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.
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Happy tails!