Teaching the 'Leave It' Cue | Teacher's Pet With Victoria Stilwell

[@traceydouglass3369]

I would just like to say that I taught my dog the leave it command this way and he is now quite happy to "leave it" when he has the opportunity to chase a deer or a squirrel. If I was to drop a tablet on the floor a quick "leave it" would mean that he would not go near it, giving me time to pick it up. I can also put my dinner on the floor, tell him leave it and leave the room - he will not touch it while I am out of the room. I have trained him with positive reinforcement methods and I have an obedient, happy dog who respects me and who I respect back. This method does work for anyone thinking of trying it!!

[@PeterJonesonline]

Tracey Douglass she is using punishment, oh oh and withdrawing her hand/reward is technical negative punishment.

[@asaradhi]

@@PeterJonesonline no, she isn't using punishment 🤦🏽‍♂️😂

[@LL-hh8xq]

@@PeterJonesonline it seems like it would be that way, but not quite. Negative punishment would be to take away something the dog has under normal circumstances, for example, if he had a bed he liked to sit on all the time and then it was taken away when a behavior occurred. The treat is a positive reinforcement that he wouldn’t have normally, contingent upon exhibiting a desirable behavior. :)

[@amazonwarrior770]

I totally believe in Victoria’s teaching methods,yes depending on the situation it always depends on how much time you must invest on a task. It’s well worth it reguardless on how ever many times you may have to repeat the teaching. I‘ve been teaching my dogs in this manner for over 50yrs and the trust and bonding makes a fantastic experience of total enjoyment. You must remember your dog needs little refresher training through out your dogs life,but by then it’s more play/bonding and the dog enjoys it as well as you will. Remember we can never give them as much unconditional love as they give us. Training with treats is not forever.

[@AbdullahVEVO]

I've watched few "leave it" videos but this is the best .. cause it shows how to deal with failing and how fhe trainer was patient and calm to get the dog understand the command well. Other videos show things very easy that I even suspect that it's easy for professional s and hard to normal dog owners

[@SomeoneBeginingWithI]

I like this video because it shows the whole process with the same dog so you can see him learning and see how Victoria responds when he doesn't know what to do or messes up.

[@antikimchi1]

"He is a VERY food motivated dog. He LOVES FOOD." lmao sounds like me

[@Rodster3000]

Its so cute the way she says "uh oh"

[@TheYoshi126]

5:18, the dog's just like looking off to the side like "what does she want me to do?"

[@BookishlyBri]

5:18

[@seus2731]

I love Victoria's techniques, I used all of them (with a clicker) when my corgi was a puppy… either that dog was SO smart or Victoria's techniques are so good but it only took 2 days for my dog to be completely trained in: sit, down, come, drop it, stay, wait, stop, and to able to walk without a leash in a heel position. Our sweet boy has crossed rainbow bridge 3 moths ago and we are getting another corgi puppy and we are going to use Victoria's techniques with him too...we will see how it goes with the new guy

[@firinneach7385]

This is phenomenal!! You can see his brain working and him going through all the stages of dog-human communication to try and get that treat, he even asked some off camera audience for help, hahahah, so cute! and he's learnt so fast!! amazing video, thanks Victoria!

[@thoughtfulwatcher]

I used to watch her show back in the day for entertainment. Now I'm actually using this to teach a food OBSESSED 2 year old rescue. She learned Stage 1 within 10 minutes. This really works, and I have nothing but respect for the positive reinforcement training. It's worked with everything so far - sit, keeping a 45 pound pit bull on the floor who wants to lather everyone in a loving facial, getting used to a gentle leader, watch me, come, and "go potty" outside. In 2 weeks with minimal effort my wonderful rescue is shaping up to be a model, well mannered pooch.

[@dontpugme]

Thank you for taking the time to train your dog! Positive reinforcement wins again!

[@hilaryjuliecoxon5434]

I have a five month old rescue Yorkie,who was not given any training or socialisation at all by the previous owners.Using your training in 5 weeks has improved immensely. Thank you,your training really works well!!😊

[@TheMaliboo98]

excellent demonstration!!! thank you so much! Our dog training class instructor sent me this.

[@Jacob7316]

i love how some people think that they know more then Victoria does when she is the professional lol

[@AzvidMedia]

Honestly I find these series very effective. I've got a four month old Golden Retriever puppy which has only been living with us for a month and he is very smart and loyal. When I tried the leave it cue on him, he seemed to completely understand what I was trying to teach him. From our first go, he completely understood the process and by the end of our daily fifteen minute routine, he completely got the hang of the trick. Thanks a lot!

[@jenlisa5038]

5:21 cute paw over there

[@thomas68101]

5:18 when he pans at the camera as if saying wtf just give me the treat already!!!!

[@loveherbmkay]

You're a very patient person, i enjoy your metods of training, its very gentle and i cant wait to try it on mine! thanks for the help

[@diana.forgodsglory9224]

Love the way you showed the process of trial and error it took for the dog to learn. Most vids give the instructions and don’t let you know how much time it’ll take or exactly what it looks like 👍

[@abcdeeemily]

My 8 week old miniature poodle has picked this up in a matter of 5/10 minutes, all three stages nailed! Now just to keep at it! Amazing

[@Cobin09]

Victoria, you are my hero!

[@silvermistmagic1705]

Omg, I love this dog. What a gorgeous dog.

[@Chocolatey1234567899]

Victoria Stilwell: "Leave it, uh-oh!" Spencer: "What kind of sick game is this? Give me the food lady!"

[@eHowPets]

Thank you for the great comment!!

[@772CODEMASTER]

You are a really good trainer, I sure will use your video's when my parents let me get a new pet(puppy) Thanks!

[@eHowPets]

You'll have to assess the situation once you get the dog in your home and see how he/she is feeling after a few days. Some dogs will be comfortable right away and ready to train, others will need a little bit more time. Let us know if you do get one!

[@kitkatthebobcat6556]

PATIENCE IS KEY!!!! My thirteen week old puppy got it after the third time, I bet your puppy can do it too!

[@Seafret1412]

Clever, clever dog, so quick on the uptake!

[@JoePatABC]

I like VS, she's a fine trainer and great at the expression of what she believes in. Personally, I'll use whatever works short of my own criteria of abuse which happens to includes the use of food in every training situation. However, there are a great many PR trainers that have had excellent success so I don't feel it propter to criticize, but I will say that I and many others have trained 1000's of happy, well adjusted dogs using a variety of techniques. It's all about the dog after all.

[@shaddapforever]

Very useful videos, thanks a lot Victoria

[@thememoirss]

This dog is so beautiful

[@pridecat8995]

Contrary to popular thinking, research studies of wolves in their natural habitat demonstrate that wolves are not dominated by an "Alpha Wolf" that is the most aggressive male, or male-female pairing, of the pack. Rather, they have found that wolf packs are very similar to how human families are organized, and there is little aggression or fights for "dominance." Wolves, whether it be the parents or the cubs of a pack, depend on each other to survive in the wild; consequently wolves that engage in aggressive behaviors toward each other would inhibit the pack's ability to survive and flourish. While social hierarchies do exist (just as they do among human families) they are not related to aggression in the way it is commonly portrayed (incorrectly) in popular culture. As Senior Research Scientist L. David Mech recently wrote regarding his many years of study of wolves, we should "once and for all end the outmoded view of the wolf pack as an aggressive assortment of wolves consistently competing with each other to take over the pack." (Mech, 2008) In addition to our new understanding of wolf behavior, study into canine behavior has found that dogs, while sharing some traits with their wolf cousins, have many more significant differences. As a result, the idea that dog behavior can be explained through the application of wolf behavior models is no more relevant than suggesting that chimpanzee behavior can be used to explain human behavior. Unfortunately, this idea that dogs are basically "domesticated wolves" living in our homes still persists among dog trainers and behavior counselors, as well as breeders, owners, and the media. One of the biggest misconceptions we find ourselves faced with is the definition of "dominance." Dogs are often described as being "dominant" which is an incorrect usage of the term. Dominance is not a personality trait. Dominance is "primarily a descriptive term for relationships between pairs of individuals." and moreover, "the use of the expression 'dominant dog' is meaningless, since "dominance" can apply only to a relationship between individuals. (Bradshaw et al., 2009) Dominance comes into play in a relationship between members of the same species when one individual wants to have the first pick of available resources such as food, beds, toys, bones, etc. Even between dogs, however, it is not achieved through force or coercion but through one member of the relationship deferring to the other peacefully. In many households the status of one dog over another is fluid; in other words, one dog may be the first to take his pick of toys, but will defer to the other dog when it comes to choice of resting places. Dogs that use aggression to "get what they want" are not displaying dominance, but rather anxiety-based behaviors, which will only increase if they are faced with verbal and/or physical threats from their human owners. Basing one's interaction with their dog on dominance is harmful to the dog-human relationship and leads to further stress, anxiety and aggression from the dog, as well as fear and antipathy of the owner. apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/dominance/

[@FeralSwift]

Very true! The "alpha" has been debunked. Think of it more like parents.

[@c.p.5167]

This is one of the first things I teach a puppy - so many applications!

[@BreakingArt1]

omg so easy thank you so much. Had my stubborn princes doing it in 15 minutes. As it turns out I was the stubborn one. Im so proud of her.

[@FullMoonForestTV]

Oh my gosh! I tried this on my 9 year old beagle who LOVES FOOD and will go to great lengths to steal it. But within two 5 minute sessions I got her to leave a piece of food on a pillow right in front of her! Victoria you are a genius!

[@nunosoares2329]

Victoria you're amazing :-)

[@mangosr]

I get happy every time I see a dog succeed in following instructions LOL

[@tilliex8514]

Will be trying this with my 6 month old Cavapoo , she is a bit of a nightmare at the moment , chewing EVERYTHING ! So rlly trying to break the habit at a young age

[@leannestrong1000]

I also heard of a method where you place an object on the floor, and if the dog gets close enough to the object, you tell them "leave it." Ideally you would start with low-value items (items that aren't likely to be super exciting to the dog, and that most people wouldn't mind parting with), such as a paper plate, empty cereal box, or plastic water bottle (preferably one that can be purchased in the packs at the grocery store, rather than one that you might use for the gym or for sports). Once the dog begins to get a good grasp on this command, you can progress to more valued items (items that are more likely to be exciting to the dog, and/or that people might be more reluctant to part with), such as a purse or wallet, lunchbox, or even the type of plastic water bottle that you might use at the gym or for sports. Now, I'm not a dog trainer myself, but even I like both the method you used, and the one I mentioned. I used to have two dogs, and when they would try to take something that wasn't theirs, or that we didn't want them to take, we would tell them to do this. When I started practicing this on our cockapoo, I started with a pile of dirt, since you really can't get much less exciting than that.

[@MignonJuju]

Looks almost exactly like my dog, Ansel, who I think is a collie/husky mix! I say think because he was a rescue. ;).

[@arinastepman8255]

Great video! Could you pls tell, what breed it is? golden retriever rottweiler mix? Thank you

[@MSPElysiaxx]

Thank you this was really helpful

[@jovannigonzalez4664]

I did this with my 2 month old pup and it worked like a charm she associates it with spinning in a circle she is adorable

[@Shangas0]

Thank you

[@MyNameisStorm]

I would recommend using a clicker! Mixing this with clicker training would remove almost all of the guess work the dog has to do which saves time in training. Look it up!

[@theaccentman93]

ikr, right!

[@theaccentman93]

i mean ikr lolol

[@seus2731]

yes, I used all Victoria's training techniques plus the clicker and only took my puppy a couple of days to learn ALL of them, leave it, come, sit, down, heel… clicker speeds up the process

[@FeralSwift]

I'd have to disagree, with mine, the clicker only startled them. Haha but if it works then all the better! Just can't always have a clicker on you at all times.

[@ChristinaCroft]

Thank you for these wonderfully helpful videos :-)

[@puribaptista]

thank you for simple video

[@Haster3]

@MrJaa358 It really doesn't matter what treats you use if you're going to teach your dog the leave it cue. Just some patience and time and rewards is all you need!

[@Animonstar95]

He uses e-collars on the vibrate setting, if you watched any of the show. The vibration is for dogs who tend to get fixated on something and needs something to snap them out of it.

[@eHowPets]

It really depends on what your dog likes best. Every dog is different! Sometimes it takes a few tries with some different treats until you figure out the one that they will best respond to

[@hazeman190]

What is a good replacement for a treat in this exercise i have a dog mixed with a dachshound and i don't want her to get fat because of back issues

[@hannahclark649]

We absolutely love your training style and videos. We’ve been following you for years and are now on puppy number 3. 😊. Can I ask please what breed of dog this is? Is he a mountain breed. He is just gorgeous.

[@delindamck]

I would use other things besides the food to get him to "leave it"... I trained my puppy with the cats after the food training. You have to stay with it, your GSD will get it - will learn the words when you want him to leave something. Training isn't an overnight thing - you are reinforcing good behavior for as long as you have your dog. :)

[@mirnapacheco7147]

The only thing that i do different is that I don't teach leave it with the same treat that i give to the dog. I use a treat or an object that my dog is not allowed to have then give him a different yummy reward. I don't want my dog to be confused, lets say if he sees a cat, i say leave it then minute later its ok to go after a cat.

[@albertlannan]

Mirna Pacheco not that this is necessarily my preferred training method, but to be fair she does specifically say she does NOT give the dog the same treat she is asking him to leave.... hence why she has her other hand behind her back.

[@seus2731]

as she explained, that was only on the stage 1, she was just introducion the concept to the dog. On stage 2 she explains the same think you said and at this stage is when she doesnt give that piece of chiquen but another trait with the other hand, and then stage 3 she leaves the food on the floor and rewards with another treat

[@AxphaltTech]

Hello, Mrs, Stilwell, could please you tell me what dog i should get? i want a discipline one, like they are easy to train potty and also their fur, i don't like fur that falls out all the time but i also hate long hair, i want a dog like yours, Dylan. Thank You

[@kimmie1553]

Wow I get my pup in 1 weeks time and can't wait for him to be able to try some off these skills xx

[@RainbowFlowerCrow]

I hope everything went well with your pup!

[@kimmie1553]

@@RainbowFlowerCrow sure did thank you he's just had his 1 st birthday and he's a fab little man x

[@Pirategoesrawr]

I have a question. I'm going to start training my English Springer Spaniel pup using this method, but I wanted to know how you could transfer this method to keeping them out of the rubbish? He is constantly sticking his head in the rubbish and I can see this method would help but I'm not sure quite how I'd make the same 'leave it' connection with the rubbish?

[@mehdibenmoussa114]

Thank you so much

[@summerswift2526]

What kind of treats are you using? What would be good to use as far as treats for a 9-12 week old puppy?

[@vinixwijaya]

cool....!! and i love the music too...may i know what's the name of the music?

[@Tttttttaaa24]

very good video!!

[@Liveinvanilla]

Just tried this with my 10 week old lab and he got it right away. Brilliant methods

[@carlycash4266]

Please do more teaching for pups and of Dylan

[@oimzgirl]

I was told by my trainer that when training you need to use treats with the "three Ss": small, soft, and smelly. Small and soft so that the dog can eat them without skipping a beat in training, and smelly because dogs like smelly stuff. Cutting up cheese or chicken into tiny pieces works well. There are also good little 'training treats' out there in just about every pet store.

[@zone07]

Keeping her voice soft just makes her feel better the dog could care less. He just looks confused as hell. Her, "oh oh" was inconsistent; this episode shows how full of crap some of these trainers are. Notice her "LEAVE IT" @ 8:16. It wasn't as "soft" as she said it should be. She is trying to teach the dog what it already knows; that's when the leader says no, you don't. How come when two dogs are put together the most dominant dog eats first without the need of the other dog being told to "leave it"? It knows to wait until the leader signals that it is okay for it to eat.

[@HypercaffinatedBees]

dude how on earth are you dumb enough to overlook some things? think of puppies getting breast-fed. they barge into each other, push. they don't have order, they don't know order. that's why you have to train your dog these things I would know.

[@zone07]

cole widner with puppies, the mom is the leader. The mom guides them and teaches them boundaries, limitations and patience; good breeders know this and this is why they usually don't separate the pups from their mom until after about 6 to 8 weeks. If you have the opportunity, place one bowl of food in front of two dogs; then come back and comment on your results.

[@HypercaffinatedBees]

zone07 unfortunately i only have 1 dog :(

[@Daniellima49]

Why are you people always trying to put every single dog behaviour as a dominant or non-dominant ? There are thousands of científic studies which proves that dogs don't estabilish dominant behaviour with humans. Because, just guess: WE ARE NOT DOGS! So there is no domination! Is just a young dog, that likes food and needs to learn self control. As simple as that.

[@SupermanBB]

Daniel Almeida You're wrong my friend. Dog psychology is much different than human psychology. I challenge you to find these scientific studies that suggest dogs don't use pack theory with humans

[@Shangas0]

Can we teach our dog several commands at the same time? My puppy already understand sit, can I start to teach her another command or I need to wait until she completely learn the sit command?

[@ricardoghiani5466]

Thanks for the tips. That really helped me :)

[@inhabitantofearth]

i plan to get a dog when i move (into an apartment).. a chihuahua or some kind of lap dog. i've had chihuahuas before, but this will be the very first time i will be solely responsible for it. people say i should start of with an older dog, but i want a puppy so i can train it and socialize it myself. i figure, if i follow all your training tips i will be successful. what do you recommend?

[@TheKatZahra]

Do you know what ticks him off? Try preventing situations which make him snap at you. And if he does bite you, let him know that he hurt you, yell out 'Ouch' in a hurt voice not an angry voice. But don't hit him or push the finger in his mouth (seriously why would you do that if he is biting you?!), you're more likely to aggravate things like that and getting your dog more bitter and angry! And most importantly: perseverance, make sure you correct him each time he does it - don't give up on him!

[@Gitiffan]

For the ones saying this technique doesn't work, probably haven't tried it. When I was fostering a 2 year old Amstaff with very little training, the dog understood what I was trying to teach him with this technique of leaving things I do not want him to pick up in his mouth. It took about 7-8 minutes of teaching him the "Leave it" command before he understood it. The next day, he remembered and knew what the "Leave it" command meant.

[@dlwatib]

Of course it works. But Stilwell wasted several minutes of alternately teasing and feeding the dog until she started using her "no reward marker" to tell the dog "no". She didn't stay consistent with her Herculean effort to stay completely positive and the whole time she was failing the dog was getting fat on treats. Cesar would start with a "no reward marker", save several minutes of nonsense, and be called cruel by hysterical animal rights activists everywhere as a result.

[@Gitiffan]

I agree, that she balked a few times on the negative marker. As far as Cesar, I am a big fan of his. I look at different dog trainers and dog behaviorists and take what seems to work and combine them with my comfort level. I would never use the collar to choke a dog into submission, but then again I have never had to deal with red zone dogs like Cesar does. I do, however, agree with his calm assertive and dominant approach in teaching my dog boundaries and limits.

[@pridecat8995]

I've worked with a red zone dog. My American bulldog was red zone. She is a rescue and went through a lot. I'm big on positive training and I haven't found any reason to use dominance. I've watched caeser a lot and It made me angry to see the way he teaches. I love Victoria stillwell and her show. All of her facts are based in science. And before you say I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm a certified dog trainer. I'm newly certified but still. Victoria Stillwell has used Positively on red zoned dogs too. Dominance training is cruel.

[@kennchristopher2865]

i plan on getting a puppy so this will help alot

[@evadone]

Hi! I love your videos, just wondering what kind of dog he is though. Working my parents to let me get one so i can train it :D

[@lizmcginnis8399]

Have you tried a higher value treat, like a piece of chicken or cheese? If you have and didn't work, a toy that she really likes can help you. Now as far as the "Leave it" you can use all sorts of things, toys, sticks, leaves, socks... the list goes on. Now, start with something of low value and then go up from there. My pup has always been food motivated, but I stepped it up a notch, I did sticks, and leaves later on, people, dogs, cats, squirrells... The list goes on. Hope this helps!

[@kitkatthebobcat6556]

I love your videos

[@dipakhaksar2741]

Thank you ... can you use this command when the pup bites your ankle or arm by saying leave It.

[@brittanyaquiar4191]

I have a 4 month old husky who I am going to try this with. I hope it works

[@vivekKumar-rw3zd]

It really works

[@agentlj10]

so also does this work with trash

[@paulahorstman899]

What dog breed is that one in the beginning!? I wants!

[@nancyle8306]

Learning is only fun when you are getting it right. So it's normal if you dog fails for him to want to give up. Make the exercise easier so he can succeed. Always set up your dog to be successful. Example: you ask you dog to roll over and he just doesn't get it. Well you may have to "shape " this behavior meaning rewarding for bits and pieces towards your wanted outcome. Like turning his head, than turning his head and lefting his elbow and so on.

[@wendywagner5662]

My dog does great with leave it command indoors. How do I transfer this to outside when a scent or something on the ground begins to rule her?

[@nancyle8306]

It depends on the level of distraction. You can use kibble if you dog will respond to it in high level distractions. If your dog doesn't use a higher value treat like chicken or hot dogs and cut down your dog's regular to avoid them gaining weight.

[@arrianamurguia7453]

I miss her show "It's me or the Dog!" :(

[@nancyle8306]

She using what the dog is motivated by. In her other videos she uses toys or praise depending on the dog. She is a certified trainer as well.

[@tooheyfamily8403]

She gives the dog to many treats

[@manish41711]

Loved the video, was funny a lil bit, poor dog , so confused :) Lady are you gonna gimme the treat or not :P

[@eHowPets]

Definitely don't make him feel forced but closing the door at first isn't a horrible idea. Just watch to make sure he doesn't feel uncomfortable or cry to be let out too much. Also, maybe experiment with different times of the day to do training. He might just be too tired or overstimulated during the moments you've been trying. Let us know how it goes!

[@Missibake]

Pause at 4:13 hahaha looks like she wants to eat it! I love her vids she is so funny

[@theaccentman93]

LOOK ON MY PAGE ILL TAG YOU I POSTED THE FUNNIEST PIC OF THAT TIME 4:13 JUST LOOK ON MY PAGE

[@TiffoS2]

does anyone know what kind of breed this dog is?

[@imogenlloyd1]

What breed of dog is Spencer? He is adorable!

[@theHighlyClassified]

that's the cutest dog

[@MrJaa358]

what kind of teats does victoria use to train her dogs..

[@sulky_]

I see. I was wondering about that but like this it would avoid the gaining weight matter. Thanks :)

[@thea736]

VICTORIA

[@agentlj10]

what kind of dog is spencer

[@doorfortress]

How would you teach a dog a command that uses a food lure like "leave it" or "sit" for a dog that's not as food-motivated, like Candace in the loose-leash videos?

[@Animonstar95]

He does that when it comes to correcting behaviors like dominance, again, if you watched the show. And I've been training my dog in the way that I provide what he wants, he doesn't get anything for free, same as Cesar, for six years, and he adores me. Compare that to my best friend's dog who gets nothing but affection and no discipline. He jumps up, nips, and begs for food. He's misbehaved, and my dog is obedient.

[@LightKnight14]

what breed is this? He's so cute!

[@horokka9849]

I think Spencer is a Hovawart. So cute!

[@mycrazylife8980]

I taught leave it by getting a solid stay and then using a bit of this method