As a responsible puppy owner, it is crucial for you to teach your little pupper the “Drop it” command. For safety’s sake and to spare yourself the horror of your furry baby eating anything it finds on the ground, teach it this command.
The drop-it command can come to your rescue when your puppy gets its mouth on animal poop, soil, trash, plastics, and other undesirable things. Ingesting inedible items can cause gastrointestinal obstructions, stomach upset, choking, and various health hazards. Suppose such a thing happens; your canine pet may need immediate medical help.
Rush to the nearest vet clinic or pet emergency hospital to get the harmful items out of your pupper’s little tummy. Dog insurance in NZ helps with testing and treatment during unexpected health scenarios and medical emergencies. Consider buying cheap pup insurance in the least, so you don’t have to think twice about getting timely medical help.
In the meantime, read this article to learn how to teach your pet pooch the drop-it command in three simple steps.
Why is teaching the drop-it command so crucial?
This command helps tell your dog to spit out whatever is in its mouth immediately. In an extreme case, it can mean helping your puppy choose life over death. The main issue here is your puppy may want to lick or eat something prohibited or unclean, and it is really up to it whether to drop the item or not, once in mouth. So, you should coax your pet into spitting the thing firmly held in its mouth. Making your four paws understand not eating and dropping that item is more fun and rewarding than swallowing it.
Teach your furry baby this command in three steps. Take it slowly and gradually raise the difficulty level to ensure your puppy learns every step with little trouble.
Step 1
Start training dogs with unreliable drop-it skills right from here. Consider using this tactic to handle emergencies until your canine pet learns to drop things after you give a cue. Carry a few tasty treats in your pocket when heading out for a walk that can come to help should an emergency arise.
- If your puppy grabs a chicken bone or picks up any other dangerous thing, dump all the tasty treats on the ground and scatter them in all directions to divert your pup’s attention.
- A sudden shower of treats will hopefully be enough for your pet to throw whatever it is in its mouth and run for the tasty treat treasure.
- When your puppy gets busy with the treats, discard the harmful item.
Step 2
The core principle of this command is giving away something to get something better in return. Practice this rule using as many dog-safe items as possible, so your pet remembers it well.
- Share an attractive chew stick or rope toy with your fur baby; however, do not let go.
- Before your fur companion gets too invested in it, ask it to drop the toy.
- Instantly trade the toy for a delectable treat. Once your dog drops it, heap praises on your puppy and gently rub its head or back.
- Have brief practice sessions and no more than three to four a day.
- In a couple of days, your puppy should be able to drop things with ease; after that, give the command and wait for your puppy to spit the item, and then reward the good behavior.
Step 3
Put your puppy on a leash; start by giving it a boring object and then steadily move on to giving it high-value objects.
- Give a low-value object for a second or two.
- Say drop it and wait until your pet spits it out.
- Reward with a comparatively high-value treat.
- Practice the command both indoors and outdoors.
All it might take is to convince your furry baby that spitting out is a fun game with promising rewards. This way, you can avoid bad incidents caused by gulping unpleasant things. However, you never know what an unpredictable fur baby can get into in a few missed moments.
Consider being prepared with dog insurance NZ so tackling health emergencies can be much easier. Cheap pup insurance provides your pet with basic health coverage and is affordable, so why not contemplate buying a policy?
