# Drop It!



## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

How often do you practice "drop it"?

Bear and I turned fetch into a drop it game. And tug, for that matter. I started him when he was really young with the treat in my hand, give the command, treat and praise when he does it. Then we put the treat bag in our laps, but no treat in our hand, and worked on it. Now his rewards are sporadic.  But we still practice drop it every night when we play.


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## Burd (Aug 11, 2011)

Brave said:


> How often do you practice "drop it"?
> 
> Bear and I turned fetch into a drop it game. And tug, for that matter. I started him when he was really young with the treat in my hand, give the command, treat and praise when he does it. Then we put the treat bag in our laps, but no treat in our hand, and worked on it. Now his rewards are sporadic.  But we still practice drop it every night when we play.


This is the same thing I did with Dixie.


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## Ksdenton (Mar 17, 2013)

If I have a treat in hand he'll drop it immediately but if no treat can be seen he just looks at me


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## Brave (Oct 26, 2012)

Ksdenton said:


> If I have a treat in hand he'll drop it immediately but if no treat can be seen he just looks at me
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I would do a row of "drop it" with treat in hand and then sneak in one or two where you don't have the treat in hand but you will treat him. Do it rapid fire so he doesn't have a chance to look for the treat. 

What are you using as treats? Since Drop It is such a tough one for you, maybe increase the value of the treats. 


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## Ksdenton (Mar 17, 2013)

Again, the treat isn't the problem but not having it is. I guess I just need to keep working on it. 


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## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Suggest 'waiting him out' - keep the treats in your pocket or treat bag, or even nearby on the table or counter. Give him the 'drop it' cue, only once, and wait for him to do it, do nothing, say nothing, don't make eye contact, wait (very patiently) for him to respond appropriately. When he does, no matter how long it takes, mark it with a 'yes!!' and feed him a jack pot (a once in a while, super high value reward for a dog --the dog is rapidly fed, one at a time, several treats in a row) lots of praise as well (let him know he has done a fantastic job!). Do a few more trials, feeding one or two treats (and some hearty praise) for each success, (even if you have to wait for him to drop it, you likely won't have to wait long) then take a break, practice again later or wait until the next day. 
Resist the urge to offer him a treat if he is taking 'too long'. It is okay to remind him to 'drop it' (say it once) if he has not done so after 30 seconds or so, but set your mind to waiting him out. Once he has dropped the item, mark with 'yes!!' then get out the treats, remember to give him lots of praise as well.


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