Quote Originally Posted by Giselle
1) C/t (click and treat), c/t, c/t. Stop.
2) Hold out a bone or stick. Every time dog even nudges the bone/stick, click treat. Repeat repeat repeat. Stop.
3) Dog thinks, dog will probably start to mouth the bone/stick. Click treat, repeat repeat repeat. Stop.
4) Dog thinks some more, dog will probably grab the bone/stick from you. Click treat, repeat repeat repeat. Gradually let the dog hold the bone for longer periods of time, all the while marking his good behavior with c/t. Eventually, you can add the cue word.
This is exactly how I taught Dance her "hold" and she caught on in about an hour all together, except I skipped the nudging part as she just wanted to grab or mouth it right away. It took about two days all together, maybe a little less, before she knew what "hold" meant. It's really simple and easy.