Teach Your Dog to Put Toys Away

Are dog toys on your floors a constant tripping hazard? Training your dog to put toys away is not as difficult as it may seem. By encouraging your dog to learn this new skill, you’ll not only help keep your place tidy but also exercise your dog’s mental muscles. Here are a few pointers to help your dog learn this impressive new trick.

Laying the groundwork

Before you even start, you need to lay the groundwork for an effective training experience. Dogs learn best when they can focus on the task at hand, can calm down enough to listen, receive encouragement for their efforts, and have an easy-to-use setup for their task. 

1. Creating an environment for successful learning

Dogs aim to please their owners, but they are easily distracted. Make sure your dog can concentrate on the task at hand by turning off music or the TV and by keeping other members of your household (human or pet!) from interrupting your training session. You may also want to close the curtains or train in a room without a view of the busy outside world. If your dog can see a postal worker walking door to door or a squirrel scrambling up a tree outside the window, they might find it difficult to focus. If your next-door neighbor is noisily mowing their lawn, you might want to wait until they’ve finished before you begin. 

By minimizing or eliminating as many distractions as possible, you’ll find that your dog will more easily understand your commands and learn how to follow them.

2. Letting your dog release some pent-up energy before training

Dogs that have a lot of pent-up energy will be less focused, and they’ll become easily frustrated when they can’t figure out what you want from them right away. Take your dog on a walk or play an exciting game of tug of war or fetch before you start training. Your dog will be more relaxed and ready to learn, and you will see faster results.

3. Being prepared with positive reinforcement

Dog trainers will tell you that one of the best ways to teach any dog is through positive reinforcement. You can encourage good behavior by rewarding your dog when it responds in the way you want. Rewards can be praise, pats, a dog treat, a toy, or anything your dog finds valuable. If you are using a toy as a reward, you may want to consider using that toy only for training purposes. Be sure to have these rewards on hand before you begin training. 

You may also want to get a dog training clicker. Used by many professional trainers, these small devices make a distinct click sound that dogs learn to associate with the tasty treat they will eventually get as a reward. By using a clicker, you won’t need to interrupt your training sessions with treat breaks, but your dog will still understand that it has done well and will be encouraged.

And remember, timing is important. Reward consistently and be clear about what behavior is getting the reward.

4. Picking out an easy-to-use toy container

Pick out the right toy container—a toy basket or box at the right height so that your dog can easily reach in through the opening. Then, find a permanent place to keep the toy basket—somewhere with a backstop, such as a piece of furniture or a wall, to prevent your dog from knocking the toy basket over. Dogs love a good routine, so don’t move it around!

Getting the ball rolling: Teaching a new skill one step at a time

The act of putting toys away actually involves three different tasks: picking an item up off the floor, taking it to the box, and dropping it inside. As a dog trainer, you’ll want to start by teaching the steps separately and then linking them together. Rewarding the dog with praise, a treat, or a click when it makes the right choice will reinforce positive behavior.

1. Training your dog to pick toys up 

First, train your dog to pick up a toy in its mouth. Get out your dog’s favorite toy or the toy designated for training. This can be a tug toy, plush animal, or ball. You may need to wave the toy around to get your dog interested. Then, hold the toy out toward your dog, and before your dog can take the toy in its mouth, use a verbal cue, such as “take it.” And be sure to reward your dog when it does. Play this game for a while until he is able to take the toy out of your hand on command, and keep rewarding good behavior with lots of praise, a treat, or a click.

When your dog has a good grasp on taking the toy directly from you, place the toy on the floor, point to it, and repeat the command. Don’t stress if he doesn’t understand right away. Find a way to lure it into the game, repeat the verbal cue, and keep rewarding your furry friend generously when it picks up the toy. Practice until your dog gets the hang of it, getting it right several times in a row.

2. Training your dog to set toys down

Once your pooch has mastered the “take it” task, the next step is to train your dog to set items down in response to a verbal command, such as “drop it.” If your dog seems unwilling to let go of the toy, you may need to lure it with a treat so that it releases it. Most dogs will let go of even their favorite toys to take the tasty treat out of your hand.

3. Training your dog to put toys away

After your dog has successfully dropped the toy several times in a row on command, it’s time to link the steps together. At this point, it is best to sit close to the toy box and have your dog treats or other reward ready. Place the toy on the floor a short distance away from the basket. Give your pooch the “take it” command. When it picks up the toy, lure it to the basket. You may need to use a treat or some other technique to guide your furry friend over to the box.

Make sure your dog has its head over the basket before giving the verbal cue to release the toy (“drop it”), but it’s OK if the toy misses the basket on the first few attempts. The point is to get your dog to release the toy at least over the vicinity of the basket. Reward it when it does and keep practicing.

If your dog doesn’t seem to want to let go of the item, it may be helpful to place a treat inside the toy box. Your dog will have to drop the toy to eat the treat at the bottom of the box and will begin to associate the toy box with a reward, which helps solidify this behavior. 

Once your dog gets comfortable putting the toy in the basket, gradually place the toy farther and farther away from the basket and have your dog try again. And keep encouraging and rewarding your dog, whether with praise, a treat, or a click.

Solidifying the new skill through practice

As with learning any new trick, practice is extremely important. Dogs can easily forget a new skill if they don’t repeat it often during the learning period.

1. Reinforcing through repetition and consistency

Choose specific phrases to use for each command, and use them consistently. Then, be sure to practice each skill until your dog constantly gets it right. Keep each training session short and practice several times a day. 

Remember, some breeds are easier to train than others. Be mindful of how your dog learns, and take as long as your dog needs to get a command over the new skill.

2. Leveling up

When your dog is confident about adding a toy to the basket, you can start scattering more toys on the floor. Point to a toy and have your dog pick it up and place it in the basket. Repeat with the rest of the toys. At this time, you may want to introduce a new verbal cue like “clean up” so that your dog recognizes that you want it to pick up all the toys on the floor and take them to the basket.

If you find your dog catching on quickly, the advanced version of this trick is to get your dog to pick up each toy by name. Some breeds may find this task simpler than others. Start with a few toys at a time to make name-learning easier. Add more toys after your dog is familiar with the first ones.

3. Incorporating the new skill into a daily routine

Dogs with shorter attention spans may also need more structure in their training, so stay on a regular schedule. For example, you might always practice this new trick before bedtime. Most dogs will be happy to keep a normal routine and will learn faster if you stick to one. 

4. Making it a game!

Don’t forget to make training fun! By making practice into a game, it will be enjoyable both for you and your dog, and your dog will also get excited when it’s time to start working on the next trick.

Helping out older dogs

Older dogs can learn new tricks, and learning these tricks helps keep older dogs healthy by preventing boredom and mental decline. 

As always, before you start, let your dog get some light exercise. Older dogs may experience more stress when trying to learn new tricks, and exercise will help them release some of that stress in advance. Taking breaks during training is also important for older dogs, whose mental capacity may not be quite what it was when they were pups. If your dog stops showing interest, don’t force it, and don’t get discouraged. Come back tomorrow and try working on the trick again. Remember, training should be fun for you and your dog.

Keep in mind that older dogs may have physical limitations, so make adjustments accordingly: use softer toys if your dog has dental disease; keep the toys close to the box if arthritis is a problem; and make sure you are using appropriate cues for deaf or blind dogs.

The key when it comes to training older dogs is to have patience. It will take a lot of practice to get your aging furry friend to learn new skills. Yet with a little persistence, even your senior dog can master this trick of putting its toys away.

Improving your and your dog’s life

Teaching your dog to put toys away has many benefits. Acquiring new tricks is mentally stimulating for your dog. Dogs that do not receive enough mental stimulation are more likely to start picking up bad habits like digging, chewing on things, and getting into the trash. If you keep your dog mentally stimulated, it’ll be less likely to engage in this type of destructive behavior, and your furniture will be less likely to fall victim to your pup’s paws and teeth.

In the training process, you’ll also get to forge a stronger bond with your four-legged friend. Dogs are very social creatures and want their owners’ attention and praise. When you are in the training session, your engagement will keep your dog attentive to you—and it will keep you attentive to your dog, making you both happier!

Training your dog to put away toys does not have to be an insurmountable task, whether you are teaching a puppy or an older dog. All dogs benefit from the mental stimulation that learning new tricks provides. In the end, you will not only be a proud pet parent, but a proud pet parent with tidy floors and an impressive trick to show off to your guests.

Tractor Supply is ready to make training easier for you with a wide selection of training items and all the supplies you need for your best furry friend! Subscribe to our autoship program and receive regular deliveries of food, treats, flea & tick preventatives, supplements and more, all while saving you time and money.