Leave It-Mine Until told Otherwise

"Don't put food on the coffee table," "you can't put food on the table," "it has to be out of reach."  These are a few statements that I've heard over the years and there have been many, many more with regards to dogs stealing food.  Do you wish you could sit on the floor and eat a sandwich?  Wouldn't it be great to have a picnic on a blanket without having to tie your dog to a tree?  Eating dinner on the coffee table while watching a great movie may be just a fleeting "that would be nice" idea for you.  

So how do you get to a place where you are not longer trying to keep your dog from stealing any available food?  

Simple, the leave it exercise is how you accomplish this.  It doesn't matter what word you use for this exercise; “don’t touch, off, mine, not yours,” etc. etc.  My word it “leave it” for the leave it exercise and I have been teaching it for many years. 

But the leave it exercise is really just the beginning of “what’s mine is mine until told otherwise.”  Teaching and instilling the idea that you own the food is a good idea when living with dogs. 

When you teach and work on “leave it” as a way of life, not just an obedience exercise; there are wonderful fallout behaviors that occur.  See the above photo of Elsa?  I didn’t say anything to her about the food that was placed right beside her.  She knows not to touch it because it is mine; it is as simple as that.  Is she fearful or cowering because I own and dispense the food?  Nope, she just waits until I (the boss) tells her that she can have some. 

Creating boundaries with dogs is a good thing.  Dogs are opportunists; give them an inch...well you know.  Manners are extremely important; both for us and our dogs.  I do not like chaos; the type of free for all type behavior in dogs or in humans for that matter.  I am not a control freak, I just do not like when things get out of control.  

So when I sit on the floor with a snack, I do not want to be fighting to keep my food away from my dog.  It is simple to instill rules; you just have to want to and then implement.  Of course it must be consistent; wavering or allowing behaviors will weaken the rules.  (This can happen when someone in the family lowers the bar as far as enforcing rules and allowing inappropriate behaviors.  Not mentioning any names.)

"Leave it" is an important rule of life.  It starts with just the item that you are saying should be left and grows into much more.  From the beginning of learning the "leave it" to making it a way of life; it is one of the most important things that you can teach a dog.  I for one love the fallout behaviors that come with a very solid "leave it."  

Basic canine manners

I put out chips, (my weakness) dip and a nice pinot noir.  Walking back and forth from the living room to the kitchen; it is there for the taking.  Elsa knows that she is not allowed to help herself.  She is so good about not touching the food and is rewarded for not scarfing it all back while I am out of sight.  Of course this takes a great deal of training; but well worth it.  

Responsibility fir basic canine manners fall solely on the humans in charge.  

Manners - ways of behaving with reference to polite standards.  

The level of manners from one household to another can vary vastly from one to the next.  I know people who live by the "no rules" way of life; both in their own interactions and their dog's.  There are those who have strict marine like rules to everything in between.  So what are manners and how the heck do you teach them to your dog?

Speaking for myself, manners are simple rules in life that distinguish one from knowing how to behave when around others.  Manners are manners; both for humans and our dogs.  Does your dog understand what is acceptable and not acceptable behavior?  Like I said, everyone has a different idea of what manners means so from one dog to another they can be tremendously distinct.

Some rules can be difficult to implement when you have visitors or you are out and about in the world.  Let's take Elsa as an example.  She is highly social and LOVES people.  This causes her to work harder on manners when people come over.  She has a difficult time trying to contain her enthusiasm; so when needed, I bring out the big guns.  Treats.  If I have a food item that is high enough value to tromp out the human value, she can be very mannerly.  Of course it depends on the human we are speaking about.  Plus, being overly social is not a huge and scary problem, just a physical one.  :)

Elsa knows very well that she is not suppose to leap up on people and rarely does.  Her excitement tends to stay on the ground; spinning and whirling around with excitement.  There are of course, those humans who don't abide by the "no jumping" rules; coaxing and rewarding her up on them, much to my disapproval.  When this does happen I will step in and correct the human and remind Elsa what the rules are.  Leaping up on people is not okay, at least not in my books.  

Humans who encourage dogs to behave badly, are not being the good leaders.  You may think that rules are mean and cruel.  You don't want to seem like the bad guy when a dog leaps on you.  So you encourage the bad behavior much to their owners displeasure.  Just because there is a dog or multiple dogs in the house; does not mean that chaos must ensue.  Chaos is chaos, adding dogs does not equate this unless you allow it to.  

Making sure our dogs are mannerly takes work.  That work should begin right from the start.  Implementing rules and regulations is easy; that is if you teach your dog what is and is not acceptable.  There must be consistency; which can be difficult when everyone is not on board.  

Having a mannerly dog is a joy to have around.  Your dog, your rules.