How to Stop Your Dog From Scavenging on Walks

1 Training Setup

Before changing the behavior, teach one command: ‘leave it.’

You need a leash, a reward, and a lure. The reward must be more tempting to your dog than the lure on the ground.

Train indoors at first so you can remove all distractions. Once your dog improves through repeated indoor sessions, try moving the training outdoors.

2 How the Training Works

Lay a lure on the ground and walk your leashed dog past it. The moment the dog lunges for the lure, stop and stand still.

Watch your dog’s reaction. The instant it looks up at you, reward it and keep walking at a normal pace. You don’t need to call its name — when you suddenly stop on a walk, the dog will look up anyway, if only because the motion stopped.

Repeat this several times, rewarding the dog for looking at you when it spots the lure. Then change the location and the lure so the dog learns: ‘see something unknown, look at owner, get rewarded.’

Once that link is set, add the ‘leave it’ command before the dog looks up, shifting its attention to the cue. After that, on future walks, seeing an unknown object makes the dog wait for your signal.

Through this training, the dog gradually learns that ignoring unknown objects earns a reward from you. For more detail, read about how to train a dog not to scavenge.