Learning the «Tu laisses ! » is something primordial, we have concocted a small tutorial. Dogs are often attracted to waste such as dirty tissues, dead animals or other animal excrement. Sometimes they even come across substances that are dangerous to them.

Faced with these behaviors, which seem inappropriate or even disgusting, we tend to want to keep control. So our first reaction is to try to get our dog to drop this garbage, and then to get rid of it or get away from it. However, our dogs are crazy about these wastes and have an incompressible need to sniff them, even taste them or play with them. The solution is to find a balance between our repulsion and their attraction for these objects, that is to say ask them to move away from them sparingly, especially when it comes to substances dangerous for the dog, and not every time, because it would tend to tempt them more.

some useful tips

Here are some ideas to teach your dog the “let go” command. They can be useful in case of real need (dangerous substances or objects etc…)

• Use a question-and-answer voice: “do you leave?” Indeed, the question mark gives a more pleasant intonation for the dog, less aggressive and without strict order. We ask our dog to do some things with respect.
• Don’t say “NO!” Too vague and too firm, it will be more difficult to congratulate him when he will let go.

However, the “you leave” with a sympathetic voice can very quickly turn into “it’s good!”.

why?

You wonder why use polite formulas with your dog? It’s above all a learning of respect. You want your dog to obey the rules of human society? Let’s not impose them on him without consideration for his species. He knows nothing about our rules, so we must teach him.

Using a correct intonation will on the one hand facilitate the desire of the dog to learn (friendly request = obedience in joy) and, on the other hand, serve you. Indeed, it is much more pleasant to get what you want without shouting, isn’t it?

preliminary work

Initially, use the “you let” in all circumstances where the dog would not be interested in the object anyway.

The advantage of this exercise is its ease. Certainly the dog would leave the object whatever it happens, but precisely! In a normal context, where he finds a super treasure (a cat poop…yes, for him it is a treasure), we will rush on him and shout at him, see scream, so that he spits it out immediately, and he really won’t want to let go… Why would he do that? All he will remember is being yelled at for a reason unknown to him. There is no real learning.

If you manage the environment and give it the order “leave” in front of a piece of paper (some dogs love it) or an object that does not interest him much, you know that he will sniff it out and then continue his way. We can give him the order “you leave” and congratulate him to move away or look away.

This increases your success rate, and it is the key to success! The more the dog is praised for a successful order, the more he will want to repeat it and continue in this direction.

Is it not better to spend time praising him than punishing him? For you as for him, learning a new order becomes a pleasure. Obey = Pleasure

in action

If you feel that your dog is going to take an unwanted object, you can gently take it by the collar or push its nose in another direction, while saying “you leave”, in order to guide it towards something else. Do not hesitate to use a reward to compensate for the loss of this “treasure”, motivate him not to return…etc

You will teach him that “you leave?” is not equal to losing something coveted, but to gain something much better. Depending on the dogs, we will use the toy, the treat, the voice… but always something positive. “You leave” = won! Use high rewards to compensate for his choice to leave an object. And juggle between different compensations, depending on the value of the “treasure” that he is asked to leave. Indeed, the more valuable the object he covets, the more complicated it will be to leave it for something else. The reward must therefore be of equal or even greater value.

explanation

Why trade, and not just when he is about to catch an unwanted object, take it, punish it, scream etc…? Well already, as we said earlier, it is better for you not to break your voice by shouting at your dog too often and get tired of getting angry. But it is also important to know that if you forbid a dog too often to catch the same type of object, this may have the opposite effect.

Example: Every time he grabs or plays with a tissue I take it away, because it’s dirty or dangerous. When I walk him on a leash, I even anticipate his reaction to the sight of a handkerchief on the ground and pulls him towards me or prevents him from reaching his height. What’s going to happen? If you control your dog and anticipate his action, you may be led to pull him out when he was just going to sniff that handkerchief. The consequence is that the next time he sees a handkerchief before you, be sure that he will rush over to swallow it. Likewise, as soon as you approach it to remove it, it will swallow it whole. Because then he will be sure not to get caught.

conclusion

In conclusion, teaching a dog to leave an object must be used correctly. Sometimes it’s good to let him live his life a little. You can ask him to leave something when it is necessary. But allowing him to take or interest in a non-dangerous object can also be good. So you will have a happy dog!

If you are generally struggling to be respected by your dog, this article should help!

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