Ah Valentine’s day, the holiday of flowers, chocolates, fancy wine, maybe jewelry, all things you don’t want your dog to eat.

This month, we are throwing out a #NotYours challenge on social media. This is a great impulse control exercise. The goal is for your dog not to try to eat the food until invited to do so. Not only is this a great exercise for your dog, it’s a really cool party trick to show off. AND it is useful for keeping your dogs from eating things they shouldn’t, like chocolate, that could well result in a trip to the emergency vet. No one wants to spend Valentine's Day at the vet with their dog. I have experience with that one, and I don’t recommend it.

To get to the point where you can put food on the floor and walk away and she won’t go for it, you need a strong foundation: off. If you don’t have this yet, you can start with food in your hand and tell your dog off. Once she moves her focus from the food, mark and reward with food. You may choose to let her have the food in your hand or reward with the other hand. Just make sure she isn’t going to eat the food until you have released her to do so. Once you and your dog have conquered off from the hand, move the food to a chair, then the floor, maybe drop it on the floor. You get the point, you’re going to slowly make it a little more challenging. BUT be careful not to get greedy. Don’t level up until your dog is rock solid with the level you are on. You always want to set your dog up for success. So if she still hasn’t caught on to the game when the food is in your hand, don’t try tossing it on the floor.

If you want to see what this looks like, check out the video with Sydney working on off with Wizard.

Ready to accept our #NotYours challenge? Post a video of you and your dog working on off and tag us @CSDT on Instagram or Canine Sports Dog Training on Facebook for a chance to win a free slip lead.

Have questions about how to work on an off with your dog, or you have any other training questions? Let us know. We're here to help.