The Leave Command In Practice

Spilled cereal.

A family member spilled a box of cereal on the kitchen floor this evening and instead of rushing toward the jackpot, Bo's first reaction was to back away from it and look at me. Bo's response was a demonstration of the 'leave' command although no words were spoken by the family member or me. Bo's response was automatic and a result of consistent training on what to do when food falls or spills on the floor. 

It's a skill we practice regularly. In training, we use kibble, dog treats and dog safe foods. We drop the food item on the floor and immediately give Bo the 'leave' command. We then pick-up the food on the floor while Bo watches patiently nearby. When the food is all picked-up, most times we reward Bo with food but sometimes we only give him verbal praise. 

Bo looking at the spill.

When the spill happened tonight, Bo backed away from it and looked to me. I had him wait while the family member got a dust pan to clean the mess. Bo got rewarded with his favorite dog treats for his demonstration of self control. In this picture, Bo is looking at the spill on the floor from a distance. A reliable leave is helpful in protecting a dog from injesting food or medications that are harmful to him. For example, raisins, grapes, chocolate or pills.