Leave it

How it works

It is usually built in small steps: food in a closed hand, then an open hand, then an item on the floor that the hand can cover, and later a foot or the handler's body blocking the item from a standing position. The cue is said once, and the hand or foot does the teaching from there. When the dog reaches, access closes. When the dog backs off, access opens again. The standard is the dog's attention actually leaving the item, so a dog holding still while staring at it has not disengaged yet. The reward is usually a separate treat from the handler's hand, so the dog does not learn that waiting long enough beside an item is a way to get it.

What it looks like

A handler sets a piece of kibble on the kitchen floor and covers it with one hand. The dog noses and paws at the hand, then backs off and glances away, and the hand lifts. The dog looks straight back at the kibble and the hand covers it again. On the next try the dog looks away and stays looking away, and a treat arrives from the handler's other hand while the kibble stays on the floor.

Commonly confused with

Interrupter

An interrupter asks a dog to break off whatever they are doing in everyday life and look back to the handler. Leave it is about one specific item the dog wants, and is usually practiced with food and objects before it is used out on walks.

Related terms