Teaching your dog the “give” or “let it” command teaches him to give up, but not in any way. Your dog should really understand that “giving in is winning” to accept the situation and enjoy doing what you expect of him. Such an arrangement is interesting and useful in everyday life, because the animal is often in a situation where it finds itself with something that is not supposed to be in its mouth. You can thus make him leave without difficulty, even inviting him to surrender before he touches him. Let’s take a look at the steps to follow to teach this learning to your dog.
Why teach the command “give” or “let” to your dog?
If we’re talking about teaching your dog the command “Give!” Or the “coward”, the question above all is to teach him to give up. This very useful daily command can help your dog to accept giving up something or something, including something that might put him or her in harm’s way.
Learning to let go of your dog helps calm down and simply reduce stress and tension if necessary, thus escorting him toward a return to a stable, calmer emotional state. You, as a master, can therefore better control the excesses of your animal and maintain the control associated with the role of the dominant. Your relationship strengthens and your little buddy very quickly understands that giving up is the win in the end, because he is rewarded for it.
If this arrangement is very useful during the game, it is also important in the context of preventing or controlling any excessive behaviour. Finally, if your dog is bossy by nature, this allows him to understand that you are an ally, not an enemy, provided, of course, that you return his toy to him as part of the education sessions.
How do you teach your dog “give” or “let it go”?
Learning to discard your dog: What are the conditions?
For all learning to take place in good conditions, it is important to choose a quiet workspace with little or no sources of stimulation to prevent your little buddy from being constantly distracted.
Choose a time when your dog is alert and ready to learn, which means not when he is sleeping or resting, not before or after a meal, or when he is too excited to listen to you. If he becomes too distracted, end the session and resume later. Short sessions are preferred, 10 to 15 minutes max, and repeated over several days.
All learning is divided into stages. It is necessary to make sure that you master each step perfectly before moving on to the next, otherwise you risk going back.
Additionally, it is essential to be consistent to allow your dog to more easily understand your request. So always choose the same term to refer to something – here, in this case, “give” or “loose” and always pronounce it the same way, as often as possible (same tone of voice, same facial expression).
Finally, we believe it is important to emphasize that a positive teaching method is preferred. It has clearly proven itself over several years. It is based on positive reinforcement, encouragement, reward and praise. The animal is encouraged to repeat good behavior through a reward (a treat, foreplay, a play session, etc.), which makes it active in its learning and encourages it to please its master.For fun, until the arrangement is completely built-in. Bad behavior is simply ignored to encourage the dog to stop it on its own, i.e. it is necessary to pretend that it is not there (do not talk to it, do not touch it, do not look at it and turn your back on it).
Avoid traditional teaching methods that rely on punishing mistakes. This process does not benefit the dog, because it does not teach him what to do, but what to avoid so that he is not punished. The animal learns through fear and loses faith in its master.
Do not forget that the dog is an opportunistic animal. He will naturally go for what seduces him and what he considers good for him. So teaching him to give in can be difficult, but it’s a natural process. Don’t imagine your dog trying to manipulate you or play tricks on you. He simply turns into what brings him pleasure. So be patient, give him your trust and you will very quickly be able to see and appreciate the fruits of your efforts.
What steps should you take to teach your dog the “give” or “release” command?
To teach your dog the “give” or “release” command, a toy is ideal. Your dog will therefore incorporate the fact that “give up is win” while having fun. In fact, the method we suggest you take is based on the idea that the animal understands that by giving up its game or something else, it is gaining something else in return (a reward). Thus he accepts more to surrender, to “surrender”. Giving in to get anything in return has no interest in your dog, which is why he won’t listen to you. Don’t worry, you won’t have to force-feed him for long. Over time, you can reward him with a pet, he will be completely happy.
Here are the steps to follow to achieve this.
- Step 1: Settle down in a quiet place, don’t stimulate him too much to allow you to get your dog’s attention.
- Step Two: Bring some candy or croquettes and a toy that your little friend loves, but resists tugging.
- Step 3: Invite your dog to sit facing you. Stand with the game in your hand. You should not allow your pet to hold it until you decide.
- Step 4: Walk over to your dog and invite him to take the toy. Be dynamic, playful, as if you were going to play with him. On the other hand, do not leave the game.
- Step 5: Before your pet gets too excited, stand while holding the toy (don’t pull it anymore and stay still to indicate the toy is over) and say “Give it!” Or a “coward”!
– If your dog drops the toy, reward it with a treat and praise it with a pat and loudly.
– If he doesn’t leave the game, try again to make him leave by saying more firmly “Give it!” Or a “coward”! If he fails again, you can exchange the game for a reward he particularly likes and repeat “Give it!” Or a “coward”! As soon as he drops the toy to enable him to associate speech with the act of giving up and understanding that giving up allows him to get a reward. Then repeat until the dog leaves the toy alone.
If your dog persists and refuses to give up his toy, leave it and resume learning later. He might be too excited to learn anything. In this case, do not try to get the toy out of his mouth, because he will do the same and you will achieve nothing.
When these steps are fully mastered, you can gradually replace the rewards with simple congratulatory hugs. Over time, experience learning in a more stimulating environment.