How to Get Your Dog to Drop Something That Is in His Mouth

Dogs are natural scavengers. Unfortunately this means that your dog may have a penchant for picking up some disgusting or unsafe items to chew on or eat. It is imperative to train your dog to drop these items on command. Dogs respond well when they receive a treat for positive reinforcement when they exchange the inappropriate object in their mouth for a safe and fully edible treat. Take precautions to protect your curious dog from picking up harmful items and keep all of your important belongings in secure locations where your dog cannot reach them.

Things You'll Need

Favorite toy
Bag of dog treats

Instructions

- 1
  Give your dog his favorite toy. Prompt him to take the toy verbally by saying, "take it."
- 2
  Hold a treat in your hand in front of your dog's mouth. Tell your dog to "drop it" in a stern tone. Offer your dog the treat in your hand when he drops the toy. If your dog does not drop the toy, wave the treat in front of his nose.
- 3
  Perform 25 to 30 successful toy exchanges for a treat.
- 4
  Repeat Steps 1 through 3 while holding the treat farther back from your dog's mouth.
- 5
  Perform 25 repetitions without holding a treat in your hand. If your dog drops the toy, give him three treats as a reward. If your dog is not dropping the toy, pretend to eat the treats and try again with the treats for another 25 repetitions. Repeat until your dog drops the toy without a treat in your hand.
- 6
  Practice the command at random when your dog has something in his mouth. Offer praise if he complies with your command.
- 7
  Say your command before you try to take the object from your dog occasionally.
- 8
  Extract extremely dangerous items from your dog's mouth if he refuses to drop them for a treat by positioning your thumb and index finger at the sides of the mouth. Apply pressure on your dog's canines. When his mouth starts to open say, "Open." Offer a treat and praise your dog after you pull the item out of his mouth.