Another important one I'm still working on with Fallyn is stop. Moxie will drop to her belly on the ground as soon as I say stop, which has saved her life! She got off the lead at a gas station when we were traveling. My son was getting her out of the car and he didn't have the lead on correctly. I said STOP and she hit the ground and stayed until I picked her up! I was SO proud of her!! Fallyn, though, is still working on the stop. She will stop, move a little, stop again, move a little. She's my hardheaded girl. They both know leave it and drop it though!

For sure STOP is one of my most important emergency commands. Never Ever to be disobeyed.

My trainer poo hooed the STOP command and said a good Come should be relied upon - I said Nope I want to do this and train it in

Two scenarios Magic as a young prox 9mth old and about 90 lb dog went to attack or at least hazzle a woman who came up on us unexpectedly. He went for her - I SHOUTED STOP he stopped! Then a few months later when we were hiking - he was off lead and about 5-0 feet away and a group of horse riders came up on the trail. I know my boy sure enough he started to go to investigate these big beasties. I started running towards him - and then Yelled STOP he stopped and waited for me to come up. My trainer said Awh I see now the usefullness of this command. Well Done Gail.

Toby doesn't listen to a damn thing I say,except for Drop It! Which I have to state in my meanest sharpest military sergeant voice or he thinks I'm not talking to him. Or maybe he just doesn't care. I haven't actually asked him which it is yet. But when I say it, he drops it. So now I've managed to use that to keep him from running from me when he gets outside out front too. I say drop it and he crouches down like "oh s**t!" and doesn't move. Mind you it took using one of those training collars on him to get that cooperation from him. I'll clarify that never have I ever used a shock collar. I used one that does three short bursts of simple vibration for correction. And it works like a charm and doesn't harm them in the least. But I am glad for its effectiveness because it has saved at least $300 in smaller bills from being shredded, a few tylenol from my boyfrieend blindly reaching for migraine pills, several medication bottles, sugar free gum, every pair of gloves any visitor has brought into the house , and kept Toby from being hit by a car. Thank goodness for the many uses of one command.
Mind , he only drops it when I say it. He just laughs at scott or nikki when they give the command. But baby steps are still steps

Absolutely agree with drop-it and leave -it. This past summer Cody and I are in the back yard, I am appox. 15 feet away from him, I NEVER take my eyes off him when we are outside, I see him sniffing at something, I go to see what has caught his attention, it was a dead chipmunk, I tell him to LEAVE IT, and he backed away giving me time to pick it up with paper towel I always have on me for poop clean up. All I could think of was, someone put out mouse poison and the little chippy got into it, a chipmunk just does not drop dead. A dog picking up a dead rodent that may have died from poison can have serious if not fatal affects on your baby. Thank you Gail for these 2 commands reminder everyone should teach their dogs.

Well as its Saturday and Ted and I are home I alone I usually do tricks at this time to keep him active and using his mind. Well I grabbed a handful of kibble dropped a piece and held his chest and said sit and gave him another piece and he was over that one I dropped so I'd let him take it. After that we eventually got to the point id drop around 3 before he'd get mad and want to go take them all so I made a little trail going Ted sit then I'd drop it then sternly I'd go leave it as he prepped to get up then if he did he'd get a good boy or a piece and We'd do this until there's a nice trail I made then I'd say go get it and he'd vacuum my mess! I feel it's a quick command he's picked up on unlike roll (literally took me all summer he just mastered it in November but could try in September) I'm trying to teach stay and come but I can't figure that out