Put Your Toys Away

Put Your Toys Away

Criteria– Your dog fetches their toys and puts them away.

Verbal Que- ‘Put your toys away’ToysBox

Visual Que- Point to their toy

Steps

  1.  Teach your dog to fetch
  2. Stand behind their toy box or the desired object you want them to learn to put their toys in.
  3. Toss the toy for your dog, as they are coming back with their toy say ‘put your toy away’.
  4. When your dog comes to you trade them a treat for dropping the toy in the toy box
  5. Repeat above steps 10 times.  When your dog succeeds with the above steps 10 times in a row move to step 6.
  6. Place a toy 2 feet away from the toy box.  Stand behind the toy box.
  7. Point to the toy and say ‘put your toy away’.  Reward your dog for putting the toy in the toy box.
  8. Repeat step 7, slowly increase the distance between the toy and the toy box.
  9. When your dog is reliably putting their toy away with you standing behind the toy box SLOWLY increase the distance you are from the toy box.

Trouble Shooting

Help!  My dog runs around the toy box to bring the toy to me.

As your dog is coming back to you lean over the toy box with your treat to lure your dog to the treat and over the toy box.  As they are coming towards you put the treat at their nose and slowly lean back, guiding them over the toy box.  When they are in the position that you would like them in, give them the treat to encourage them to drop their toy.

Help!  I’m trying to move away from the toy box, now my dog will just bring their toy to me and not the toy box.

This step has to be very gradually and you must have practiced 1-8 many, many, many times before moving away from the toy box.  When you do start to move away from the toy box simply step to the side of the box.  Repeat several times before taking a step away from the box.  If your dog ever seems to be frustrated or if you are frustrated, take a break and go back to an easier step to increase their chances of success.

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