Tuesday, March 16, 2010

How do I teach my puppy to drop things?

Hey,


I've been trying to teach my 12 week old Chihuahua/Jack Russell puppy to drop things on command, such as toys when we play fetch. Are there any particular techniques I can use to teach him this? He can be quite bitey at times, we're patient with him but it usually hurts, and I'm afraid that when his teeth get stronger he'll bite and not let go.

How do I teach my puppy to drop things?
I'm not an expert, but I always repeated the word drop while slightly opening the jaws with my fingers and taking and laying the toy in front of her on the ground. it took a few months, but my dog keyed in on the word and does it on her own now when she is told.
Reply:Grab him where his jaw hinges.
Reply:I don't recommend kicking it in the mouth.
Reply:each time you take the toy from him tell him to drop it as you pull it out drop it on the ground and pick it up


or he may only let go of it if you say drop it repatition help train dogs
Reply:You have to give a command, like "let go" or "release" when you take it from them, say it every time. You will have to get ahold of their mouth without getting bit. I know this is hard, I have a Jack Russell, but you MUST teach them "no biting". Use that command too. The first thing a person ask you when meeting your dog is (usually) "does he bite? you want to be able to say "no".
Reply:Say his name sharply and then say "Drop" help him by holding his jaws until he drops it. eventually he will understand what to do.
Reply:I did the same thing with my dogs when they are puppies. when he/she brings you the toy you say forcefully drop it with the the hand motion. This hand motion; you need to make a fist then as you bring it down open your hand so thats its flat. continue doing that till he/she drops the toy and when he/she drops it congratulate him/her. treats help as well. and just repeat the process.
Reply:This worked with my pup, but every pup is different:





To teach this start by trading with your puppy. If he's holding one of his toys in his mouth, give him one fo his favorite treats and ask him to drop the toy as you offer him the treat. When he drops the toy, give him the treat. Keep doing this often until your puppy will instantly drop on command.
Reply:I found that the best word to use is "OUT". They seem to catch onto that faster then "Drop" or "Release". So if he has a toy or something in his mouth you go up to him, make sure he is looking you in the eye, say "OUT" in a firm loud voice while you are pointing to the ground. Most dogs catch on pretty quick. Be prepared with treats! As soon as he drops the toy you give him tons of praise and a treat. Try this a few times a day. He will learn that when he listens to you when you say "OUT" that means he is doing something good and gets praised for it. Dogs are ultimately people pleasers. Good Luck!
Reply:Two things - take care of the puppy biting while you work on the drop! This is not a big deal, but you do need to do it now.


http://www.roycroftcavaliers.com/manualb...





Then, a game that teaches object exchange would be great. You need to pay your dog for giving you whatever it is that he has. So : always give treats when he drops the object, every time, and immediately. That way your pup will be much more inclined to give you what he has. Never chase after your dog for an object! If anything, turn and RUN away from him if he looks like he might go do a victory lap with his prize. Never scold or reprimand the pup in this stage - he'll just avoid you.


Teaching Doggie Zen is a great idea too - a Google search for this phrase will give you instructions for this game.





* pulling an object from a dog's mouth will make their prey drive kick in, and they will pull right back. If you get into a standoff, simply get hold of the dog's collar and draw it in to your leg, making the game very boring for the dog. Keep hold of the toy, be ready with a treat as soon as he relaxes. Chanting "give....give" is not a great idea at this point - just stay quiet, and have a big party as soon as he lets go!
Reply:Ask him to LEAVE tugging it gently, then show him the treat in your hand!He should release it immediately,if not repeat the command again show him the treat,if he drops the item then reward him,if not repeat again ,do not shout ,do not give him the treat, do not pull the item to hard ,because his inclination is to hang on to his prize,his jaws will clamp and you still need to reassure him there is a reward at hand,if he gives you his prize.Do not put your hand near his mouth!Apart from the tug you give his prize.You are only going to get this object from him with patience and no pressure.This is, on his part a primeval action to hold on to his prey.
Reply:I tought my pitbull to "drop it"...I did it by holding his collar and telling him over and over until he did it, after he brought the toy back to me after fetching. Reward and praise him when he starts doing it.
Reply:When trainning my sporting dogs to "drop" what I would do is when they would bring the toy back I would lightly grap their bottom jaw....give the command for letting go....I use "give" but you can use drop it, release, give, whatever......and the lightly pull their mouth open and remove whatever every they have....and then praise praise praise....it works well...also this helps the dog get used you having you hands by its mouth...for cleaning teeth and such.
Reply:Keep a small favorite treat in your hand when you ask him to drop the toy, making sure to use the same command (such as "drop it," "give" etc.) consistently.





At the very instant he performs the task, reward by saying "good!" and giving him the treat immediately (as a fair trade). As he begins to understand what you're asking him to do (this will take a lot of practice), always reward by saying "good!" but don't always reward with a treat. (This will keep him interested in the "game" since he won't always know when there will be a jackpot involved).





Another variation is to gently grasp the toy while he has it in his mouth and ask him "give." Apply just enough pressure to hold the toy still ("dead" toys are no fun) and silently wait him out until he releases the toy (be patient with this). Then immediately give him the toy back as you say "good!" He'll get the idea that his reward for giving the toy is that he immediately gets it back, and the game can then resume.





Another trick is to make sure that you always have another toy with you since to him, the toy you have is likely more interesting to him than the one he has because your toy comes "alive" as you move it around to attract his attention.





Always keep these sessions short (1-3 minutes) and fun for everyone.





As for being bitey at times, when he starts that, immediately but gently tell him "no," and withdraw your hand slightly making it into a gentle fist (to make your fingers unavailable, but not out of his range to sniff or lick). The instant he stops the bitey behavior, immediately say "good!" and release your fingers to pet him, give him attention, etc. Repeat these steps (even if you need to end the "game" sometimes) until he gets the idea that putting his teeth on people will not be allowed.





We've also had great results from puppy and dog obedience classes that center around the use of positive reinforcement techiques, sources for which your vet can likely recommend.





I can also highly recommend these great books:





The Other End of the Leash


by Patricia McConnell





How Dogs Learn


by Mary R. Burch, Jon S. Bailey





Hope this helps. Enjoy your puppy!



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