How To Teach Your Dog To Drop It (With and Without Treats)

Dogs are notorious for their love of picking up things they shouldn’t. Garbage, pills, or clicking hazards, your dog might not resist the temptation to pick them up off the ground. Teaching your dog a reliable response to the “leave it” command is essential.

But what should you do when your dog has already picked up an unwanted item? The “drop it” cue is the command that can help you prevent your dog from getting into life-threatening situations. Here is how to teach your dog to drop it.

Teach “Drop It” With a Treat

The key to efficient dog training is a positive reinforcement strategy. It provides your dog with a positive motivation to comply with your requests and makes the training process more exciting. So, grab your dog’s favorite treats, a toy, and a clicker (if you practice clicker training), and let’s get started.

Here is how to teach your dog to drop it with a treat:

1. Choose a toy your dog is not overly excited about so they can easily give it up. Encourage your dog to play with it for a while.
2. Offer a high-value treat to your dog. The dog should choose to give up on the toy and prefer the treat instead. Mark and reward the second your dog opens their mouth.
3. Leave the toy on the ground and let them get it again if they want to after eating the treat.
4. After your dog stops eating, repeat the process.
5. When your dog drops the toy when they see the treat, it’s time to add the verbal cue “drop it.”
6. Repeat the training process several times and start giving the “drop it” cue without showing the treat. Mark, praise, and reward your dog each time they drop the toy.

Pro tip: If the dog refuses to drop the items without you showing the treat, wait a second or two between giving a verbal cue and demonstrating the treat. Then, gradually increase the time between saying the cue and showing the treat until your dog grasps the concept of dropping an item without a treat present.

Teach “Drop It” With a Toy

If your dog is not food-motivated, you may wonder how to teach your dog to drop it without treats. The good news is that training your dog to drop it using only toys is possible. Choose a new toy your dog will be excited to play with to succeed.

Repeat the training steps described above, but this time, offer your dog a high-value toy instead of food as a reward. If your dog doesn’t favor a new toy, try acting excited around it. Play with the toy yourself and show enthusiasm for it. It is sure to make your dog trade one toy for another.

Another way to teach your dog to drop it while playing games. Tug-of-war is one of the games you can try. Start playing with a toy. ‘Freeze’ and hold the toy as still as possible until your dog gives up. The dog will get bored without your company and drop the toy.

Praise your dog for doing so, and repeat the game. When your dog starts dropping the toy the moment you get still, add a verbal cue: “Drop it.”

More Tips On How To Teach Your Dog The “Drop It” Command

Now that you know how to teach your dog to drop it, we would like to provide you with some extra advice to ensure the training's success.

Here are a few things you should avoid:

• Don’t punish your dog for not following the command. Use positive reinforcement only by praising the dog and offering them rewards and treats.
• Don’t let your dog leave the training spot. If your dog keeps running away with the toy during the training, put them on a leash to make them stay in one place.
• Don’t snatch an item from your dog’s mouth by force unless it’s dangerous. It teaches the dog that the object they picked up is valuable, and they may try to run away and swallow it.
• Don’t chase your dog when they grab an object. The dog may perceive it as a fun game to play with you. Stay calm, and give your dog time to drop an item independently.

Wrap-Up

The “drop it” command is necessary for ensuring your dog’s safety. You can use positive reinforcement strategies to train your dog to the “drop it” cue using food or toys as rewards. Put your dog on a leash if necessary, and avoid chasing your dog when they pick up something from the ground. In addition, remember not to take the items away by force from a dog’s mouth. Keep practicing the command regularly to ensure the best training results.