Obedience training
How do you teach leave it with food dropped or placed on the floor?
Last updated 23 September 2026 · How we write and check this
Short answer
Use a low value treat the dog is only mildly interested in at first, drop it on the floor deliberately, and say "leave it" while covering it with your foot or hand if the dog goes for it. Reward with a much higher value treat from your hand the instant the dog looks away from the dropped food rather than toward it. Gradually work up to higher value dropped items and leaving the food fully uncovered once the lower value version is reliable across multiple sessions.
Choosing the right starting value
Starting with a treat the dog only mildly cares about, rather than their absolute favorite, sets up early success and lets you build the habit before testing it against something genuinely tempting. Jumping straight to a piece of chicken or cheese on the floor often ends in the dog grabbing it before the cue has any chance to work.
Rewarding the moment of looking away
The instant the dog's attention shifts from the floor item to you, even briefly, that is the moment to mark and reward with something better from your hand, not the dropped item itself. This teaches the dog that disengaging from tempting food on the ground is what actually earns a reward, which is a more useful lesson than simply not being fast enough to grab it.
Raising the difficulty in stages
Once the low value version works reliably five or six times running, move to a slightly higher value item, then eventually leave the food fully uncovered rather than under a hand or foot. This staged approach, tested over several sessions across a week or two, builds a leave it that holds up against genuinely tempting dropped food rather than one that only worked in easy practice conditions.
Key takeaways
- Start with low value food the dog is only mildly interested in.
- Reward the moment attention shifts away from the food, not a moment later.
- Always reward with something better than what was left on the floor.
- Raise difficulty gradually toward higher value, fully uncovered dropped food.