Drop command

[Rachel1992]

Can I ask the best and easiest way to teach a drop command

My dog likes to steal things then he protects them and growls if you even go near him. It upsets me cos I don't want him to turn aggressive I just leave him with it or try and bribe him with treats or something. He doesn't seem interested in them most of the time

I've read the best thing is to teach a reliable drop command. I've tried this before but once I get treats out for a training session he doesn't want any toys or anything in his mouth so it's difficult!

Help please!

[Sirius Mum]

We have just been to see our trainer about this. She recommended that we taught both "take it" and "leave it " commands as a pair. The idea as I understood it is that the pup learns to associate both things with good reactions rather than just feeling told off when told to leave something. Hope this idea helps 

[Rachel1992]

That sounds like a good idea so I'm guessing just say take it while giving him a toy or treat?

[Archie bean]

Hi. It sounds as though your pup is displaying guarding behaviour. I have a dog with similar issues. Mine was quite severe (he was very aggressive and I was bitten once when I didn't handle the situation correctly). There is a useful book on the subject called "Mine" by Jean Donaldson. It is a heavy going  read though so be warned.  It is useful though.

Use very high value treats for training. Something especially yummy. Play with a toy and then drop a small treat, when your pup lets go of the toy to pick up the treat praise him and pick up the toy. I gave another treat from my hand once I had the toy and then gave the toy back for more games. You need to make sure you are playing together with the toy so he doesn't guard it. Mine enjoyed tug games and the toy was not particularly special. Once you have done it a few times then add the word "drop" at the exact moment he let's go of the toy. Timing is everything. Eventually he should associate drop with a treat and you can say "drop" without dropping a treat in the floor. The minute he let's go of the toy, reward him. Short bursts of training, little and often are good.

With my boy, when he is guarding there is no way he would drop something if I approached him, even though he knows the command. I have taught him to fetch things "for a biscuit"    so that he brings the item to me rather than me taking the item from him. This has worked very well but it has taken a LONG time and a lot of hard work. He is still a guarder and I have learned that prevention is my no 1 ally. Luckily he doesn't guard that often now. If he has been guarding something that I then ask him to fetch I never give it back to him. I divert his attention to something else and play with him. I don't tell him off either as this makes him more anxious and more aggressive. I keep everything lighthearted (difficult when you have a snarly growly pup staring you down but it was the best way).
I'm sure your pup won't be as bad as my Archie. The good news is that even he is reformed into a totally loveable cuddly teddy bear of a dog now.
Good luck with your pup.

[Sirius Mum]

I'm just learning this but what we do is offer Sirius some treats in my hand if he tries to grab for them I close my hand and say leave if he sits back and looks at me I present the treat with a take it. Then we've progressed to putting the treat on the floor and saying leave it. If he waits and doesn't try to take it it lots of paradise and take it. Next I have several little piles which I ask him to leave and I direct him to the pile he's allowed in turn. He likes this game a lot. Lots of treats and all he has to do is be patient with me    the key is he feels he's making the decision to do what I want so we are a team.

[Rachel1992]

He is getting on very well with learning the drop command with his own toys!!

Just going to take time but I'm hoping he will get better

Thanks for the advice!!

[sodpot2000]

Giving a reward for handing something over is fine until you realise the dog has out thought you Buster started to pick up (usually) empty snail shells over the summer and so he was given a treat for dropping it. He thought this transaction through to its logical conclusion. Snail shells are a tradeable commodity. He now goes hunting for shells specifically to bring them and sell them for treats. I think we are going to have to go on to some post-Keynesian discussions about controlling the shell supply, the impact of oversupply on commodity prices and that the value of your snail shell may go down as well as up. 

[Rachel1992]

Ha ha! So clever aren't they well at the moment id be happy if he'd happily hand over my socks for a treat :p so it would be an improvement even if he went searching for them ha ha

[Rachel1992]

Had a bad time tonight! My mum accidentally left a pair of not cheap 3d glasses on the floor... Yes you guessed it, Dylan had them quicker than you can even think!!!!

I tried to remain calm, bribing him with treats, no interest. Got some toys to play with, nope still not interested! So I chucked some treats down and walked away cos usually if I catch him off guard without the item he sometimes gets closer...
He doesn't budge for about 15 minutes! I grab his lead (thinking of taking him for a quick walk) and he comes running with the glasses in his mouth. I get him to sit, put the lead on him but he will not drop the glasses took me another 10 minutes to get them off him. That's only because he finally dropped them for some treats. Might I add the treats were the smelliest bacon flavoured treats (they smell good to me)

I know he doesn't know the drop command well enough yet but I need some advice...
If you have a handful of treats there's no way he'll put a toy in his mouth no matter how much I wave it around and throw it for him. If he has a toy he's really enjoying he won't drop that toy for another one. I'm kind of stuck, it works sometimes when I say drop but there's no way of me being able to constantly train him to drop like id love to and like other people have advised. Is there any other tips??

Sorry for the huge comment I'm just at my wits end and am really struggling

[sodpot2000]

Perhaps the training needs to be done when he is not hanging on to something that he has 'won'? Work with him retrieving and putting the thing in your hand for a treat and only on command. Be warned - they are brighter than we think and they have a sense of humour. If they think they can get a rise out of you they will. Computers are easier to programme but no where near the fun!

[ebberz]

Not sure how it came about but if I say "Give it up" to Honey if she wants to play she will drop it.

Different sound to anything I usually say so she knows exactly what I mean.

[Archie bean]

Sorry you had a rough time Rachel1992. Just remember that you DID get the glasses off him and it only took about 25mins. Result!
Until he has got the hang of the drop command try not to expect miracles. The best solution is to not let him get hold of contraband in the first place (NOT easy, I know). Everyone has to be made aware that they mustn't put something down where he can get it if they don't want it damaged. You will soon become hyper sensitive to possible issues. I have become so tuned in to possible contraband that I even caught myself thinking that someone on TV would need to pick up the shoes they had just kicked off!!

Here's what I know with Archie: Try not to think of treats as a bribe. Don't show him the treats and hold them near him when he has something. He will immediately know that you are trying to get it off him. That is the quickest way to make whatever it is turn into the highest value item possible. NOTHING will convince him to give it up. If he gets something, I walk away. I call him to ME. When he gives up the item, the treat is a REWARD.

For training I went through a routine of training every day, doing the various things we did at classes. Sit, stay, heel walk, lie down, etc. this got Archie I to training mode so he was very focused on me and his treats. To get him to give up stolen things (remember, he was a VERY aggressive guarder so I needed to work hard on this one) I taught him to wait in one room and then called him with a rattle of his biccie box. I made sure he would absolutely come running every time he heard it, rewarding each time, before I moved to the next stage. Then I introduced a bit of tuggy or fetch with a toy. If he let go of it during the game (rare) I would praise him hugely but I didn't have treats with me so his reward was getting the toy straight back. If he didn't drop it I just said "OK game over" and walked away. I then went to the kitchen and shook his box. I waited as long as it took but eventually he would appear. However, I didn't give him the biccie. I would say "no, no, fetch it" pointing to the door. He was really quick to pick up on the fact that he had to bring the item to get the reward. The second he let go I said drop, praised and treated. Lastly I said drop before he let go, once I thought he knew what it meant. We practised every day and it did take a long time but we got there.

[Alfies Dad]

Hi Rachel

I went through similar problems with Alfie and they still raise their head periodically. one of the most important things I was told was when you get Dylan to give the item up treat immediately (sausages worked best, and plenty of it) and then give the item back so the dog learns to trust you.

I went for months bribing thinks off Alf but the simple addition of giving things back led to an increased level of trust which in time has allowed me to manage the situation better. I know how this will sound when you have just spent 25 minutes working to reclaim your lost property but believe me it works to the extent where you may even be faced with a bemused and puzzled Dylan as he tries to work out the new twist on his game.

Dont give up its a long road stay calm and consistent and you will get there

[sodpot2000]

You have to be able to see things through the dog's eyes too. After a weekend of mixing cement and repairing walls I came in on Sunday evening to 'find' a pint of my favorite real ale. If someone had told me to hand it over I would probably have bitten them!

[Taf]

We had a similar problem - now Taffy is ok during the day but the evening he tends to still guard.  So now we remove all toys around 7pm and he's fine just chilling.

The times he does guard during the day are when we have a visitor so we give extra attention to his needs of exercise (he always gets great walks) and quiet time.

I hope things improve for you soon - I found it very difficult - so send best wishes