Monday, September 12, 2011

Teaching Your Dog to "Drop It"

by Carrie Boyko, CEB


Thanks to our Ask the Dog Trainer columnist, Michael Baugh, for finding this unique and well-done video. Teaching your dog to Drop anything from his mouth is a useful way to help protect him, while also aiding in fun games such as Fetch and Tug. 

Although my method used with Tanner did mimic some of this method, I did not use food because my focus was on teaching fetch. Therefore the reward was always another toss of the toy. I did, however use the floor touch or point, as this came naturally to me from our training in agility. With practice, pointing and sweeping arm movements often help the dog understand the direction you wish him to head.

If you need further assistance, feel free to drop a note with your question to our Ask the Dog Trainer column. You can reach us at LetsAdoptaDogPark@gmail.com. We'll be sure to Drop what we're doing to help you as quickly as possible.

Happy tails!




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8 comments:

  1. Firefighter Dayna HiltonSeptember 12, 2011 at 2:36 AM

    Very, very useful! Thank you!

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  2. petdoginsuranceSeptember 12, 2011 at 7:33 AM

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    ReplyDelete
  3. JenSeptember 12, 2011 at 10:08 AM

    It's funny, I've been thinking lately about how I taught Elka "drop it" and genuinely can't remember. I certainly didn't use the old school "ear pinch", but my method also wasn't the way the video describes (it would've sparked my memory). What a very very good video (plus, Cody is adorable! I spent a lot of time thinking "is he a Doberman mix? A Shepherd mix?")

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  4. Bessie MacSeptember 12, 2011 at 12:33 PM

    Very interesting technique!

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  5. K-KoiraSeptember 12, 2011 at 1:28 PM

    My problem is my dog drops too much. That is to say, he drops the toy several feet away from me, then when told to "bring it here" will pick it up and toss it closer a few times before it is within arms' reach. I want to train him to put the toy in my hand without dropping it or tossing it at all first.

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  6. Peggy FrezonSeptember 12, 2011 at 2:49 PM

    Thanks for this video. Kelly will "drop it" but not consistently. I am sure that is in direct proportion to the consistency of her trainer!

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  7. shilohsmomSeptember 13, 2011 at 12:53 AM

    Great video!

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  8. DawnSeptember 13, 2011 at 5:57 PM

    His voice is so monotone that I almost fell asleep! But the technique is sound But I taught my dogs like Carrie did with toys first, then worked my way up to food.

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