Selective Releasing

[arpeco]

I have a shepherd/rott mix female puppy about 5 months old. She will release toys, paper, clothes, blankets, etc. (the kind of stuff puppies chew) when asked. However, outside she occasionally will grab something off the ground, or inside once she snatched a piece of pizza crust, and when told to drop it, growled and snapped at me. I don't know how to convince her to drop absolutely everything on command. Of course when she needs to take a pill, she wants nothing to do with that. Any suggestions?

[Judi W]

Well, if she doesn't care a lot about it, she'll share! :)

Take her by the collar and put her in a sit. Very quietly, no shaking or yelling. Hold her imobile. It is very difficult to keep something in the mouth while in a motionless sit for a prolonged period of time. If she is lying down, put her up in the sit. It is when a dog is down with something between their paws, that they are able to claim ownership so strongly. Motion stimulates motion. Hold still and quiet and don't try to snatch it away or pry her mouth open. Give your "out" command - again quietly. Be patient, it will seem like hours but will only be a minute or so. When she releases, praise, take the item and have her follow you to the kitchen for a treat or if you are outside, walk a ways and then treat from your pocket. I don't like using the treat/trade, but rather moving the dog from the area of posession and rewarding. This part is the stress reliever as well as the reward. If you don't want to wait, put some of your saliva on your finger and wipe it on her nose. She will have an uncontrollable urge to lick off her nose, hence releasing the item. I do this with very small puppies and we have a good laugh over it, the pup and I.

Give these a try and see how they work for you.

[arpeco]

Thanks, Judi W,

Today she was outside and snatched up a stool from something. (We have squirrels, skunks, racoons, etc.)

I immediately put her in a sit and firmly told her to 'drop it'. After a few seconds, amazingly she lowered her head and dropped it on the ground. Not having any treats available I praised her vigorously. I'm optimistic about this. For us this is a big step in the right directon. This is a behaviour that has sent us to the vet more than once already to rid her of the resultant infections.

[Judi W]

Glad it worked. Believe it or not, I pretty much know what I'm talking about. I will always choose the easiest and least confrontational way to teach if at all possible, however that does not mean that I will not use use more stringent methods if necessary. Just that I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve.............

If you will accompany this with a command word "out" each and every time, it will take hold in her mind over time. Be patient.