219 something else to consider, Yossi: How well do you and your dog do loose-leash walking in a low distraction environment, where there aren’t any tempting objects or smells? Also, are you sure your dog is paying attention to you before you start on your walk and do you work at keeping his attention with praise in a calm, enthusiastic tone of voice throughout your walk? The more he’s got at least part of his mind focused on you, the more likely it is that he’ll hear you when you say Leave It, especially if you say Leave It as soon as he begins to focus on something. Finally, are you sure that your dog knows that you’re the boss; in other words that he knows you are dominant/leader, as taught in one of those Phase 1 streams and repeated throughout the course.
