Teaching Give

What it means:

Put what you have in your mouth into my hand, right now.

Verbal command – “Give”
Tone of voice – Firm, no nonsense
Hand signal – Hand out, palm up

Body Language:

Confident, self assured

Enforcing the command:

Have your puppy on leash, sitting or standing next to you. In your right hand have something (treat or toy) that your puppy is interested in. Toss the item out in front of your puppy. As you toss it, give the command “Get it!”.

How far?

In the beginning, don’t send your puppy out farther than 6 feet or so. As soon as your puppy begins to understand, you can begin to increase the distance.

Do’s and Don’ts:

GO OVERBOARD WITH PRAISE, especially in the beginning. This should be FUN. Motivation will be the key to willing compliance. If your puppy seems unsure, let him sniff the treat or get excited about the toy. The item you use MUST be something your puppy wants.

What your puppy learns:

Cooperation in the context of a game. This command can be used as a reward for good obedience, and lays the foundation for retrieving, tricks, and also helps teach your puppy that active obedience can be fun and rewarding. It also helps to instill greater focus on you, the owner, and is a great way to bond with your puppy.

Written by: Shirley Gibson

Note:

You are welcome to share this post but ONLY IF you give credit and a link back to Teach Your Dog To Behave or shirleytwofeathers.com.