Fido has had an amazing day.
He woke up, ate his food, and spent hours playing with his toys like a well-behaved pup, while you spent the day working and doing chores. You spent some one-on-one playtime and now he is back in his bed, happy and exhausted from all the fun.
But the day still hasn’t ended for you.
You look at all the toys scattered around the house, and think,
“Wouldn’t it be great if I could teach my puppy to put his toys away?”
Dogs are intelligent animals. With the right training, they can carry out complex tasks.
Renowned Canine Researcher Stanley Coren says dogs’ mental abilities are close to a human child age 2 to 2.5 years.
It is possible to train your pooch to clean up after he is done playing, or whenever you ask him to. All you have to do is say, “Tidy up!”, and Fido will get to work.
Read along to find out how to teach your dog to pick up toys and put them in place, so that you don’t have to do it later.
How to teach your dog to put his toys away
Cleaning up the toys scattered around the house is a complex business.
You will need to train your pooch with patience and be consistent with practice. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you start training your puppy.
Break down the training into smaller steps
Your puppy will find it difficult to learn to pick up toys and drop them in the box on a single command. Make it easier for him by breaking it down into baby steps using different commands.
Teach him to pick up a toy. Next, teach him to release it.
Finally, show him how to walk to the box with the toy, and release it into the box.
Progress slowly
Your dog does not understand what you’re saying. He may take his own sweet time to make the association between your commands, the toy, and the box.
Be patient with him and do not rush through the training, or you may leave your pooch confused.
Make sure he masters doing the first step independently before you move on to the next one. This is called Chaining.
Make it fun for your pooch
Your puppy will be more eager to learn if he is having fun.
Shower him with praises and treats every time he does something correctly. Make training sessions enjoyable so that he looks forward to them.
What you will need before you start training your dog
- A quiet room without distractions
- Fido’s toys
- A bag of treats
- A box or bin
1. A quiet room without distractions
Dogs are easily distracted and generally have short attention spans. Train your pup in a quiet room of the house to make it easy for him to focus.
2. Fido’s toys
You probably have a lot of them lying around the house.
Bring them into the room with you. Start the training with one toy, and gradually introduce the others as he gets more confident.
3. A bag of treats
Dogs can be stubborn about letting go of their favourite toys but will do anything for their favourite treats. Keep a big bag of tasty treats to reward your puppy with during the training.
4. A box or bin
Assign a specific box or bin to store your dog’s toys.
Place this box in a convenient corner of the house so that your pup has access.
In the beginning, use a bin without a lid so that your pup can easily drop his toys in. You can move onto a covered box later when he has mastered the trick.
Train your dog to pick up toys
Teach Fido the ‘take it’ command.
Start with your puppy’s favourite toy.
Pick it up and wave it in front of him. Make the toy interesting by wiggling it, and saying, “Take it!”.
When your pooch picks it up in his mouth, make a fuss and shower him with praises. Let him know that he has succeeded, and reward him with a treat.
Next, keep the toy on the floor at a distance, and signal Fido to take it.
When he successfully picks it up with his mouth, reward him again.
Repeat this with all the toys, until he clearly understands that “Take it” is his cue for picking up toys.
Train your dog to release toys
Teach your puppy the ‘drop it’ command.
Ask him to pick up a toy, and put your palm in front of him. On your other hand, hold his favourite treat to lure him in.
When he drops the toy in your palm to take the treat, say, “Drop it!”. Praise him for his success, and repeat this step several times.
Once he understands what ‘drop it’ means, practice doing it without treats. Praise him every time he releases the toy successfully.
Tie it together
Now that your pooch knows how to pick up and release toys on command, teach him to walk to the box and drop his toys inside it.
Sit with the open box in front of you. Place his toy on the floor at a distance.
When Fido goes to the toy and starts to sniff it, signal to him to pick up the toy.
Hold a treat in your hand and show it to him. Encourage him to come over with the toy in his mouth.
Once his head is above the box, ask him to ‘drop it.’ When the toy is in the box, praise him and give him the treat.
Repeat this process. This time, when he is ready to release the toy over the box, say, “Tidy up!”.
Do this a few times with different toys till he understands the drill.
Now start saying ‘Tidy up’ before he goes to pick up the toy. Reward him with treats and cuddles after he successfully drops his toys into the box.
Practise until perfect
Now that your puppy understands how to ‘Tidy up’, practice with him every day so that he gets better.
Take it to the next level by scattering toys around the room. Teach him to pick up each toy and drop it in the box.
You can then do this for toys scattered all over the house!
Make it a regular habit by asking Fido to clean up every day after he is done playing.
Conclusion
Tidying up after your dog is done playing every day can be tiresome.
Luckily, you can now teach your puppy to put away his toys.
Start training him to do smaller tasks – Picking up toys, releasing them, and then releasing them into a box. When he has mastered these tricks, teach him to pick up toys, walk over to the box and drop the toys inside it.
With a little patience, Fido will learn to do this independently on command, and you will now have more time for yourself.
