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!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

LOL....there are some of them that are just too smart for their own good.  My Murphy now weighs 72 pounds, so needless to say I'm glad we got control of his "issues" before he got to this point. He was quite a "leaner"...his way of claiming me.  That is definitely not allowed.  It sounds like you're doing a great job with Henry and that you have a really good trainer.

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Jane I tell you it is a daily battle with this boy! I am using the "wait" command a lot now especially when entering/exiting any door and going up/down the stairs. He bounds up the stairs, cuts me off, or going down he has raced down in back of me and nosed me hard in the knee to "check" me. He has gotten so much better, but man that nose of his is like an extension...he loves to use that and his paws. Sigh, and I thought it was a cute version of doggy tag at first but the bigger this guy gets (he's 42# at 22 weeks) the harder it is to ignore! Which is his whole point I guess LOL!

I had to laugh yesterday, we were playing with all of his dog friends and the large female lab is quick to put him in his place. Henry tucked his tail between his legs and trotted over to our gate and sat down with an "I'm done, I'm going home!" look on his face! I leashed him back up and walked him back to the group and told him, sit if you want but I'm not ready to go home and you are on my time. He got over it pretty quickly, but he gives the lab a wide berth of respect LOL.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And these, which go right to the heart of the matter, and will make you feel like you are in very good company:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/trainingmindsets/forum/topics/mur...

And how's this for a title?

Affection and the Pushy Dog

Sounds perfect, right? Good reading, lol! 

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Thank you so much Karen!! I'm totally going to make sure we start with NILIF right off the bat with puppy number 2!

[Dolly Dykhouse]

Haley I am so glad that you started this conversation and Karen for bringing Jane/Murphey's original posts on behavior issues into it; I LOVE this site and how much help it brings to us "newer" doodle owners! I see so much of Henry and the same behavior issues and am so grateful to everyone for sharing their stories. It really helps to create awareness of what's what in behaviors and definitely makes me feel less on my own in figuring things out. Thank you, all of you for sharing!

[BG and Gavin]

Totally late to the party, but just wanted to say what a fantastic discussion this is! Haley, you began by asking for help for a symptom and through discussion uncovered the real problem. It was fascinating to watch it all unfold. So the good news is that you are very motivated, able to be self-reflective, have a great plan and have plenty of support. Yeti is a smart cookie and I bet he responds quickly to your consistent direction.