Drop it on command

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Hello friends! I'm embarrassed to say we have never really been able to get yeti to "drop it" on command. I wish we would have worked harder with him as small puppy (he is 1yr 4mo) but we were caught up in sit/stay/come etc. His drop it and leave it are very lacking. He is a better leaver than dropper though lol.
Fast forward to this morning. Yeti got a sock. I seriously don't know where he pulls them out of sometime. He genuinely loves to get socks and make us chase him all around to get them out of his mouth. This morning, for the first time ever (with a sock), he got agressive with me. The whole thing was nearly in his mouth and he growled with teeth. His mouth was shut so tight I had to rip the sock apart to get it out of his mouth.
I was hoping to get some suggestions on what worked with your doodles to get them to drop it (even if it's something so beloved such as a sock or a favorite tennis ball). I get the jist of "drop it," then when dropped give treat but was hoping for other tips and tricks. By the way, he does drop his chuck it all pretty good for us with or without a treat (unless he is tired and doesn't want to play anymore lol) but even that needs a little coaxing (aka "drop it, drop it, drop it!!! All while banging his chuck it stick on the ground). Yeti has show. Aggression before with things such a bully sticks and other high value chews but never with a sock. I'm trying to train him out of it befor his brother arrives!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think the key for Yeti is to implement a "nothing in life is free" program, so that he learns that nothing belongs to him, you control all resources, and disobeying a command is not an option. There's really no way to work on just the "drop it" command with a dog who resource guards an object by growling and baring his teeth at you; that behavior is part of a larger picture.  And starting with NILIF now will help a lot when the puppy arrives.

Here's a link: http://sonic.net/~cdlcruz/GPCC/library/alpha.htm

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Karen this is a great article, thanks for sharing! Our trainer subscribes to these same beliefs and trains me to train Henry accordingly. I'll be the first to admit, I wasn't totally on board at first...I almost contemplated quitting after session #2 and looking elsewhere for a kinder and gentler approach to training. Fortunately, I have learned through lots of trial and error that I am the one who gets in my own way most times and will stop, do some research before making knee jerk decisions. In the instance of Henry's training I am so glad that I did. Henry has a very alpha male personality and will let everyone in the house know that it's all about him, especially the demands for attention when and where HE wanted it. Henry is not into resource guarding and is the gentlest dog I have ever had in accepting treats and his food, but that doesn't mean that those things couldn't change given the direction he was headed in. I quickly realized that this behavior was only going to become more ingrained the older he gets. 

I stayed with our trainer and stepped back in with both feet firmly planted. I had to make some changes to my own attitude in order to change Henry's attitude. However, there has been progress...baby steps to be sure, but visible ones so I am glad that I have stuck with it.

And what is it with doodles, socks and the game of chase/keep away?!?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I really think NILIF is pretty kind and gentle; it doesn't involve punishments and it's extremely fair. I'm glad you stuck with it. 

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Thank you so much Karen! I will read this when I get home tonight!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I really think there are two approaches that can be used for this training.  I have two dogs with very different temperaments, and so the way I train drop it is different for each.  Let's start with Murphy who is a "full of himself" kind of guy.  Every day I "retrain" him that he is not the boss of the house, and he really is NOT the boss of me.  We still use most aspects of the "nothing in life is free" approach with him even though he is seven.  For "drop it" training with him I would put a leash on and give him a toy or ball...we would play for awhile...then I would tell him to drop it.  Because he is on a leash I could walk right up to him and stand over him waiting.  I would only repeat the command once.  I would just stand there until he figured out that he was not going to win this stand off and he would drop it.  I would then give him lots of praise....we'd have a party. Because I didn't treat train with Murph the reward was more about the praise.   It takes patience and you can't give in so be sure you have enough time.  They have to be leashed or it can become a chase game.  It takes repetition but now Murph will always drop whatever has on command.  He just knows that there is no other option.  Then there's Guinness who is a much softer dog.  I used the "trade and treat" method with him.  Again I trained him on a leash.  I gave him a toy and kept treats in my pocket (always use high value treats that are only given for training).  I would show him that I had a treat and then tell him to drop it.  The second he did I would reward with the treat and then give the toy back, wait awhile, and then go through the process again.  It didn't take long for him to learn, and now when I tell him to drop something I still go get him a treat to keep the concept reinforced.  It doesn't have to be immediate now that he has learned.  I would never chase him...that's a game.  I would also never force it out of his mouth.  That's when you would throw a leash on him, give the command, and then confidently stand over him not letting him move until he drops it.  If he growls I would ignore it....just keep standing over him and not letting him leave.  He'll realize that this "scare tactic" is useless and he's not going to like being leashed to you and unable to leave. Good luck and please keep us posted. 

[Missy]

Oh glad you got the sock out!  

I can only share our experience.  We also subscribe to the 'NILF" method.  And when I say a command, I expect action. Even if it takes more time, I will stay with the dog until he yields to my command. I know our dood knows the commands, and he sometimes wants to take his time deciding to yield or not. And I wait. 

If I say drop and nothing drops, I found putting him in a 'sit' position and asking for a drop command usually lets the dog know I am not leaving until there is a drop. 

We had the growl aggression as a puppy, but I made sure to follow through with the commands to let him know he doesn't get to growl to get his way. Our pup tried the growl thing with toys, food and when he didn't want to move off the couch.  I stuck with each situation, and just made sure I either clamped my hand on his mouth or had my face far enough away in case he actually bit me.  In each of those instances, I never let him win. (give an inch, they take a mile)  Think of a 2 year old throwing a fit.  Give in once, then it becomes habit, right? 

We even practiced as a pup, giving a high reward treat (favorite food toy that he ate the treat out of) and made sure I could at any time take it away.  Convenient at TV time, to give dog the treat, and at commercial, remove it.  then give it back to him if he followed a series of commands. (I placed him in a sit, stay, and then went to the other room and called for him. He would of course come and then I would send him to his dog bed and give back the treat) 

We are at 4 years old now. and I am so thankful for the NILF method for us.  

These are very smart puppies. And as they age, they develop more independence, so I encourage you to try the NILF method especially with new puppy coming on stage. School is in session!! 

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Well yeti strikes again. This afternoon he got ahold of the skin of a sweet potato and growled/showed teeth at me again! Twice in one day!!! I'm so upset. I'm starting to question if this is my fault. I thought we did well with training but evidently I was wrong.

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Yeti loves to stand on us especially while we're laying in bed. Does anyone think that is a dominate behavior by him? I'm trying so hard to figure out which of his bevaiors we need to fix because they are considered dominant.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Our Ned dances on us every morning with a toy hanging out of his mouth - it is purely his good morning greeting.  Charlie used to come and fall dead asleep on one of our bed pillows - you couldn't move him with dynamite.  I interpreted that as a power play. We absolutely didn't let him get away with that. Charlie is very pushy so I try to interpret his actions  as being his cheery, pushy self OR making a power play.  If he is just being his cheerful self, I let him be a bit pushy, but it is at my discretion.  I don't think it is inconsistent because I control the situation as I interpret it.  If you think Yeti is pulling a power play, I wouldn't allow it; if you think he is just being good-natured and cheery, then I would stop it on days that it irritates you.

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Mostly I do believe it's just excitement to see us after being apart ALLLL night (seems like forever to him hehe) but now that I truly think about it, sometimes it's a bit too much. He is always trying to get our faces. 90 percent of the time he gives sweet sweet kisses, but other times he comes at you with mouth open and nibbles. I seriously just thought it was our of excitement haha. I'm questioning his every move now.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I would not let a dog who is showing some of Yeti's recent behaviors stand on me while I'm laying on the bed. 

[Dolly Dykhouse]

I don't know if this makes any sense in your situation but our trainer explained that behavior and maturity levels for Henry at 5 months is roughly the equivalent of a 14 year old boy; world is his oyster and everything is about him, testing boundaries and authority. At one year old they are equivalent to a 25 year old male in strength, stamina and exerting thier will.

One of the first things she explained was the "buffer zone" and enforcing that your puppy respect your personal space which meant no allowing him on you at any time for the three months of training. Not on furniture, the bed, my foot and especially my lap. I will admit I balked at this. Not allowing my fur ball baby to come up to me and lay on my feet? Jump in my lap? I was told even those drive by's that he does when he body checks me are his way of saying, "I'm in charge not you" and a sign of being disrespectful. I'll admit I didn't like this at all (lord knows Henry could be my child as we are both stubborn) and had the hardest time with enforcing OFF! although I know I have to train him that I am the alpha not him and that this is not a forever thing, just until he understands completely who the boss is. He is doing well with this but has his moments of trying to put me in my place, just like a know it all teenager. I've buckled down and got with the program because Henry is definitely give an inch take a mile puppy, I know I do not want a battle of wills with a 65# doodle. I am on board with NILIF for everything and the wait command is my new best friend. Henry does great with commands like heal and sit/stay but behavior commands like off and wait that test his patience are a bit more difficult.