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We start teaching “Off” with food because your dog will reflexively take the food when we say “Take it.” But after that we can try objects that your dog may be less inclined to take, such as an empty chew toy, a dumbbell, tennis ball, tug toy, or your car keys. You are going to teach your dog The Token System so they learn that even if an object doesn’t seem particularly appealing, it can still be valuable if you ask them to “Take It”, because if they do, they will then be able to give the object back to you in exchange for a reward. Starting this process with objects that your dog does not value initially ensures that your dog will be eager to give up the object in exchange for a reward.

A tennis ball is a good object to start with. Hold the tennis ball as if it is really precious, say, “Offffffff!” and tease your dog with the ball and then say, “Take it”. As soon as your dog grabs the ball, say, “Thank you”, hold one hand under their muzzle (to catch the toy) as you offer a piece of kibble from the other hand. When they drop the toy, give them three pieces of kibble. Repeat “Off-Take it-Thank you” over and over, progressively increasing the length of time that your dog holds the ball before you say, “Thank you” and give your dog the food reward. Your dog will soon learn that taking hold of and relinquishing boring objects can be quite rewarding.

You can also use “Off”, “Take It” and “Thank you” to quickly teach your dog to Fetch and Find. Say, “Off” and then “Take Ball” and drop the ball on the floor. Once your dog grabs it, say, “Thank You” and when your dog gives you the ball, give your dog a piece of kibble. Repeat this a few times, progressively tossing the ball a little farther away each time. Keep this up, and you’ll soon have a dog that loves to play Fetch. 

Next, have a family member hold your dog’s collar while you hide the ball out of sight and say, “Find Ball”. Make it very easy the first few times, and help them if they can’t find it. When they do find it, say “Thank You” and give them a food reward when they give you the ball. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to hide the ball quite well and your dog will have to sniff it out. Once your dog gets the idea, you can teach them to Find and Fetch other objects.

From here on out, playing Fetch or Tug with your dog is the best way to teach your dog to quickly and happily relinquish an object when you say, “Thank You.” All you have to do is enforce one simple rule: If your dog releases the toy promptly, the game continues, whereas if your dog does not, you say, “GAME OVER!” and stride away, and that’s the end of the fun.

In addition to being very enjoyable games, Fetch and Find are also wonderful vocabulary-builders — Fetch Chewtoy, or Fetch Leash, Find Remote Control, or Find Keys, and so on. As you build your dog’s skill set and vocabulary it will become easier and easier to prevent and resolve behavior problems. For example, should your dog grab, or chew, an inappropriate object you’ll be able to say: “Rover, OFF! Find your Chewtoy. Go to your Bed and Settle Down.”

With enough training, you can teach your dog to understand a sentence like this and motivate your dog so that they want to follow your instructions.