How To Teach The Drop It Command To Any Dog Effectively [Best Ways]

Who doesn’t love dogs, right? Dogs are the most common pets you will find around you. Your friends and family may own dogs, or maybe you are a dog person! The streets are always filled with different breeds of dogs. Either way, you are bound to see these adorable pets almost everywhere nowadays.

So, how to teach the drop it command to any dog? Maintaining a dog is like a daily chore. It is monotonous work. But if you can train yourself to various commands, this maintaining will become much easier. Teaching your dogs several commands can prove to be a difficult task. One of the most common commands you will find very useful is the “Drop It” command.

Dogs are bound to put stuff they find on the ground in their mouth. The things that a dog tends to put in its mouth may not be safe all the time. Sometimes the dog may take up harmful things in their mouth. In this type of situation, the Drop It command comes very handily to the owner of the dog. We are here to show you how you can teach your dog the “drop it” command effectively.

Why Would You Train Your Dog In The First Place?

A trained dog is much better off than any regular untrained dog. Training will turn any dog with a rough attitude into a cute little trained puppy, doing everything on your command. Training establishes a good relationship between the dog and its owner. It becomes much easier to handle a dog after it’s trained.

A trained dog will not do anything that is not wanted by the owner. Rather a trained dog appreciates running on its master’s command. There are different kinds of training that you can teach your dog. If you can teach a command successfully, the dog will always remember that command and act accordingly when the command is inflicted on it.

It gets the sense of being a good boy and getting praised by its master. So it is important for the owner to learn how to effectively teach a dog various commands. We will break down the steps for you so that you can get satisfactory results.

Different Types Of Commands For Dogs

Depending on what you want your dog to do at any particular moment, there are tons of commands that you can teach your dog while training it. These commands come to prove their necessity in the situation when the dog is getting out of control or doing something out of the ordinary.

Most of the commands are verbal commands. The dog will hear you and do the particular set of tasks that are associated with the command. There are some hand gesture commands too. Here are some of the popular and important commands you can teach your puppy right away:

1. “Come” command will make your dog come to you in a hurry.
2. The “Sit” command is a very popular command which will make your dog sit on the ground.
3. The “No,” “No dog,” or “No (your dog’s name)” command is an important command that will stop your dog from whatever the dog is doing at the time of you giving the command.
4. The “Drop it” or “Leave it” command is the command which urges the dog to drop anything that it is holding in its mouth and leaving that particular thing that was in its mouth.
5. The “Stay” command is useful when you want to go somewhere and don’t want your dog to follow you. This command will make the dog stay in its place and wait for its owner to return.
6. By using the “Take it” command, you can put something in your dog’s mouth. It comes in handy when you are trying to feed your dog. This command is especially helpful when you want to give your dog medicine because pets tend to reject medicine most of the time.
7. There are various other commands like “fetch”, “run”, “roll over”, “catch” etc. These commands make the dog do what the command means. These commands are usually used for playing with your dog inside your house or playing in an open field.

Why Teach Your Dog The “Drop It” Command?

Now the question that may first come to mind is that why would you need to teach your dog the “Drop It” command. It will be surprising to know that the “drop it” command is the most important command which you can teach your dog. It is very important that you train your dog in an effective manner; otherwise, the command may not work most of the time.

Dogs, by their own nature, are curious beings. A dog will always find stuff from various places and put them in its mouth to bring them to its master or to show its master. This is a natural behavior for any dog. You will see that if you drop something from your hand accidentally, your dog will try to pick it up with its mouth.

The dog will either think that it picked up food and try to eat it; otherwise, it will keep the dropped thing in its mouth for a long time. But what if you accidentally dropped some chocolate in front of your dog and it tried to pick the chocolate with its mouth! Most of the time, you will not want your dog to put things in its mouth from the ground.

The things that a dog finds might be toxic and harmful for it. Naturally, you will want your dog to put away the harmful stuff from its mouth. This is where you will need to teach your dog the “Drop it” command beforehand so you can command your dog, and the dog will instantly drop whatever it was holding. It is a very convenient command for every dog owner.

Pulling Your Dog’s Mouth With Your Hands!

A lot of owners try to pull their dog’s mouth with their hand to take something away from its mouth. But it is highly recommended that you refrain from using this method on your dog. Sometimes if your dog has taken something from the ground and put it in’s mouth, you may want that your dog puts that thing away immediately.

But if you had not taught your dog the drop, it commands beforehand, and then it is likely that your dog will not drop that thing from its mouth for a long time. Now, if you become desperate and try to pull the thing away from its mouth, it may only tempt the dog more to keep the thing in its mouth.

Now, if you are thinking of pulling your dog’s mouth wide open, then it might cause more difficulties than before. The dog might get violent and try to bite you. Dog may try to run off with the thing still in its mouth. The dog may start barking very loudly. The dog may even be sallow the thing it was holding in its mouth. So it is very important that you teach your dog the “drop it” command as soon as you adopt the dog.

List Of Dogs Easiest To Train

If you are thinking of owning a dog, then you may consider choosing a dog that is very easy to train. Here is a list of dogs that are easiest for teaching commands and training:
1. Poodle
2. German Shepard
3. Border Collie
4. Golden Retriever
5. Labrador Retriever

List Of Dogs Hardest To Train

There are some gorgeous breeds of dogs that are really hard to train. Here is a list of dogs that which hardest to train:

1. Basset Hounds
2. Chihuahuas
3. Bloodhounds

In 9 Easy Steps On How To Teach The Drop It Command To Any Dog

Now that you have learned the importance of teaching your dog the “drop it” command, it is time to learn how you can teach this command in an effective and efficient way. The best and most interactive way you can teach your dog anything is by awarding it with some tasty food or treat.

A food item is of high value to a dog; that is why a dog can be easily trained by offering food and making sense of achievement. To use this method, you will also need to get a toy for the dog. You have to make sure that the toy is important to the dog.

If the toy doesn’t seem interesting to the dog, then the dog may not take the toy in its mouth and play with it. Here the toy will be used as the harmful thing to be replaced by the food. The command word “drop it” will be used so that it will trigger the dog the next time you need the dog to drop something.

Here are the steps to teach your dog the drop it command:

1. First, give your dog a toy that it finds interesting. After you give put the toy in front of your dog, it will pick the toy up with its mouth and start playing with it.

Most of the time, the toy will be in its mouth. Let the dog play for some time on its own, and don’t interfere.

2. Now, try to catch the attention of the dog. The dog will be in a state where it is giving half of its attention to you and half of its attention to the toy it was given earlier.

3. Now, put tasty food in front of your dog. Make sure that the food or treat that you are using for this training is something that your dog likes very much. It can be some kind of dog food or meatloaf, or something similar.

4. After putting the food in front of the dog, the dog will give its full attention to the food because food is of higher importance to the dog than the toy.

Two things that will help in this step are that making sure that the toy doesn’t make the dog over-excited and the dog is not fully fed before the training. If the dog is fully fed, it may not have any interest in the food at all.

5. Now, as soon as the dog drops the toy from its mouth, you give the food in its mouth and award the dog by saying something like “good boy” or “well done.” Also, take the toy away from the dog and hide the toy.

6. After some time, give back the toy to the dog, and the dog will start playing again.

7. Now again repeat the previous process with the food, and this time before presenting the food, say the words “Drop It” loudly in front of the dog. You have to do both of the two things simultaneously to make the training effective.

You will have to present the food and say drop it at the same time. This way, the dog will drop the toy and get the food as a reward. But the dog will also remember the words “Drop It.” Again, praise the dog after it finishes eating the food.

8. Now repeat this process multiple times. This will make the dog drop anything that it has put in its mouth after hearing “drop it” because the dog will think that it will be rewarded with a treat after it drops the thing it was holding in its mouth.

9. If the dog is not responding to the words “Drop It,” then repeat the process for two-three days, and the dog will surely learn the command. If the dog tries to run away while training, then put it on a leash so it can be held in a certain area.

How To Train Your Dog To Drop Something

Teach your dog the word “drop” first. Building a favorable connection with the term can help you achieve this.

Here are the 3 steps to train your dog to drop something –

1. Make sure your dog knows that the word “Drop” gets them a reward – There is nothing better than a well-deserved treat for a job well done or good behavior, so let your dog know that when they are showing you the behavior that gets them the treat.
2. Make sure that your dog trades a toy for food – This should start at a young age; if your dog is still young, you can start teaching them the behavior by giving them their toys and then giving them treats. Once they are older, they will already have an understanding of this behavior.
3. Practice – You can practice this in many ways; as a family, you can use your dog’s toys each day and work on dropping the toy for a treat or another toy.

Teach Your Dog To Drop Any Object On Command

When instructing the dog to drop the item, it would be better to use hand signals like pointing to the ground. If the dog takes a while to release the thing, don’t attempt to pull or tug at it. The idea is to motivate the dog to follow rather than force it. You may grab up the object and give it to the dog when it’s ready to drop it. This may require repetition.

The dog may get distracted by the other items in the environment. This is why you should use non-toxic and harmless objects for the dog. Remember that rewarding actions give positive feedback and encourage constant good behavior. It also trains the dog to act on specific commands. In addition, it necessitates effort and time on your side to train your dog to drop stuff.

Dog Behavior Problems Stealing And Stay Away

You must train your dog both orders to return the thing if it is taken, as well as commands to advise him not to touch an object, such as “leave it.” Keep in mind that although learning a successful drop command may reduce damage and possessiveness, it in no way reduces theft. Dog theft is a common issue that involves food, clothes, and other items.

You are accountable for taking care to protect your possessions. Check for food scraps, accessible trash cans, and open closet doors, among other things. Give your dog lots of suitable chews and toys as this will help to curb their undesirable behavior.

Essential Dog Commands To Teach Your Dog

There are many commands you should teach your dog. But the most essential are-

• Name Recognition – Understanding this command will give your dog complete confidence when you call them and will make it easier for them to return to you.
• Fetch – This is a game that offers priceless benefits, from bonding with your pet to teaching them how to play appropriately and even improving their strength.
• Come – Learning this command will save you the headache of searching through bushes or up trees while they’re off chasing prey or getting into mischief.
• Sit – Learning this is a must-have in controlling your dog and understanding its boundaries.
• Stand – This command is essential for safety, especially when you’re taking your dog out in public.
• Take it and Drop it – This is a good command to teach your dog when they find something on the ground and bring it back to you.
• Stay – This command is excellent for teaching your dog how to remain in one place, which comes in handy for many situations.
• Down or Lie Down – When training your dog, you’ll be glad to have this command in your arsenal.
• Don’t get discouraged if teaching these commands takes longer than expected. If you’re patient and consistent, the results will be worth it.

The Down Command Of Dog Obedience Training

You may either sit your dog first before teaching him the down command, or you can teach him the down posture while he is standing. The basic idea is the same: use your hand to get your dog to lie down, then reward him by opening your hand. It’s just a matter of timing.

The down command is necessary because your dog may not automatically obey even when he knows the command. This can be frustrating if he doesn’t respond to you because the owner did not use a corner cue. The down command gets him to listen without causing him stress. You’ll want to teach the down command so that your dog will sit reliably, even when he is excited.

Conclusion

These steps are very easy, and any dog owner can easily train their dog after repeating the process a couple of times. This is the most popular and highly efficient method for training your dog.

This method is also used for other types of commands too. Stay with us if you want to teach your dog more commands effectively. I hope now you know how to teach the drop it command to any dog.

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