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How To Teach Your Dog To Drop It

by Brian Gallardo

Learning to teach your dog to drop it is a must for every dog owner!

If you have ever found yourself playing with your dog and ended up fighting with him to get the toy because your dog won’t let go of it. Or if you have been in a public space where your dog has taken an object that should not be in his mouth and does not let go. You must learn to teach your dog to drop it without the need to bribe or trick your dog.

Why Doesn’t Your Dog Drop IT?

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There are two most common reasons why your dog is not dropping it.

First: You Are Rewarding Wrong Behavior.

Your body language is a relevant factor when communicating with your dog. You may have been rewarding the wrong behavior of your dog if your body language shows the dog the opposite of what you want.

Second: Your Dog Thinks You’ll Take Away What He Has.

Dogs think that if they let go of the object and give it to you, you will take it away. This is often the case, so you end up confirming your dog’s suspicions. Therefore, they understand that it’s not fun to give the object to you.

Understanding What Your Dog Finds Rewarding To Teach The Drop IT.

Now that you know the two main reasons for his behavior, it is time to learn how to teach your dog to drop any object he has in his mouth, following simple rules:

Rule #1 DON’T PULL WHEN TRYING TO GET AN OBJECT FROM YOUR DOG.

First, to begin teaching your pup to drop it, understand what your dog finds rewarding effectively. If your dog has a tug toy or an object in his mouth, you don’t want to start pulling it because that would mean that you are playing with him instead of asking him to drop it. Therefore, your pulling action will reward the behavior of having something in his mouth.

Rule #2 IMMOBILIZING THE TOY = BORING TO YOUR DOG.

Pulling means play, excitement, and fun. While not pulling is equivalent to boring. You want to make the toy stationary and boring, taking away the gratification.

What You Need To Teach The Drop IT Right Tug Toy Size

To begin to teach your dog to drop It, you’ll need a tug toy that it’s not too long or too big, and you can hold still when your dog is pulling and fighting to keep it.

You can check out our shortlist of our favorite tug toys here

Teach Your Dog To Drop It

Drastic Difference Between Active Play & Drop IT

Now that you have a proper size tug toy, here’s what you want to do to begin to teach your dog to drop it: practice active play, say “drop,” immobilize the toy, and hold it still.

Make a drastic difference when actively playing with your dog by making big wide tugs. When you want your dog to drop the toy effectively, make sure that you say the command “drop it,” tuck your elbows in, and then immobilize the toy, holding it completely still.

Reward Your Dog By Playing When He Drops IT

When your dog lets go of the toy, start playing again!

This is critical to effectively teach your dog to drop it because you want to teach your dog that if he drops the toy, you will not take it away, confirming his suspicions. Instead, you allow him to play again with the toy if he listens to you and drops the toy when you command him to do it.

It would be best to clarify the meaning of your moves; broad movements with your arms when you are playing. Contrast this to when you want to stop playing and the toy to be dropped, the toy must be completely still, your elbows tucked, and the command “drop” must be said.

By practicing this, your dog learns that the game becomes boring when you stop tugging, and it’s fun again when you start moving your arms and pulling the toy.

In the beginning, it might take several minutes to complete the sequence until he drops the toy, but after the first time, every repetition will take less and less time for him to drop the toy. Remember to make sure that you allow your dog the opportunity to play again!

Fine Points:

Use A “CUT OFF” Word To End The Game

Whenever you want to stop playing, make sure you begin giving your dog a cut-off word that communicates to him that the activity is finished.

It doesn’t matter what word you choose; remember to be consistent with that word. When you say it, slowly put the toy away, give your pup a treat, and walk away. In that way, your dog will learn that when he hears that word wherever you are, at your house, the park, the street, that playing time is over.

Avoid Toys With “SQUEAKY” Sounds

When choosing the toy to teach your dog to drop it, make sure that it doesn’t have a squeaky sound. This is because when you are playing with your dog, the toy will make a sound. When you stop and immobilize the toy, your dog can make the squeaking sound even without tugging, which will be rewarding.

Transferring Drop It To Other Objects

Start playing with a different object and repeat the sequence, with wide arm movements for playing. say the command drop it, holding still the object while tucking your elbows. Whenever your dog drops the object, start playing again with it.

When transferring the command to other toys and objects, a moment in which whatever your dog has on his mouth will be dropped. You must be prepared to reward your dog when this happens with a food treat or a short game of tug with a different object.

Recap

Get an Appropriate “TUG TOY” for your dog, not too big or too small.
Drastic Difference Between Play & Drop IT: be clear and consistent when you’re actively playing with the toy and when you want your dog to drop the toy. When you want to stop, say drop it, immobilize the toy, and wait for him to drop it.
Reinitiate Play When Your Dog Drops IT.

Once your dog is consistent with various toys, you could begin asking your dog to drop everyday objects. Remember to start with a tug toy and gradually increase the variety so that your dog begins to understand that drop it means to let go of the object regardless of what it is.