How do you take an object away from your dog?

Question

This can be any item such as a sock and it is already in its mouth.

I try to just take the item away from my dog but he runs whenever I do. I try throwing a toy beside him for enough distraction, but now that doesn't work. My mom thinks that a treat would solve our problem, but that has not worked either. He just continues this bad behavior. In case you are wondering, my dog is a Shelty and Cocker Spaniel mix.

Answer 1

Get your dog to submit to you. Sometimes they will drop it when you raise your voice and say drop it but then again you would have had to train them to respond to that word. You can make them submit to you (because you are supposed to be the alpha dog) by making them lie down and roll on their side or back. You should be able to get the item from their mouth. If they are still not loosening their grip put pressure on the back of their neck (like their mom or another dog would do) to make them submit. I suggest some dog training with a dog trainer for you and your dog and watch The Dog Whisperer on National Geographic Channel monday night at 9pm

Answer 2

If they are holding it in a death grip try picking the dog up & holding it head down, spine perpendicular to the ground - Its very hard for them to keep ahold in this situation (now if you have a 200 lb St Benard skip this idea)
If they seem to be willing to challange you (& maybe bite) either distract them with a thrown cookie or toy or remove the dog from the object (put a leash on) not the object from the dog.

Answer 3

Try distracting him with a treat. Be firm with him and tell him 'Drop it!' in a strong voice. You are his owner not the other way around. Don't be cruel about it and don't hit him because it sometimes backfires and they can turn nasty on you. Just take the object in your hand and gently pull (be careful you don't break his teeth, he won't thank you for it) it out of his mouth, while telling him to drop it. When he releases it, reward him.

Please remember, dogs can sense fear. If you are afraid of being bitten, this is probably what will happen. You must be confident and firm with your dog at all times to prevent it owning you!

Answer 4

Get on all fours, and crawl towards your dog. If the dog stays in place, attempt to take the object out of it's mouth. If that doesn't work, reapproach the animal in the same manner and start to massage the tips of it's ears. There is a pressure point located there and in most dogs, this relaxes them and should allow for a distraction long enough to remove the object from the animals mouth.

Answer 5

If you're dog isn't trained for "drop it" there are a couple of things...

If it's something tiny in its mouth just stick you hand in there and get it, firmly say "No" and hand the dog another thing that he/she is allowed to play with.

If it's something bigger (sock, or tupperware:) either grab the dog by the scruff of the neck (more to startle and get attention than to hurt) and say "drop it" as you tug...then give a toy or something they're allowed to have.
Or, hold the sides of its mouth firmly while tugging on the object and saying "drop it" over and over firmly until he'she releases...and give a toy they are allowed to have.
Or (last one, I promise:), Gently rub its ear, inside and out. Your dog should love it soe much that it'll release whatever's in it's mouth.

"drop it" and "leave it" are the 2 best commands a dog can learn.

Answer 6

Carefully!

1. Make sure your dog doesn't feel trapped or afraid.

2. Make sure your dog understands play versus bad behavior.

3. Reward your dog when he releases on your command.

4. Remain calm and in control; be explicit about when play starts and stops.

5. Rather than pulling the toy, which encourages more play, be sure to train your dog to release on your command.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Get your dog in a sit / stay. Place one of your hands around the top of his muzzle, use your thumb and forefinger to pry his mouth open and with your other hand take it from his mouth. Give the command, "Drop it" when you do this. Keep practicing this with your dog and he will eventually learn the command, "Drop it". In the future, you should be able to give this command and he will drop things from his mouth whenever you need him to. It's important that your dog understands this, as it could save him from a world of trouble in the event that you ever catch him with something dangerous in his mouth.

Answer 8

If it's a small item, I open their mouth and take it, if I can find it.
If it's a toy like a ball, I hold the ball and tell them to "give" and they let it go.
I'm working on "drop it" now. And "out" when they start nosing into things they aren't supposed to nosing in... like the kitchen. They aren't allowed in there unless they're on the way to back door to go outside.

Answer 9

All of the above answers (minus the first one) are fine and all, but what I do, when my dog has the rolled up socks, is simply wait until she is seated, and get her something she'd like more, like a piece of ham or something, and throw that somewhere so she'll chase it.

OR! If I'm in not a good mood, I just wrap one hand around her snout, drag it down grabbing the sock ball, and yank it from her.

Really it depends on what kind of dog you have. Mine's is slow, so she'll let me just yank it off in one fell swoop.

Answer 10

what we used to do was put our hand around its snout without alot of pressure, so he can open it when needs to. Then gently, and continously blow in to his nose. this causes them to need to breathe throughtheir mouth and they should release it by opening his mouth. My dog was an 125 lb. belgium shepard, so it works with big dogs if your wondering.