ABOUT THE EXERCISEWHY: In this Phase, your dog is going to learn how to ignore small animals and other objects that may excite them and cause them to lose all self-control. You will start off with small distractions and work your way up to bigger ones such as squirrels, cats, birds and other things that take off quickly and may cause your dog to give chase and possibly cause injury to your arm. Dogs have an instinct to chase but, with a little help from their humans, can learn to control those impulses. Then, you and your dog can enjoy your walk together without the fear of losing your dog (or your arm!). PREREQUISITE: Clicker trained.TOOLS: Clicker, treats, 4-6 ft nylon leash.

THE LET IT GOGAME

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1Take dog on a quiet, familiar walk.

# Be sure your dog is relaxed and walking next to you.

PHASE I:In this Phase, we are going to teach your dog how to ignore things they start to stare at, and get them to ignore those things before they lose self-control.

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As soon as your dog breaks their stare, click and treat.

# If your dog does not stop staring after you say, “leave it”, give them a light pull on the leash to get their attention and say “leave it” again. The minute they take their eyes away from what they are staring at, even if they don’t look at you, give them a click and treat.

Practice this on every walk. Do this exercise every time your dog stares at something for longer than 2 seconds. For practice, you can even do it in your house. It can be anything: leaves blowing in the wind, people walking, a car; just about anything will work for this phase. Once your dog ignores low level distractions and turns away from them the minute you say, “leave it”, for 5 days straight, you’re ready to find bigger distractions such as squirrels, birds, cats and other things that your dog may want to chase. Once your dog can calmly walk by birds, squirrels and cats with all you having to do is say “leave it” for 5 days straight, you’re ready to move on to the next phase. Success of Phase I: Your dog will be able to walk by squirrels, cats, birds, lizards and other animals they may want to chase, calmly and quietly without losing self-control.

When your dog starts to stare at something, say “leave it”.

#Start with small distractions - anything that your dog is looking at for more than 2 seconds.

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PHASE II:In Phase II we will be working with a flirt pole (a long pole with a toy attached to the end of a bungie line). In this Phase, you will be teaching your dog how to leave a toy alone in the middle of a chase. They will learn impulse control and how to disengage when you tell them to “leave it”.PREREQUISITE: Dog should know how to chase a flirt pole.TOOLS: Flirt pole, 30-50 ft long line.

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1Start swinging the flirt pole in a large circle while your dog chases it.

# Don’t let your dog get the toy and be sure to first practice this with your dog on a leash.

2Stop swinging the toy and say, “leave it”.

# Be sure when you stop movement with the flirt pole, you keep the toy out of reach from your dog. If your dog keeps going after the toy, gently pull on leash and say, “leave it” again.

Once your dog stops chasing the toy, wait 3 seconds then reward with toy and say “yes, good, leave it”.

# Be sure your dog completely stops chasing the toy and wait 3 seconds before rewarding your dog with the toy so they know they are being rewarded for not chasing.

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Practice this every day for 10-15 minutes. Once your dog starts getting good at the “leave it” command, start trying to keep the toy in motion when you say, “leave it”. Once your dog can successfully leave the toy while you keep the toy moving for 5 days in a row, you are then ready to move on to the next phase.Success of Phase II: Your dog will be chasing the toy and, in the middle of their chase, you will say “leave it” and they will immediately stop chasing the toy and look to you or completely ignore the toy flying around.

PHASE III:In Phase III we will be using your 30-50 ft long line to give your dog a little more freedom while out on a walk. They will have the free space to run and wander while you will still have the comfort of having a safety line in case your dog decides they don’t want to listen to you. In this Phase, we will work on building your trust with your dog and teaching them that even though they have more freedom, they still need to resist their impulse to chase small animals.

1Take your dog on a quiet familiar walk.

2When your dog starts to focus on something, say, “leave it” and keep walking.

# If your dog ignores your “leave it” command, pick up the leash close to your dog, give your dog a light pull and say, “leave it” again. Be sure to keep walking.

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For more games that help with food crazy dogs, come check out ourFood Impulses module.

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When your dog looks away from the object they are staring at, click and treat.

# Be sure to try and say, “leave it”, before your dog locks on to the object that gets them excited. If you can catch them before they lock on you have a much better chance of getting their attention off the object.

Practice this every day for at least 15-20 min while out on a walk. Practice with anything that your dog stares at for more than 2 seconds. Once your dog can walk past birds, squirrels and any other small animal they may chase, quietly, without losing self-control, for 2 weeks straight, you’re then ready to go off-leash. Be sure when practicing, you expose your dog to as many small animals and objects they may chase as possible. If you find they continue to bolt after small animals and birds even after you say, “leave it”, you may want to go back to Phase I and practice with low level distractions. Success of Phase III: Your dog will be able to be on a loose, 30-50 ft long line and calmly walk past birds that fly out of the trees and squirrels that scurry across the road without losing control and chasing after them.

THE LET IT GOGAME