What do you think this command means?  Well, we'll teach your dog it means LEAVE whatever it is you are looking at right now.  Even the cat across the street.  The way we start this is to first NEVER let the dog get what we say, "Leave It" to.  Start out with a bunch of treats, a fairly big one in one hand a smaller one in another hand.  Show your dog the bigger treat and say "Leave It", when it goes for it, close your hand tight and quick, if you like pull your hand up towards you. Again show the treat, and say "Leave It", when your dog goes for it, close your hand and pull it up.  Do this until your dog hesitates going for the treat, when it does that, give the treat from the other hand and say "Take It".  When your dog does this a number of times without trying to get the treat from your hand, switch hands or put the treat on a chair or on the floor, always being ready to grab it when your dog goes for it.  You've got to be quick on this one.

    When your dog is leaving the treat regularly, you can ask your dog to look at you before it gets a treat from the other hand.  To do this, put a treat in your hand and ask your dog to leave it, wait until your dog looks at you in the eyes before you say "Yes, take it" and give it a treat from the other hand.  Where ever you put the treat and tell your dog to leave it, wait for your dog to look at you before saying yes and giving it a treat from another place.

    DO NOT give the treat that you told your dog to leave, for one day the treat may be anti-freeze, a cat, or a child. This way the dog learns that it never gets the treat you said to leave.