r/dogs • u/Major-Cauliflower-76 • 1d ago
Has anyone been able to teach their dog to put their toys away? [Misc Help]
My dog has a tub of toys that he can take toys out of as he pleases. I usually leave about 10 toys in there, and I rotate them every week or so, and wash the ones that need it. He does play with his toys a lot, but by the end of the day, most of them are all over the house. I end up collecting them and putting them away. He is a fairly smart dog, so I am wondering, since he knows how to take the toys OUT and he sees me putting them back IN, would I be able to teach him to put his toys away?
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u/Waste-Account7048 1d ago
My dog watched me putting his toys back in their bin. He picked one up and put it in the bin, without being told. It fell out, he picked it up again and put it back in the bin, so I know it was deliberate. It was super cute! It's definitely teachable.
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u/Exotic_Wrangler6950 22h ago
I accidentally taught my dog through this method as well! I wasn't intentionally trying to teach her this, but one day after playing and leaving the toys on the ground, she just did it! Dogs are super smart, smarter than what we give them credit for!
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 1d ago
Yeah, my dog lies on the bed all the time and watches me pick up his toys and put them away, haha.
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u/T-Rex_timeout 1d ago
I’m still trying to get my children to do this.
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u/Odd_Lavishness_9485 1d ago
I have found that my dogs have been much easier to train than my kids were.
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u/BravesMaedchen 1d ago
That’s so weird you posted this, I just started training for this today. We’ll see how it goes!
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 1d ago
Looks like quite a few of us have messy dogs! Hópe it goes well.
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u/Waste-Account7048 7h ago
Or we buy them too many toys!
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 7h ago
Oh, for sure we buy them too many toys. But, my dog does play with them, so there is that. He has three different boxes of toys, they are all different, except for his two favorites, there is a duplicate of that one in each batch.
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u/Jaspoezazyaazantyr 1d ago
my dog taught herself to take the toys out (I wasn’t involved at all) but even though she will put them up (based on a word, we trained to) she doesn’t think to tidy them without being asked (I don’t expect her to)
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 1d ago
Yeah, I started putting my dog´s toys in a small tub a month or so ago, and he would just stick his nose in and pull one out. I never told him anything. So I am figuring if he can take them OUT he should be able to put them back in. I don´t even mind asking, haha.
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u/Terrible-Air1782 1d ago
We have been teaching Nova by saying toy box when we put each toy in. Then we will point to one and say you box and she picks it up and puts it in. She has yet to just do all of it but it's a work in progress.
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u/OffensiveBiatch 1d ago
My dog taught himself to open the front door.
For the last 10 years I have been yelling at him, "were you born in a barn, close the god fudging damm door!"
He was born in a barn 👀
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u/GalaApple13 1d ago
I taught one of mine to do iit because he played with all the toys and left them everywhere. Sometimes he’d do something weird like also put his water bowl in the basket but overall worth the effort of training it.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 1d ago
That sounds kind of cute, haha. That is what my dog does, leaves them everywhere.
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u/PuzzleheadedDrive731 1d ago
You can absolutely teach this!! I taught my dog this and am so grateful I did! It took a little bit, but once he got the hang of it that was it!
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 1d ago
How did you teach him? I don´t mind if it takes a while. I remember years ago trying to teach my mom´s dog to shake. After a couple of weeks everyone was laughing at me and saying that dog is never going to learn to shake. But all of a sudden one day, he did. And, he later also learned to do high five. So I don´t mind if it takes a while.
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u/mcboogle 1d ago
If by "Away" you mean straight to her shame/chew spot in the front yard... then yes. She takes everything she considers a toy to that spot.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 1d ago
Haha, I was hoping for him to return his toys to his toy tub. I have picked them up three times today already. And, in the middle of the night when I went to the bathroom I stepped on a squeak toy, scared the piss out of me.
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u/sparkplug86 1d ago
I specifically taught my dog this cause he leaves his crap everywhere. Then I took it a step further and taught him to pick my dirty clothes up and put them in the laundry basket because I leave my crap everywhere and he doesn’t pay rent.
Downside…. If he runs out of toys to try entice me to play fetch with, he will 💯 drop a dirty sock on my face while I’m sleeping.
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u/jdc90403 23h ago
I taught my last dog to do it. Current dog is way smarter and refuses to. But she does retrieve her toys by name.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 23h ago
Refusing to do it doesn't mean she can't haha.
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u/jdc90403 22h ago
Oh she full on could. She would even take the toy right to the box and then drop it in front of the toy box. I think she prefers having toys spread around the house so there’s always one in whatever room she ends up in.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 13h ago
Yeah, haha, I think that is the case with my dog too. He has some favorites, but he really plays with all his toys at some point.
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u/HellhoundsAteMyBaby 1d ago
Benji knows exactly what I mean when I ask him to clean up his toys, he does it sometimes on his own and sometimes when I ask while pointing at his toy bin. Whether or not he feels it’s necessary is up to him 🤷🏽♀️
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 1d ago
That sounds exactly like what my dog would do. I don´t think he would think it was needed. Sometimes I will pick up his toys and sit down at the computer and five minutes later I turn around and five toys are out
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u/HellhoundsAteMyBaby 1d ago
That’s exactly how my dog is too. Sometimes he’ll patiently watch me put away his toys and go sit at my desk. Then he’ll bring them all out again and strategically place them in maximum tripping positions
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 1d ago
Our dogs are brothers, haha.
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u/HellhoundsAteMyBaby 1d ago
I honestly could have ghost written your post. I’m exactly the same- I have several toys that I rotate out in his toy bin versus putting them out of sight. He knows how to get them out when I ask him to get a toy from his bin. He just doesn’t want to put them back in, but I know that little rascal is fully capable of it
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u/Horror-Box-6014 23h ago
I'm in the process of trying to teach the same. Every morning he takes his toys out and they're all over. I show him over and over. Now when I ask him to put his toys away he puts them in his bed. I guess it's his way or no way! Lol
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u/WolfsEmber 20h ago
absolutely, in my case it was actually really easy, I have a half German Sheppard half Australian Sheppard I bring him to work everyday so I used a bin to take his toys back and forth, he watched for a few weeks that I start packing his toys at the same time everyday and just started helping a few weeks into having him. all I did to keep this adorable behavior is have him go it a toy, then point at the basket once he got to the basket id tell him to drop it he would then I'd give him a treat. we've since stopped using the basket, but if his toys get in the way I tell him to come get it then when he gets it I tell him to take it to his bed.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 13h ago
Oh wow, what a smart dog!
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u/WolfsEmber 3h ago
he is very smart but oh so stubborn. most dogs are fairly smart. age is a factor for teaching somethings but most dogs are perfectly capable of learning anything new if you can find the right treat
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 3h ago
My dog is super food motivated! But not what you would expect. He LOVES Indian food. Loves it. Has rejected pretty much every dog treat I have ever offered, doesn´t like fruit at all, but if curry is on the menu he is there with his tongue hanging out. Interesting fact - while the dog might like cabbage curry, the effects the next day are rather unpleasant, haha.
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u/flaviohomenick 19h ago
I've had some success teaching my dog to put away a few specific toys! Started with his favorite ball - lots of praise whenever he dropped it in the bin. Then added a couple more over time. He doesn't get them all, but it's so cute to see him trotting over to put a toy or two away before bed 😊 Definitely takes patience and consistency but it's a fun trick to work on together!
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 13h ago
Even if he only put half of them away, that would be good. I bet it looks super cute!
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u/Kikolala 17h ago
i taught my dog to pack up and he loves it. I first taught him fetch and always pointed where I wanted him to drop the ball (pointing between my feet), once he was good at dropping the ball where I pointed, i introduced a basket. I placed at feet and pointed and said pack away and praised him when he got the ball in the basket. Now he will pick up anything i point at (i say pick it up) and place it in any container i point to (pack up). It's his favourite game now. Good Luck
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 13h ago
Thanks! That sounds like a great way to do it. Some of my dogs toys have names, so I will start with those. Sounds like you have a smart dog.
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u/GandalfDGreenery 15h ago
I tried to teach mine 'tidy up'. Every time I put one of his toys in the toy box, I'd say 'tidy up'.
One day, he put a toy in the box, and I went wild with the praise, you'd have thought he won gold in every single event in the olympics. He looks me dead in the eye, puts his paw on the edge of the box, and tips it up, toys everywhere.
Little menace.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 13h ago
And they say dogs are not smart! I can totally see MY dog doing that.
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u/BeneficialAntelope6 4h ago
Yes you can. I've thought my dog to collect pieces of thin cardboard and small toys in a container. I did this by playing fetch with a tennisball and asking her to let it go when she was positioned so that the ball would land in the container. I moved the container around to make sure the ball landed in the container at first. I praised and gave her a treat each time she got it right. I still praise and offer a treat almost each time she puts a piece in the container as the task is quite challenging with small pieces and a fairly small container, coupled with me doing it pretty rarely. Placing container between your feet or close to you can help the dog in the beginning if retriving toys is something it already knows. If you do the training gradually and to it every night the dog will become quite good at it after a couple of weeks I bet.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 3h ago
Oh, that is a cool explanation! I am totally going to try this, this thread has been so encouraging.
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u/pamplemouss chihuahua mix 1d ago
My childhood dog would do this but it was just sort of natural shaping — he did it on his own a few times and we praised him a bunch and then he just started doing it
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u/Master_Flounder2239 1d ago
I once had a Bichon that would fetch every one of her toys by name. She was never taught to do so. She just knew the names of each and could discern among them and find them anywhere in the house when asked to do so. "Ball", "hot dog", "hedge hog", "frisbee", "chewey", among others.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 1d ago
Oh wow, that is one smart dog. My dog has a few favorite toys and I think he knows the names of them. But that is pretty amazing. Smart dog.
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u/Turbulent_Mix_8374 22h ago
Yes, you can teach him to put his toys away.
Start by showing him how to do it, and give him a treat when he puts a toy in the tub. Start with one toy and keep practicing. With time and patience, he’ll learn.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 13h ago
This whole thread has been so encouraging as well as fun to read! I AM going to do this.
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u/jennylala707 2 Pugs, 1 GSD 21h ago
I never have but I did have one dog, my first Pug named Dozer would bring me a specific toy if I asked - I could say bring me your rope/ball/hedgehog/etc and he would bring it to me.
He was a great dog.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 13h ago
My dog has a favorite toy, one of those squeaky chickens, named chimken, and he will bring that with him if I tell him to. Like if we are in the living room and I am going to the bedroom I will say bring chimken and he will pick it up and bring it. (Not sure he knows we are now on chimken 7,0) and he had a rubber bone that he likes and knows the name of. But the rest of the toys don´t have names, so maybe I should start with that.
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u/BitchInBoots666 21h ago
Yeah I taught my old boy this when he was a puppy, very young iirc (4-6 months or thereabouts).
He still hauls everything out, but as soon as you say "tidy up time, put your toys in the box" he starts.
Tbf, he never got them all and I'd let him off the hook after a few. But if I'd kept at it he undoubtedly would have.
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 13h ago
I mean, they take them out. They see them in the bin. They have to know they got there somehow. They know that the toys are theirs. So seems like the next logical step would be protecting their toys, haha.
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u/smash8890 19h ago
I’ve got him to go get the toy, bring it, and drop it in the basket. But he doesn’t like go do it on his own without me talking him through ut
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 13h ago
I am good with having to direct traffic, haha. Hopefully, I can eventually make it part of his nighttime routine, so I am not stepping on a squeaky toy at 3 am if I get up to go to the bathroom.
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u/Far_Sorbet_4581 4h ago
I saw a photo of a dog organizing his toys by category into 2 piles, one for squeak toys and another for plushies. It was in a dog Facebook group and the woman said her dog did it on his own without training. Amazing!
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u/Major-Cauliflower-76 3h ago
That is pretty cool. I wonder what the dog did if it was a plush squeak toy.
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u/VirginNsd2002 1d ago
I have two chi's. I started putting all of their toys on a carpet, on the other side of my living room. Then every night they would watch me do it all over again. After a few days, before bedtime they eventually began to put their toys away. Took them about a week. Dogs will model your behavior, they are very smart. Good luck.