How To Teach Your Dog to "Leave It"

Tuesday, March 10, 2015


This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser.  All opinions are mine alone. #ProPlanPet #CollectiveBias 





When it comes to performance, my Grace is great at tricks.  She's very obedient and energetic.  



Because she is great at tricks, I love to give her treats! The thing is, I don't want to give her anything that isn't good for her,  so I choose to use her Purina® Pro Plan® dry dog food as training rewards.   Grace has a lot of energy so to keep up with her active life, I choose a food that keeps her lifestyle needs in mind.  

With Purina® Pro Plan® Dry Dog Food formulas, the #1 ingredient is real chicken, beef, or lamb.  Every high quality ingredient in their formulas are chosen for a specific purpose.  Their goal is to give your dog the nutrition they need to be their absolute best, which helps them to be energetic and resilient and maintain an ideal body, skin, and coat! 

I purchase Grace's Purina® Pro Plan® dry dog food, the Shredded Small Breed Chicken Adult Blend, at PetSmart in the dog food aisle.   I love that it has bite size kibble perfect for her small size.   We had so much fun at PetSmart like we always do.  People always come up and want to pet Grace and the employees love to give her a treat at the registers!



Also, if you Visit the Purina® Pro Plan® MyPLAN website to get your dog's MyPLAN recommendation you can also get a rebate offer for a free bag of Purina® Pro Plan® Dry Dog Food (4-6 lbs) up to $18.99.   This offer is good only in U.S.A. A.P.O's and F.P.O's.  Void where taxed, prohibited, and restricted.  Allow 6-8 weeks for shipment. Limit ONE request per individual, address, or email address. Offer expires 4/30/15. See full terms. So there's a great reason to try a bag of Purina® Pro Plan® today!

One of the ways I watch what Grace eats is by using her own food kibble as training rewards.  To show you an example, I created a tutorial featuring Grace herself.  


Take 2 pieces of kibble to start.   One piece will be used as the actual treat that she has to ignore.   The second piece is the reward treat.   The reason I use 2 different pieces is because this teaches her that she NEEDS to leave whatever I'm telling her to alone.   That way, someday when I leave a real piece of human food near her and tell her to leave it, she knows it doesn't mean that she will eventually get to eat that piece.  I won't have to worry about her coming for it. 



It's always important to train your dog in a secure environment with few distractions.  It also helps to put your dog in a solid command position like Sit or Down so that they are already focusing on listening to your next command. 




I always put the first piece of kibble in front of her but just out of reach.  That way, if I see her start to go for it I have plenty of time to correct her.   




Immediately after you sit the piece on the floor start to give the command LEAVE IT.  I say it every couple of seconds.  As she continues to ignore it I will add in some praise by saying "Leave it, Leave it, Good girl Leave it!".  




Once you're ready to end the trick, pick a release command word like OKAY or BREAK.   I say OKAY!! and Grace awaits her treat.   By giving her pieces of her regular dog food kibble, I don't have to worry about making her overweight with treats. 

If you want more information and updates on Purina® Pro Plan® Dry Dog Food be sure to follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook






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2 comments:

  1. Is that Grace on the bag? Haha, this food seems to have been made for her! I love that the pieces are varied and the size is small enough for toy breeds! #client

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