# How to teach to not grab things out of hands



## jencarr (Apr 21, 2009)

How do you teach a dog that things in your hands are off limits? If Jackson is acting interested in something I am carrying I tell him "no" and he is pretty good for the most part, but sometimes he just lunges and grabs & it hurts! I worry about allowing him to play with children because he may try to grab his toy out of their hands.


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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

I would think you could teach that NO food come from your hands...it either gets tossed on the floor or tossed in the air for him to catch.

Wait and leave it work well. 

In the CGC class last week, the instructor was holding a piece of food in her hand and let this one puppy smell, lick, and try to pry her hand open, but the dog only got the food (a different piece of food actually) when she finally left the hand alone. I watched her do this and within a few minutes the puppy had the idea. I did something like this with Mandi by teaching her to take it "nice" so she would not grab things out of my kids hands.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

This is a wonderful video showing impulse control exercises using food: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipT5k1gaXhc 

I started doing this with Halo when she was just a baby, she would eat entire meals this way. I also teach my dogs that in order to get a toy they have to sit and make eye contact until I release them to take it. We practice with a tug, giving it up on command (stick a treat right up to the nose when you give your command, then mark when they let go of the toy and let them have the treat), then waiting for them to sit and look at me before I say "okay" and let them have it. 


Here's the same trainer using a toy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzqs54qMgQA&feature=channel_page


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