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How to Teach your Dog to Clean up His Toys

by Donald Johnson Leave a Comment

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links to products. I receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

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Most dog owners have more dog toys than they know what to do with. Wouldn’t it be great if you could teach the dog to pick up their own toys? Keep reading for tips on how to do this!

Teaching your dog to clean up after itself is not only good for you, giving one less thing to do each day. But it’s also good for the dog, teaching it another trick for its arsenal and another way to expend his mental energy.

Your dog needs to know how to fetch before you can work on this trick, so if you need to, teach him that first. Now – onto the cleaning!

Table of Contents show
Step 1 – The Toy Box
Step 2 – Confirming
Step 3 – Move on to Stationary Toys
Step 4 – Add in a Verbal Cue
Step 5 – Use More Toys
Conclusion

Step 1 – The Toy Box

Or whatever you’re using as a toy receptacle. Since your dog is used to fetching items to you, start with the box near you. Toss the toy, and as your dog gets close to you, point to the box without using any verbal clues. If your dog catches on and drops the toy into the box, reward him right away.

If your dog doesn’t drop the toy into the box, that’s ok. Don’t correct him or punish him, just get the toy and re-throw it, starting the process again. Keep trying until your dog figures it out.

Step 2 – Confirming

Once your dog has started putting the toys into the box regularly, move the box away and try it again. Don’t start off putting it on the other side of the room, just a few inches away will do in the beginning.

Once your dog shows that he will still consistently put the toys into the box, move it a little further away. Keep doing this until it’s clear that your dog realizes the fetched toys are supposed to go into the box.

If your dog is having trouble with this, that’s ok. Just move the box back toward you and start over.

Step 3 – Move on to Stationary Toys

Once your dog clearly understands that the toys go into the box, stop throwing them. Just place them on the floor near the box and wait for your dog to pick it up and place it in the box.

When your dog successfully places the toy into the box, reward him. If he doesn’t, if it seems like he doesn’t understand, that’s ok. Just throw the toy a little bit. Your dog should restart picking up the toys after you toss them. Then put them back on the floor near the box until your dog starts to pick them up. Your dog will figure it out eventually; just be patient with him.

Train your dog clean up his toys

Step 4 – Add in a Verbal Cue

Now that your dog knows how to pick up his toys and put them into the box, choose the verbal cue you want to use to trigger your dog to pick up his toys. Whether that’s “clean up” or “pick up toys” or anything else you choose, make sure everyone in your house uses the same cue in order to be consistent.

Step 5 – Use More Toys

Now that your dog has associated the cue with the action of placing his toys in the basket, start combining the two. Place one of his toys on the floor and give the cue. When your dog puts the toy in the basket, reward him.

Once he’s doing that consistently, add a second toy. This time, don’t reward your dog until both of the toys are in the basket. Continue this process, adding more toys, until your dog realizes that in order to get rewarded, he has to pick up all of his toys. He’ll get there eventually.

Conclusion

Remember, this is supposed to be a fun party trick, not a punishment. Make sure your dog’s having fun, and you are, too. If it starts to stress either one of you out, stop and start the process another day. It’s not an easy thing to learn, but with patience you and your dog will both get there.

If you like this article on how to train your dog to clean up his toys and want him to be obedient and listen to your commands, the Online Dog Trainer is a great place to start!

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They’ll analyse your situation, prescribe a solution, and help you implement it. Or just socialize with other like-minded dog lovers from all over the world where they are sharing valuable ideas, tips and tricks on all dog issues!

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Leave a comment below if you enjoyed this article or have any questions!

Donald Johnson

Donald Johnson is the founder of Dog Training Advice Tips. He is very passionate about training and caring for dogs, that is why he started this website. Want a free 5 part dog training video series? Click Here To Check Out This Free Bonus Gift By Doggy Dan!

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