Leave-it and Food Drop Training for SD Public Access Test (Patreon)

One of the items on most public access tests that owner-trainers get most nervous about is the food drop test. This is where you're sitting at the table with your service dog tucked under the table and a piece of food is dropped within striking distance of your dog and your dog needs to ignore the dropped food. 

While asking your dog to leave a food item that is literally dropped right near their mouth seems like a difficult thing to train, it's actually a really achievable behavior, even from hoover-dogs. In this video I show you the steps you need to take to practice the food drop, as well as troubleshooting ideas and tips. 

While this is a common need for service dog handlers, this isn't just for my service dog people. It's also a very useful behavior for pet dogs! In the house it is common to drop a pill, or something human-edible, but not dog-edible, like a grape. Being able to ask your dog to leave a dropped item can be the difference between a trip to the emergency room, or your pup getting a nice appropriate treat for their good behavior. 

Remember that the name of the game on this one is generalizing. Once the dog understands the skill, it is imperative that you practice in many different locations with many different food items. Your dog needs to think that every dropped food item is a potential engagement of the leave-it game. 

Happy Training!