Preparing Your Pet for the Holidays – 'Leave It'

It's that time of year again, the holidays are just around the corner.  This is usually the time of year that our animals, typically our canine friends, get into the most trouble.  With many holiday decorations, food, trees, and visits by friends and family, there is always a higher risk of something going wrong.  The most common things that happen are of the annoyance variety, and not considered severe by most.  Some of these things are; jumping on guests, stealing food, and some minor destructive behavior.  Unfortunately, there are also a good deal of aggressive incidences, and visits to the veterinarian due to the pet eating something toxic.

It’s important to know that every animal and every case is different.  How to treat a behavioral problem depends on a number of factors, such as the particular animal in question, the actual problem, and the underlying factors such as the family situation and people involved.  However, one thing that you can do that seems to cross all boundaries is teaching the "leave it" command.  If you take a moment to think about your own pet, you will probably realize that there are many times during the day that you do not want your dog to steal something off the table, jump on a person, chase the cat, etc.  The "leave it" command is a great way to teach your dog to back away from something and ultimately look at you to avoid the object or stimulation that is causing the trouble. 

One of the ways to teach this command is by using food.  Simply take the food in your hand, make your dog "sit", and slowly introduce the food to your dog.  If, and when, your dog tries to take the food out of your hand, say "leave it" and gently push the dog's nose back with the food in hand (typically you can close the food in your fist to make this easy).  When your dog does not try to take the food out of your hand for a couple of seconds at first, say "take it", and give the food.  It is important that your hand moves to the dog's mouth to give the food, as opposed to the dog reaching with his mouth to take the food.  Remember, the idea is to teach your dog not to take or grab things.  What you will see happen fairly quickly is the dog's ability to exercise some impulse control, and wait for you to give it to them.

It is also important to maintain eye contact with your dog when you are teaching the “leave it” command. Eventually, try to wait for your dog to give you eye contact before saying "take it" and giving your dog the food.  Not only will your dog back away from anything when you say "take it", they will also learn to look at you.  This is very helpful as it teaches the dog to orient their body towards you when saying "leave it".  It also has other applications such as when you are trying to stop your dog from eating garbage on a walk, or when spotting a squirrel.

So, in summary the "leave it" command is usually taught by;

1. Placing food or treat in your hand (make a fist so the dog can not get it) 
2. Say "leave it"
3. Gently push the dog's mouth back if he tries to take the food and repeat the words "leave it"
4. When your dog does not go forward with his mouth for a couple of seconds say "take it"
5. Give the food
6. Repeat.

Eventually wait for the dog to look at you before giving the food so you can teach the eye contact.  You can also practice with things other than food when your dog understands what "leave it" means, as well as making him leave it longer and in different body positions such as "down".

In many cases a positive style trainer can help you with this command and many others.  Start practicing before the holidays are in full swing, you will be glad you did!

For more information on Bideawee’s Training services, please call 866-262-8133.