How to Teach Your Dog to “Leave It”

• How long does it take to teach a dog to “leave it”?
• How do I teach my dog to ignore temptation?
• How to set up a “leave it” obstacle course
• How do I get my dog to “leave it” without treats?
• What if my dog doesn’t listen?
• Why it matters to be consistent with “leave it”

From dropped food and mysterious sidewalk trash to passing cyclists and other dogs, there’s no shortage of distractions and potentially dangerous obstacles and ephemera that your dog will encounter every day. And one of the best ways to protect your best friend from potential fallout from these interactions is to teach them to “leave it.”

“Leave it” is a relatively advanced—but very important—skill to teach your dog. A strong “leave it” can prevent fights, protect dogs from the stomach-battering effects of street treats, and even save lives. Here’s a step-by-step guide to teaching your dog to “leave it.“

How long does it take to teach a dog to “leave it”?

Every dog is different, so there’s no definitive timeframe for learning this skill. Experts say it can take anywhere between two and six weeks to teach a dog how to leave it—and the more biddable (or eager-to-please) your dog is, the faster they’ll learn. Dogs who are both intelligent and biddable may learn “leave it” in only a few sessions. 

To speed up the learning process, practice every day for about 10–15 minutes. The more you practice, the faster your dog will pick it up—but only to a degree. Keep sessions short so your dog doesn’t get bored or frustrated. If they’re not having fun, take a break. Practice every day. And even if it’s taking longer than you expected, keep at it. 

How to teach your dog to “leave it”

Due to the nature of this cue, your dog will learn in stages.

Teaching them to “take it”

When you teach your dog to wait for your go-ahead before they take something they want, you set a good foundation for “leave it.” Here’s how to teach “take it”:

1. Put a low- to mid-value treat in your hand, fist closed. Let your dog sniff, lick, and attempt to get the treat.
2. When your dog loses interest in and turns away from the treat, immediately mark the behavior by praising them with a “yes,” or “good dog,” then open your hand and give them the treat while saying “okay” or “take it.”
3. Do this until they start to ignore your closed fist from the start. When they do that, open your palm to show them the treat. If they reach for the treat, close your hand and say “no.” The goal is to teach them that they can only take something when you tell them, “okay” or “take it.” Present your open palm again and continue this process until they start losing interest in your open hand as well. Then tell them “okay” or “take it.”
4. Every time you do this, make the pause between opening your hand and giving the cue a little longer until they understand that the cue is not the opening of the palm but a verbal cue that you give.

The goal is to get to a place where your dog realizes that the mere sight of a treat does not give them permission to take it.

Teaching your dog to ignore temptation

Now that your dog is able to take only when given permission, you can start testing their ability to ignore stimuli when you tell them “leave it.” Make sure that before you start teaching the “leave it” cue, the “leave it” behavior is reliable—your dog has figured out that leaving something gets them rewarded.

Paramount to this skill is teaching your dog that a high-value treat—higher in value than whatever they want to engage with—is waiting for them if they listen to your cue. Here’s how you do this:

1. As with the “take it” skill, present a treat in a closed fist to your dog. Tell them, “leave it.” Do this several times to create an association between ignoring the item and the words, “leave it.”
2. When they start reliably turning their head away, switch gears slightly. Present your closed fist and immediately say “leave it” instead of after they turn away. The goal is to switch the verbal direction to a cue, rather than words associated with an act they’re already performing.
3. When they ignore the treat at “leave it,” present them with a high-value treat from your other hand. The goal is to teach them that listening to this cue will result in a better reward than if they reached for the treat in your hand. 

Trail of treats

You can take “leave it” to the next level by dropping or placing the treat near your foot. Practice the cue “leave it,” rewarding with a treat from your hand when they ignore the treat on the floor. 

Finally, you’re going to make an obstacle course of sorts in order to solidify their “leave it” cue. While your dog is out of the room, lay out a line of treats. Walk them on leash by the treats, cuing “leave it” every time you pass a treat. 

When they ignore the treat on the ground, give them a high-value treat from your hand and praise them. If they lunge for the treat on the ground, cover the treat with your foot and tell them, “no.” Eventually, your dog should be able to walk by the entire row without lunging for a single treat on the ground. Giving them the high-value treat from your hand, instead of the treat on the floor, is important, as you want them to learn not to expect to eventually get the floor treat (there are many things in the real world that you really want them to leave alone). 

A more advanced technique

Walking past desirable items in a controlled environment is a great foundation, but to really make sure your dog’s “leave it” is strong, the next step is to start practicing out in the world.

Start with a short walk in your neighborhood during a quiet time of day. The goal is to start building this skill in familiar environs with minimal distractions.

Tell them to leave less valuable distractions. What constitutes a less valuable distraction will depend largely on what your dog responds to, but some examples are used napkins or empty fast food bags on the ground. From there, you can start asking them to leave more valuable things, such as bits of food.

For dogs who need to learn “leave it” to ignore passersby, you’re going to build in a similar way. Start by asking them to ignore pedestrians. 

Make sure you’re giving them the “leave it” cue when they are about to move toward the target, not after they’ve gotten too close, at which point they’re less likely to follow the direction. As with addressing reactivity, take it slow and give your dog ample space from tempting or offending objects to calmly react to your cue. 

From there, you can start asking them to ignore more distracting passersby, such as runners, skateboarders, and cyclists. In these more difficult contexts, where your dog’s reaction may stem from factors beyond just wanting to eat a treat or say hello, it can be trickier. You may need to back up and try some other techniques to reduce reactivity. (Read more about dealing with a leash-reactive dog here.)

Transitioning away from treats

The final stage of training is transitioning away from treats so that your dog can reliably “leave it” even if you don’t have something tasty on hand.

Doing this is relatively simple: Start by signaling “leave it” and substituting praise for a treat every third cue. Do this for the next 2–3 practice sessions. The next time you go on a walk or practice at home, start substituting praise for treats half the time. Do this for the next 2–3 practice sessions.

The goal is to slowly get your dog used to a non-treat reward, while still keeping the high-value incentive to listen. If they’re extremely food-motivated and start losing interest in the “leave it” cue, continue to reward with high value treats, but only every once in a while.

What if your dog doesn’t listen?

If your dog doesn’t listen to your cues, they could be dealing with sensory overload—especially if there’s a very stimulating distraction on your walk, such as a barking or whining dog trying to reach yours. They could be confused by what you want from them if you’re not consistent in what behavior you reward. Or, heck, they could just not feel that the reward you’re offering is as valuable as whatever is right in front of them.

If you’re having a hard time getting your dog to listen, here are a few tips:

1. Use higher-value treats. If you’ve been bringing training treats on your walks, but your dog only listens to your “leave it” sometimes, try bringing something they like better to reinforce that listening to you is better than ignoring you. 
2. Tell your dog to sit before telling them to leave it. Using an easy cue can prime your dog for listening mode, and it’s also a simple way to manage a dog who is having trouble executing the cue consistently.
3. If they ignore your cue, don’t repeat yourself over and over. This teaches your dog that your cue (in this instance, “leave it”) is meaningless, or that it’s okay to ignore you and respond on their schedule.
4. If they don’t listen in a real world situation, remove them from the situation instead of trying to make it into a learning opportunity, which can create risk. Go back to foundational training in a controlled environment and then slowly reintroduce “leave it” in real-world situations over the course of a few walks.
5. If you’re having a hard time making progress, reaching out to a trusted trainer is always a good idea. They can often offer guidance and missing ingredients that can mean a breakthrough on a stubborn skill.

Consistency and continuous training

Any dog can learn to “leave it.” But, in order to guarantee it sticks with them, you need two elements: consistency and continual reinforcement in both controlled and uncontrolled environments.

No matter how biddable your dog may be, consistent, lifelong practice is the only way to build and maintain a strong “leave it.” Ignoring food or other distractions is not a skill that comes (or stays) easily. You’re asking your dog to ignore instincts that are hardwired into them: grabbing something that smells tasty (and, for some dogs, chasing a moving target).

If you continue to practice this skill, both you and your dog will enjoy a calmer, more enjoyable life full of impulse control and easy walks.

Want more step-by-step training guides?

• Teach Your Dog to Sit
• Teach Your Dog to Wait
• Teach Your Dog to Go to “Place”
• Teach Your Dog Recall
• Teach Your Dog to “Drop It”