Dear Miss Behavin’: A few weeks ago you mentioned teaching a dog “Leave it” as a way to help two dogs that are possessive over food. How would you go about teaching a dog the “Leave it” command?
PET OF THE WEEK: After some games of fetch, Tig wants to lounge on the couch with you and enjoy lots of good petting. This gal is gentle and affectionate and ready to find her forever home. Come meet this darling, 7-year-old, female Tortoiseshell, ask for Tig ID# A820551.Aadoptable pets are available at Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA’s Tom and Annette Lantos Center for Compassion, 1450 Rollins Road, Burlingame. For information, call 650-340-7022 or visit www.phs-spca.org. (Thelma Andree / Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA)
Reply: “Leave it” is a very useful thing to teach your dog. The command basically means that your dog should immediately move away from someone or something, so you can use it in a variety of situations. Is your dog about to grab the same bit of fallen food as your other dog? “Leave it!” Is your dog about to eat a decomposing hamburger on a walk? “Leave it!”
In order to teach “Leave it,” you can start by putting a small dog treat in your partially closed hand, and hiding another treat behind your back. Let your dog sniff the treat in your hand, but don’t let him grab it. Usually dogs will try to lick or paw the treat from your hand, but eventually they will get frustrated and look away. At the exact moment your dog looks away from the treat, say “Yes!” and then give him the hidden treat from behind your back. Essentially you want to reward your dog for moving away from something that he wants.
Repeat this game a few times, and then switch which hand is hidden behind your back. You can also try putting a treat under your foot instead of your hand (still rewarding him with another hidden treat when he turns away). As your dog becomes savvier and quickly starts to look for the hidden treat, you can start to add the verbal command “Leave it” as he turns his head away from the initial treat.
Once your dog reliably moves away when he hears “Leave it,” you can start using the command in other situations. Try to reward your dog if he does avoid something he wants, so he learns he gets something better from you if he obeys. You won’t need to reward him forever, but you will in the beginning stages of training. With repetition, your dog will even learn to pass up a hamburger.