# Dropping after retrieving?



## GoldenJona (Apr 3, 2010)

So when you throw the ball or whatever you throw for your dog to retrieve and he brings it back what do you say for him to let go?

Do you use let go, drop it, leave it, release? 

I want to make sure I'm not mixing up my words when I start training him.

Do you use leave it when he's about to pick something up that he shouldnt be?


----------



## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

When our dogs have something we want, we use "give it".

When they are looking at something they're not supposed to have, we use "leave it" or "don't touch".....they respond to both (we weren't totally consistent).

When they have retrieved a ball, we use "drop it"....actually for the most part, they (mostly Austin) drop it on their own in front of me and sit.

We also use "never mind".....that's typically when we're walking by another dog or something that has caught their attention that we don't want them focusing on.

Looking forward to seeing those long awaited pictures of baby Jona!!!


----------



## GoldenJona (Apr 3, 2010)

Laurie said:


> Looking forward to seeing those long awaited pictures of baby Jona!!!


It feels like it's been forever huh?

Well I just have 1 more hour left of my shift right now, go home sleep for a couple of hours go back to work for an 8 hour shift go running and go to sleep and wake up and drive to pick him uppppp.:banana::greenboun


----------



## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

You can pick whatever words you like.

Here it's "out" for one and "Drop it" for the other two. We use "Leave it" for leaving alone soemthing they're thinking about touching.


----------



## turtle66 (Feb 19, 2010)

Like you said - the point is - not to mix it up. I made a consensus  list for my husband and me which words we will use for what. We use 'drop it' for dropping the ball after retrieving and "leave it' to leave something she shouldn't touch, but I think it really doesn't matter as long as you are consistent. The list we made was particularly helpful for our dog trainer we had for a short time...

Have fun with your new puppy!!

Heike


----------



## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

I use "drop" but the word is not important, consistency is. Sometimes it helps to teach if you have some treats in your pocket to offer in trade for the retrieved item.


----------



## MillysMom (Nov 5, 2008)

When I want Milly to place it in my hand I say "give it" when I want her to drop it on the ground because it is slobbery or something she shouldn't have gotten into I say "drop it". 

Usually playing fetch starts with "give it" so I don't have to bend over for the tennis ball, but it inevitably ends in me bending over because the ball is so slobbery all I'm willing to say is "drop it". Thank goodness for the chuck-it so I don't have to touch it. I'm strange... no problems with most gross things, but I really don't like slobbery tennis balls.


----------



## GoldenJona (Apr 3, 2010)

to train for leave it, you put like a treat or something in front of him and say leave it and if he goes for it take it away and so no, and keep doing it until he leaves it for a good 30 seconds and then reward him with a treat or praise right? I've heard you dont reward him with the treat that is on the floor rather you give him a different one? if that makes any sense


----------



## Laurie (Sep 20, 2009)

GoldenJona said:


> to train for leave it, you put like a treat or something in front of him and say leave it and if he goes for it take it away and so no, and keep doing it until he leaves it for a good 30 seconds and then reward him with a treat or praise right? I've heard you dont reward him with the treat that is on the floor rather you give him a different one? if that makes any sense


I put the treat somewhere that they can reach it......in front of them, beside them, on the chair, on their paws, on the floor (and walk away) wherever....and tell them "don't touch". When I say okay "take it", they'll take it. Sometimes I will put it on their paws and count to five before they can have it...talk about torture!!

Starting out, if they would go to take it, I would just give them a "ah ah" and they'd back off. They learned this very quickly....


----------



## audreyannlow (Mar 5, 2007)

I have two different commands, "bring" and "give/out". If the dog has something in his mouth that I want him to put into my hand and automatically release, then I use "bring". I work on the dogs' aim by moving my hand about and making them work to place it properly. If I drop it, even if it is my fault, the dog has to pick it up and retrieve to hand. I first taught this so that anyone at the nursing home could easily play fetch with my therapy dog.

I use "give/out" anytime I want the dog to spit something out. This may be when he has something he shouldn't or because I've commanded the dog to "hold" an object or do something else while it's in his mouth, and now I want him to release it. For example, if I want the dog to sit in front or at heel position, I do not say "bring". He automatically holds while he goes where I want him, and he does not release, no matter what, until the "give/out" command.

I suppose "bring" is more of a useful everyday or hunting release while the latter is what you'd use in obedience. It's probably important to have both - I know I use them all the time in everyday life, therapy work, getting Aspen to help walk the foster pups, etc.


----------



## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I use "leave it" when I want Ranger to ignore whatever it is he's interested in, like garbage on the ground or a toy if it's not playtime. 

I taught "give" and "drop" as two different commands. "Give" is when I touch the toy while it's in his mouth and he releases it. "Drop" is when he's expected to release the item and let it fall to the ground without me touching it.

I taught "drop" after a visit to the river when Ranger picked up a dead, decaying sea gull. He wouldn't give it up without me touching it so I spent 10 minutes trying to poke it out his mouth with a stick. As soon as we got home, I started teaching "drop". Now whenever he has something in his mouth that I don't want to touch (and there's been a lot!) I just say "drop" and it's over and done with.


----------



## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

IMO, you can use whatever words you want, but one should be for, when it's in his mouth and you want it (let go) and another word for don't put it in your mouth in the first place.

In my house, "Give" = "let go of what you have in your mouth. It's the same letting go behavior if my hand is there to capture it upon release or if I want it to fall to the ground. For me, it's about the letting go part. "Leave It" = I see you thinking about/going for that --- back off --- it's not available to you at this time.


----------



## Mighty Casey and Samson's Mom (Jul 16, 2008)

I use "give" because it is unique to this exercise. "Drop" I use in the drop on recall and leave it for gross things we encounter on walks. It is good to give thought to these things...they cause problems later if you choose unwisely.


----------



## kgiff (Jul 21, 2008)

I use "give" when I want something delivered to hand. "drop it" if they need to release it immediately. "leave/leave it" if they aren't to pick it up in the first place. And "hold" when they are to keep whatever it is in their mouth.


----------



## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

"Leave it" for something he's not supposed to have, but only after teaching the "leave it" command carefully

"Drop", for put the ball on the ground for Chuck it etc

"Give" for delivering something to hand


----------



## kira (Jan 13, 2009)

"drop" for drop whatever it is you have on your mouth - I haven't distinguished between dropping it on the ground (what he does after retrieving) or releasing something so I can take it but maybe I will start

"leave it" for something he cannot and will not have. to train this, I threw a treat away from us and said "leave it", and when he did, I rewarded with a DIFFERENT, better treat. Never the one he was "leaving" if that makes sense.

"wait" for a multitude of things -- but very different than leave it. For example, if I'm cooking and I drop a piece of meat/carrot/whatever, I say wait (well I actually don't have to say it anymore) and then he waits until I say "ok" then he can eat it off the floor.


----------



## sammydog (Aug 23, 2008)

So many different words! Fun 

I use "give" if she is retrieving and I want her to hand it to me. I use "leave it" if I want her to leave it alone, not give pick it up. If she already picks something bad up I use "yuck" which means spit it out, but not in a good way!


----------



## RBCC (Aug 22, 2009)

I thought that was problem with goldens that they play "half fetch", with ours I used to play ball with him and he'd want me to chase him until he got tired of it then drop it anywhere, I thought it was quite cute. I don't hunt, I just laughed it off.


----------

