Teaching Your Dog to Drop Food, Toys and other objects from their mouth

This video takes a look at an alternative way of teaching a "drop" compared to the usual swapping based techniques. I have found it works really well.
I would suggest that you do not use this with dogs who are "protective" over their food or other resources but work with a qualified behaviourist / trainer who may use a similar exercise if they see it to be beneficial and/or appropriate in your particular case.

[@travisalexphoto]

This is LITERALLY the only Drop Video I like on all of YT. It's the only one that teaches an association to reward and better things, instead of just a Trade/Swap like LITERALLY all other trainers do. This video deserves WAY more credit than it gets.

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Thank you

[@myDrivezire]

Been struggling to teach my 9 week old Rottie to understand the concept of 'DROP' as he bites everything & I'm continuosly saying drop and opening his mouth. Then I came across your video, ran to Sainsbury's, got some chicken peices & within 30 mins my pup has got it. Now he is doing it with & without me dropping chicken on the floor, even when he is overly excited the moment I say drop he lets got instantly. Noticed it works with his biting too. You are truly a God send. Thank you so much.

[@jbenal]

Brilliant! I especially love the way you recover from the mistake of letting Cody get too excited over the tug toy -- the explanation of how to deal with this situation provides such a good example of how to work with training mistakes without using "corrections."

[@MsLadyWolff]

Brilliant, well explained and broken down step by step!! All about setting the dog up for success! Thank you so much for sharing, what a great positive resource!

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

🥰

[@MsLadyWolff]

I have shared it with sooooo many people and ten years later it STILL holds up... to the point all my dogs BRING me random stuff so I HAVE to ask them to drop it...

[@sweeter2Bme]

Love the Kelpie! Your training techniques are clear and purposeful and I appreciate that you explain exactly what you want your dog to understand from the exercise. I only wish these training videos had been so easily accessible going back 14 years ago when my now deceased Kelpie was an energetic, beautiful boy (just the spitting image of your Cody.) Thanks also to Cody for making me smile :-)

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Codys says Hello :)

[@eddiespaghetti1939]

I absolutely love this method! You are doing a great job, thanks for sharing this on KZbin :-)

[@thistlemiss]

This is BRILLANT!!! So helpful. I'm going to start using this with clients right away. Thank you so much.

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

🙏

[@JeanSilva-iw9ji]

Beautifully designed and demonstrated training.

[@ADogschoice]

Love this method and building trust !!

[@ezziee.2729]

Wow, cool method! I love how quickly he drops the item in his mouth.

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Ezzie E. Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. If you enjoyed the video please give it a thumbs up click:) Thanks

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Thank you! I love Kelpies they are very sweet.

[@greenwoa]

Brilliant!!! Thanks so much for a great method and a clear video on how to teach it.

[@AllTheDogThings]

One of my favorite videos on KZbin

[@heavenisfordogs]

This is an AWESOME approach. I was looking at some of the videos on youtube and a lot of them had to much hyperactive energy involved in the training. This was a much more calm approach to training.

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

🙏

[@YoutubeKidsNetworkTV]

Thank you so much for this! This worked! Success!!!

[@PositiveCattitudes]

Chirag, great video! Someone just brought it to my attention and I love it! I especially like how you demonstrate making the 'drop' highly reinforcing rather than just putting a tiny piece of kibble in the dog's mouth and then wondering why it doesn't work! I will be sure to guide clients to this as many have a tendency to be stingy with reinforcement.

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Thank you

[@NannetteMorgan]

Love this. Thanks Chirag!

[@manavsehgal8636]

Genius ..... pure genius

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Manav Sehgal Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. If you enjoyed the video please give it a thumbs up click:) Thanks

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Hi, good question. It may do if you practice with the same item, same location etc... also if your dog is generally picking thing up throughout the day and its becoming a pattern then I would suggest looking at management as well as training the drop.

[@karenteo919]

Going to try this technique with my dog. Thanks!

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

@TheWildPaw Hey, I great question! I would use a similar method just change the cue to a visual / tactile one. Was there specific part of it that you were thinking about in relation to the question?

[@Artificiary]

Awesome technique. I managed to teach my 3 month old Lab/German Shepherd puppy to drop her toys after just three days (about an hour of conditioning each day). It really helps to use a treat that the dog finds particularly attractive. And, even though she's already figured it out, I still give her a treat every now and then for performing the drop just for reinforcement.

[@byuzanddervisian6244]

Worked well thank you please post more videos

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

I start them off from day 1 and have used it well for adult dogs too. I will teach them both on and off leash.

[@LollipopSiouxsie]

This is an excellent video. My dog is possessive of his toys and absolutely will not relent. I always manage to distract him by using a squeaker toy in my pocket but I never know if I'm doing everything in the right sequence. Thankfully I know exactly what I need to do now in order for him to get the hang of drop. Can't wait to try this out tomorrow :)

[@boer65]

Great tutorial, thanks!

[@yvonneost12]

what a gr8 idea i'm going to give it a try . thank you

[@GlasgowDogTrainer]

This is a great technique and I've used it many times now to great effect

[@tWendyDarling]

I can see applications to some resource guarding dogs.

[@LYDIADESROCHE]

@TheWildPaw great question!

[@Wyldest1]

This is a great video - very well explained. I use this method myself, and will continue to do so. Greetings from Ab Fab Dogs in Australia :)

[@Astrid66us]

This works SO WELL!!!

[@RedSkinPotato0]

This is a great. TY! For folks who aren't savvy about differential reinforcement or conditioning--the concept of primary/secondary reinforcement needs explanation. Fading is what people are asking about--what to do if dog doesn't have food motivation. Please explain the process of fading (and a session on fading would be great)for other people. People completely lose the success they gain because they do not understand the basic (unless you remember psych 101 or u are an ABA person) concepts.

[@alfie_sadie_thespaniels]

Brilliant!!

[@luxuria65]

Brilliant!

[@keckks]

great teaching! love the video. :)

[@TheBkflorida]

Thank you..

[@matthewyang3030]

This video is so helpful

[@nicknozzy]

good tutorial, thanks

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

***** Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. If you enjoyed the video please give it a thumbs up click:) Thanks

[@helenroussou554]

I cannot like this video enough!!! :D

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Hellen Rous Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. If you enjoyed the video please give it a thumbs up click:) Thanks

[@MultiMind100]

very good,nice way to train dog and by this i got the idea how can i teach others things..

[@breelbeler]

Brilliant video!! Thank you for sharing it :)

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Thank you

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Post a video of your training sessions and would be happy to advise.

[@mandy347]

Good stuff here! Very helpful.

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Glad it was helpful!

[@icdycdwcd2]

seems useful!

[@Deger80]

Hi, I have a question,Can we use clicker training with dogs wich do not managed well the stress?I heard that clicker is not good for dogs too excited,thanks a lot.

[@lissibonni]

Can I go from the first "drop" + food to using a toy and say then drop+food in one session or how often should I just throw the food on the floor?

[@Mriceman604]

i did this today with my friends dog, and it really worked.. she got it after the first try and continued doing so, i just tossed one little cm bit of bacon treats too, didn't scatter bits, amazing! thanks!

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Mathew Wong Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. If you enjoyed the video please give it a thumbs up click:) Thanks

[@Mriceman604]

do you know how i can teach the dog to drop ball into my hands rather than a foot in front of me?

[@wreygpuon8546]

I used a few secrets from the videos at plus.google.com/107984602498948672598/posts/ZndGCQHkPrj to get our puppy to stop biting, digging, peeing inside, and jumping on people. He’s a fast learner and mastered 95% of it within a few days

[@yg_ahsan1842]

bacon is poison for dogs

[@juliakhan3162]

+M. Wong There are many components to dog training. One place I found which succeeds in merging these is the Bevs Booster Guide (google it if you're interested) without a doubt the most helpful plan i've heard of.Check out the unbelievable information .

[@Findoza]

Hi Chirag. Can this be used as a substitute for "leave it" to get a dog to drop and/or leave food items, toxic things they might find on walks but also to call them away from people or dogs if you don't want them to approach or react? Thanks.

[@siyang2]

I would like to try this on my dog however, my dog is 7 years old and she doesn't really have an affinity to her toys anymore. So do I need to find something else or a new toy that she will like in order to teach her to drop it? My problem with her is that she will not drop apple cores and sticks when she's outside. I don't know how to substitute those while training her. Any help would be appreciated!

[@MsLadyWolff]

This is how you train it, once the dog understands and was properly set up for success and then has had variable rate of enforcement you can reward with other things the dog finds rewarding, even if you don't carry chicken with you at that particular moment, because you've set up the dog to associate only positive outcomes when s/he hears that 'Drop' it, s/he won't feel that they have to wolf it down or run away from you, etc.

[@cindywiseman4985]

Ok i have one question... i have my dog since about a month or so and he is 4 years old and its a german shepeard rotweiller mix... he does not play at all, but i do want him to learn the command drop since it is a very important command in my opinion. How can i teach him? i will continue my youtubing to figure out some tricks to make him play tho

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Hey I think it was chicken but can remember to be honest. Yes I would use high "impact" food. They are muckboot wellies. Thanks C

[@Jordan3445]

i notice that this involve a lot of treats in a small amount of time. what are you using exactly as the reward?

[@ijordi]

I've got a german shepherd too and I want to try so.

[@SuperGouache]

Good vid, must admit that in begging I wasn't getting there! Definitely I'll try on my dog. Just one question: is not to much food you giving to her?

[@DoggyDogma]

I recently did this with a dog that is not food motivated, by swapping toys. I had two toys - as he collected one I would say "thank-you" on his way back with the toy - the second he dropped it I would throw the other toy.

[@elenachamorro01]

Now I know How to Train my Dog!

[@suzytr111]

What do you do if your dog is not food motivated??

[@elenachamorro01]

Now I know How to Train my Dog! How Long Does It TAke To Train Your Dog?

[@HayleyJeffs]

What was that stuff in a given as a treat at the end?

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Hayley Jeffs Cheese Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. If you enjoyed the video please give it a thumbs up click:) Thanks

[@-_-NiX-_-99-_-]

wat are you feeding him?

[@chjuduong]

my puppy drops but now he's constantly sniffing and eating almost everything from dirt :( what should i do??

[@bemjelr]

Thanks, I must have missed it.

[@nathaliewinter3315]

❤️

[@TheJPJT1234]

its a border collie it usually will learn commands after 2-3 times of teaching it

[@EpikCrunkPro]

So what happens when you don't have treats?

[@ianhendrytube]

is Cody a Kelpie? greatest dogs in the world!

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Ian Hendry Hi Yes he is:) Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. If you enjoyed the video please give it a thumbs up click:) Thanks

[@deffmau5]

this makes me want to get a dog...

[@jakescanlan]

This is Mental training... He tricks the dog into thinking its gona get food so it drops whatever it has, problem with my dog... is that it tries to eat the food with the item in his mouth

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Hi your dog doesn't know that that he should have things in his mouth, think of his mouth as his hands. I think this video will be ideal for you.

[@susaneasterly]

How do you then wean the dog off the treat? I want to be able to just say "drop" and have the dog leave it, without seeking reward...

[@franciclope]

Susan Easterly. You pass the value of the reward to the toy.

[@drd6893]

drop? Now he thinks drop means food

[@paigejones3638]

You're relying solely on the dog being more interested in getting the food then having the toy/stick/piece of crap on the street in it's mouth. What about a dog who isn't food motivated? Whose only drive is an object, such as a ball? How would you train that?

[@kyttenn]

By this time the dog will just associate the word drop with food, and do it anyway. Treats or no treats :)

[@Georgiegirl374]

Pratt

[@CanisHR]

Shouldn't that be "leave it" rather than "drop it"? A dog has nothing in its mouth. Confusing.

[@manuelaredding1936]

very complicated! Try watching training positive

[@eenwebnl]

It's small pieces of chicken

[@O1dGreg]

in the video he tells you it is chicken...

[@DougHinVA]

I don't get what he is doing... I learned 'drop' means drop what is in your mouth. But even watching this I do not see what the word is supposed to convey to the dog.

[@maggiburtt7720]

Did you watch the entire video?

[@melanymarinnn]

Any person who uses a chocke collar a shock collar or the color that actually get in ur dogs neck is just a whacko who wants to make a dog suffer those ppl that use and use those collars disgust me!!!!!i surest harnesses for training a dog or pup cuz it doesn't hurt the,dog check out am vid on collars in my channel i will make the vid soon and the wen my pup gets here I will show you how to train ur pup

[@Aneroll4Real]

i dont want to feed my dog to learn somethink pfffffff

[@triceptive]

Good luck getting your dog to drop when you don't have treats attached to your hip. Food training is not a good way to train dogs. I prefer the Don Sullivan method.

[@k9sue]

+triceptive You are missing a very important point, the timing of the food delivery. The dog drops the item BEFORE you throw the treats, so he never knows if you have them or not. I have used this type of method and it does work! My 9 yr old is 100% reliable and I rarely use food anymore.

[@Kate-xj7ld]

I love how you appear pushing a shopping trolley like it’s a perfectly normal thing to have around the house 😁

[@sweetspotdogtraining2043]

Love love love this! Thinking about adding it to my classes and will definitely use this technique with private clients when working on resource guarding. Thank you for sharing!

[@juliazhaowei]

Thank you to share the video. I trained my dog today and he did a really good job! Now he can drop everything when I say the word drop. Thank you so much!

[@captmicha]

I really like how you point out and help him find the pieces he missed. It's a great way to reinforce your hands by his food being a good thing.

[@Ondine107]

Love a man who trains dogs in wellies.

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

🤣

[@fashionglamm]

Tried this for a day and it's already working so well! Most of the time, he smells the treat and already drops the item/looks at me. Thank you so much!

[@MyRomany1]

My 5 and a half month old Welsh Border Collie got this in under two hours and now knows it well and responds every time! Easiest thing I have ever taught a dog with amazing results. Thank you so much, I will make a point of watching your other videos now!!

[@averydeadbird]

Great method! I had previously used the "swapping for a treat" method but I like this more. Wonderful examples of helping generalize the behavior, too. Thanks for sharing this!

[@andreeagrad]

Absolutely brilliant. Thank you!

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Andreea Grad Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. If you enjoyed the video please give it a thumbs up click:) Thanks

[@Frank-ue6eg]

Nice work here - I'm a notorious hater on these comments but this fellow is good and I'll comment accordingly - hope he has done some recent stuff I can support.

[@Deathsight580]

Really good video! I will try this with my dog, she really needs this!

[@CanineManagement]

Thank you for a great tutorial! I am passing this on for sure!

[@ChiragPatelConsulting]

Canine Management Thanks for taking the time to leave your feedback. If you enjoyed the video please give it a thumbs up click:) Thanks

[@Georgiegirl374]

Excellent video. Thanks. Looking forward to more informative vids from you

[@fashionglamm]

I love this video. Gotta admit I laughed out loud when you started pushing the shopping cart LOL.

[@Appy2quarter]

Fab video Chirag, really like the step by step approach!

[@vikkipollard6]

very informative! I never would have thought of doing it that way.