Leave It means don't look at it, don't touch it, don't bark at it

Here is Angus on his first session learning the Leave It command.

When we want a dog to stop barking at other dogs, to stay away from the food on the counter, to not touch something, to not even look at something, we use the Leave It command. First, we teach that Leave It means turn away from the thing. We start with food in our hands and on the floor. The dog learns that only when he backs away does he get the food. Once we have mastered teaching leave it with treats and food, we use the dog’s favorite toys. The command has only been a very positive experience in the dog’s memory. This makes it easy to transfer the Leave It to any other thing.