I think the leave it or drop it command was one of the first my dogs learned. I have labs so it is very important to us, since labs will eat just about, no they will eat anything. I would like to think that will be one of the very first lessons for you.

Mine have learned through happy experience (frisbee and ball throwing) to learn to leave/drop it. When we play, if the catcher doesn't drop the item thrown, game over. They learn very quickly in that setting to drop it.

They want the game to continue badly enough to obey the command, and the command therefore works for us when there are things I want them to leave or drop, items they pick up that could be dangerous to them, or just plain gross to watch them eat.

The only problem I do have with drop it, is paper with my middle guy. He loves all things paper, paper towels, tissues, etc. That is his favorite thing (aside from food, of course:)). Offender would eat a roll of papertowels in one day before I knew what was going on. Of course, a scan around the yard showed some paper eating, and it was a process of elimination - no pun intended, to see who was the paper eater.

Other than paper, all of my 3 will obey the drop it/leave it command.

Good luck, I have no experience with terriers but I do have lots with labs and they are the king of eating things not intended to be eaten.

I adopted a Shepard/Hound when she was 3 months and had the same problem.

The other method might work, I have another.

It's the "leave it" command. Put the dog in sit and approach it with a piece of food in your right hand that is closed. Touch the dogs nose with you closed hand and say "leave it". After you hand leaves the nose, instantly reward with the other hand.

Back up just a little and repeat. Mine got the message quickly that she needed to drop something when I gave the command.

I also discovered with puppies (I also have two other grown dogs), mental stimulation wears them out just as well as physical. Both combined, challange the dog and really give the brain and body a good work out.

Good luck!

This is the one thing I am entirely weird about. I have seen a beloved dog get posioned, and have heard of and been present at the vets when "Trouble swallowed a bottle of Advil..." This is a horrible thing to go through and I refuse to go through it with my dog.
That said I either carry a small tube of toothpaste or a small bottle of tobasco sauce when I first go out with my pup. I start with training the dog to "leave it" but it is easier to do with a dog a few feet off the ground and not at ground level like a Chi. If Leave it, does not work, take a small dab of toothpaste (should be no bigger than a third of the size of your fingernail) or dab the tobasco sauce on your dogs tongue. It will very soon associate the negative experience with putting things in its outh it is not suppose to have. I only do this about three times before a dog gets it, and only after attempting to teach my dog to leave it unsuccessfully (some dogs are more head strong about this than others) NOTE: In the past there has been outcry that toothpaste is not to be swallowed etc, my theory is that three small dabs of toothpaste is much better than any trip to the vet. Good luck

Our trainer has us to two things. First when we are walking the dog, we are too keep the dog's head up instead of nose on the ground and of course that means the nmouth is right there to pick up whatever is on the ground. I know my mini labradoodle likes to sniff so it is harder to do this. We keep our water bottle handy and when the head goes down, spray the dog and say "Leave it, leave it, leave it." It doesn't take too many times before they stop putting the head down. Now off the leash is harder but you do the same thing. We are working on this in the house, still using the spray bottle.

I wonder if Mazer's idea might not be adaptable to a little different delivery system - one that essentially self-trains the dog. I haven't tried this myself so don't know how effective it would or wouldn't be, but it seems like it should work.

Consider taking a few small, harmless items (non-swallowable toys/balls, for instance - things your dog would normally pick up if he encountered them on a walk) and sprinkle them liberally with tabasco sauce or bitter apple. Then position them along your walking path. As you and your pup approach each object, give the "leave it" command. If your pup walks past the object obediently, offer HIGH praise and treats. If your pup ignores your command and picks up the object instead, the object itself will deliver the necessary correction. At the very least, this should teach your pup to take a moment to sniff an object before putting it into his mouth, and that moment should give you time to reinforce your command and remove your pup before any harm can be done.

Good luck,

Laurie