Teaching Give

While your dog holds the item, hold a treat right at their nose. To take the treat, they have to open their mouth and the object drops into your waiting hand. Mark the release and hand over the treat.

Then fade the treat. Bit by bit, the word "give" alone should produce a release, because your dog has learned that giving always leads to something good. Test it with harder objects in order: a dull toy, then a favorite toy, then a chew. If the dog stalls on the chew, you have found where to practice more.