Take it/ Drop it

I am having the worst luck when it comes to both of these commands. Whenever Kenny knows treats are in my hand, he will not play with a toy to do these commands with. It is just frustrating because I know he is smart but he just won't get it. Especially Take It confuses him. Drop It whenever we are outside is nearly impossible too because he will not drop whatever he has and will run away if I go for it.

Any tips?

Thanks guys!

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on December 30, 2013 at 2:52pm

Try switching toys instead of treats. For Drop It, always give the toy he has right back if he loosens his grip at all. Repeat until he lets go right away. It is a good idea to start training only when you have control either with a leash or in a smaller apace and not try for the great out doors until he is reliable.

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Permalink Reply by Erin on December 30, 2013 at 2:59pm

Oh, he is very food motived but I will try your advice! Thank you so much! For outdoors, he is picking up rocks and mulch that I don't want him chewing on.

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Permalink Reply by Beth on December 30, 2013 at 3:08pm

ALWAYS teach leave it/drop it inside in a place where the dog can't get away from you. With mine, I had luck using very high value toys (rope tugs) that excite them enough to get them to ignore the tiny treats in my hands. They need to be toys the dog doesn't have access to all the time so the toy is exciting. They unpalm the treat and wave it in front of the nose and say "drop it" as they are letting go. You can only do one or two repetitions per training session or they will lose focus on either the toy of the food.

You can also, as Bev says, trade out toys. Have two high value toys and swap out one for the other. Make sure to play vigorously as the reward.

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Permalink Reply by Erin on December 30, 2013 at 3:19pm

Thank you Beth! I will do that!

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Permalink Reply by Jane on December 30, 2013 at 9:45pm

When we taught "take it" we used one of those little rawhide rolls that are about the size of a pencil to get them interested in having it in their mouth, and slowly transitioned over to a pen. You could also try using a clicker, some dogs are very keen on shaping behaviors that way.