How To Teach Your Dog to Pick Up Toys

Our furry friends make us laugh and they keep us company. But they also leave toys everywhere after playtime.

One minute your floor is clear, the next it’s a mess of squeaky balls, interactive toys, and rope chews.

Instead of always having that messy floor, we want you to imagine your dog picking up those toys and putting them in the right place. Yes, you read that right!

Luckily enough, our furry friends will see tidying up after toys as part of playtime which is a bonus during training.

Learning how to teach your dog to pick up toys is not complicated. And the best part is that most dogs can learn this trick.

All you need is a clear guideline, some treats, time, and a little patience, and this will become one of those cool dog tricks you can check off your bucket list.

---

Why Teaching Your Dog This Trick Matters

So why should we teach our four-legged pals to clean up instead of doing it ourselves? For starters, dogs love having a job.

Cleaning up after their toys gives their brain something fun to focus on. This simple job also prevents them from sliding into boredom.

Mental stimulation for dogs is equally as important as physical stimulation. This trick is among the top stimulating dog activities you can do at home.

Besides the fun and learning part, this trick also builds that relationship you have with your furry friend and makes it even stronger.

This simple routine will help calm your dog. Finally, we all feel great when watching our dogs do something just right, don’t we?

---

What You Need Before You Start Training

Before starting the training, we recommend you pick up a toy box and put it in a place where it won’t be tossed during the sessions.

You’ll want your furry friend to build a connection with this pace of cleaning up. Staying consistent in this regard will make the training much easier.

It’s a good idea to start with the toys your dog loves to carry without breaking them apart. Have enough training treats ready and get a clicker to help mark this behavior.

For dog training treats, we recommend you go with something soft, bite-sized, and easy to chew. Our furry friends stay more focused when the reward is quick to eat.

A great option is the Purina Beneful Snackers Training Delights. They’re small, tasty, and perfect for short, repeated training sessions without overfeeding.

We also recommend you choose a quiet place with no distractions. A calm setting will help your canine friend remain focused throughout the training session.

---

Basic Skills Your Dog Should Know First

Before teaching your four-legged pal how to clean up toys, you’ll want to make sure they are on top of their game with a few basic skills.

Number one, your dog should have a knack on how to take a toy, drop it, and if possible, bring it to their favorite humans.

If your canine friends know these tricks, teaching them to clean up after playtime may not be a huge task for them.

It’s still okay if your dog doesn’t know the tricks yet. You may want to encourage your dog to take a few toys with their mouth to set the foundation.

---

How To Teach Your Dog to Put Toys Away

The following stepwise procedure shows how you can teach your dog to pick up their toys and drop them into a designated box. Let’s start!

Step 1: Teaching your dog to pick up a toy

First things first, double-check to confirm your canine friend is okay with cleaning up toys on command.

Fetching items may come as a natural activity for our furry friends, but not all of them are inclined to retrieving stuff.

Once your dog learns how to fetch items, either on their own or on cue, you can now teach them how to clean up toys and drop them into one box.

To begin this training, hover your dog’s favorite toy over their face to grab their attention. Lure them to grab, and say ‘take it’. Reward them on a successful grab.

If you’re looking for a toy that’s easy to grip and fun to use, the Chuckit! Ultra Ball can be a solid pick for most breeds.

The toys are soft, bouncy, and just the right size for most dogs to grab during training. The best part? It’s durable enough to last through lots of practice.

Repeat this procedure a few more times, as you maintain an upbeat and clear voice. This will trigger your dog to link the cue words with the action.

Keep the training sessions short. Five minutes should be enough for a start. Make sure to stop the session while it is still fun for your dog.

This first procedure should be the foundation for this training and many other dog tricks easy to teach later.

Step 2: Teaching the drop command

Now that your dog has learned to pick up a toy and have it by their mouth, your next assignment is to teach the drop command.

Ask your dog to take up and hold the toy. Hover a treat across their nose and say ‘Drop it’ in a firm tone.

When they drop the toy for the treat, you’ll want to mark the behavior right away and allow them to take the awaited bite.

Repeat this step until your dog associates the action with the cue word, without relying on the treats.

Some dogs, especially those who love toys, may take longer to let the toy go. That shouldn’t worry you. Just keep it fun and make the dropping action feel like a win.

Once your canine friend masters the ‘Drop it,’ cue, you can now start planning for the toy to land in the box.

Step 3: Introducing the toy box

Put a toy on the floor, ask your dog to ‘take it’, guide them to the box, and ask them to ‘drop it’ as you point at the box.

Praise your dog right away if the toy gets into the box. Make a big deal out of it and reward them with tasty treats. Your pup needs to know they did something right.

Repeat this step until your canine friend learns the fun game. It’s not just about picking up the toys, but placing them into a box.

Step 4: Adding a cue for the full action

Now that your canine friend has mastered a huge chunk of this training, you can add simple cue words to instigate the full action.

You can try saying ‘Tidy up’ or ‘Toy box’, or ‘Clean up’. Say your chosen cue words right before they do the full action.

With a few more repetitions, your dog will link up the simple cue word with taking up the toy, walking over, and dropping it in the box.

You should always aim to simplify your commands when learning how to train dogs with clear steps that work.

Step 5: Practice with different toys and distances

Once your dog responds to the cue with only one call, you may now want to change a few things.

Introduce new toys to the mix and move the toy box to a new setup. Ask your dog to clean up and watch how they perform.

You may have to guide them during the first instances. Do not feel overwhelmed if your four-legged pal misses a step. It’s part of learning.

In the new changes, make sure your pup walks a few steps to get the toy, then comes back and drops it in. Include both short and long distances in the training.

Changing things up will train your dog that the cue word works anywhere and it applies to different types of toys.

Further practice sessions will also prepare them for more brain games for dogs that push reasoning and attention beyond the limits.

Step 6: Put it together

Once your dog is able to pick up single toys from the floor and drop them into a common box, you can teach them to make a full clean up.

Scatter many toys off the floor and some on the sofa, move a few feet back, and give your dog the cue word.

Watch them pick up the toys one by one, as they drop them into a box. Reward them after making the clean-up with their favorite treats.

---

Common Challenges You Can Expect

It’s common to have a few blunders during this training, so make sure to guide your dog with love, and end the session before boredom kicks in.

If your dog gets overwhelmed at any step, take hold and go back. Make sure to recap on what they already know to improve their confidence.

It’s not uncommon for dogs to lose focus midway. Other fun-loving canines may end up chewing the toy instead of dropping it into a box. All these slip-ups are part of the process.

Just keep every session short and fun for your furry friend. Don’t rush. Stay calm, and make a big deal of any success. That’s how you teach dog tricks to stick.

Don’t stop here. Move on to other tricks to teach dogs that use thinking and memory. A trained dog focuses better, listens more, and may escape trouble.

To keep your furry friend interested between sessions, you can try adding something new to their training routine.

The Dog Piñata Puzzle Toy can help you do that. It challenges your canine to think while keeping them active, which helps support learning and attention.

---

Conclusion

As you have seen, teaching your dog to put toys away is not just about keeping the living room tidy.

You’re also building a connection together and developing their brain for more upcoming mental challenges.

For every command learned, your furry friend becomes a good communicator, and this can only mean better companionship.

After all the hours invested, you can tell your dog to ‘Clean up’, sit back, and watch them tidy your house during playtime.

That all we have on how to teach your dog to pick up toys. Let us know how it’s going, what’s worked, what’s been tricky, and how your dog is progressing so far.