The goal of the “leave it” cue is to teach your dog to ignore the dropped item and, instead, look to you for guidance. In this video, KPA faculty member Juliana Willems and Charlie, a three-month-old female Havanese puppy, demonstrate how to teach this behavior. To increase Charlie’s chances of success, Juliana is using a boring object (a face mask). She begins by holding the mask still and up off the ground and asking Charlie to “leave it.” Initially, she rewards her for eye contact only (since a dog can’t offer eye contact and reach for an object at the same time). Once Charlie is offering eye contact reliably, Juliana increases the criteria to waiting patiently and attentively. Once the puppy is responding to the “leave it” cue with the mask off the ground, Juliana increases the challenge by placing the object on the ground, within the dog’s easy reach.

For more ideas about how to get started training your dog, check out our blogs and the Dog Trainer Foundations course! The new Immersion version of the Dog Trainer Foundations course offers an even more personalized, structured learning experience plus five hours of coaching to help get you to the next step!

Happy Training!