first, where you can keep her attention or body block to keep her from the treat if you have to. Tell her to leave it and, as soon as her attention is no longer on the treat, toss a better treat in a different direction, in plain view. Encourage the dog to “take it.”
Gradually increase your distance from dog and treat until you’ve got a reliable “leave it” from anywhere. Add different tempting items to the mix to ensure that your dog really can follow this cue when you need to give it.
“Take it,” meanwhile, can become a very useful cue in concert with targeting. You can teach your dog to pick up almost anything she can hold in her mouth. This is a good skill in any context and a vital part of therapy dog training.
When to Use “Leave It” and When Not to
Now that you’ve got a reliable “leave it,” don’t abuse it. Dogs take in information with their noses and mouths. Every time you tell your pooch to “leave it,” you’re putting a blindfold on her. Don’t make her go around blindfolded all the time.
“Leave it” does not mean “no.” Its specific purpose is to stop the dog from smelling or tasting something she shouldn’t. Use it only to avert minor emergencies.
For times when you decide to let your dog smell something but don’t want to stand there all day while she does, you can teach her “let’s go” or similar. Save “leave it” for prevention, before she starts investigating.
However, you can practice “leave it” as often as you want. Practicing helps to reinforce your status as pack leader–and it’s fun, because your pooch enjoys the “take it” part.
