Tidy Up
Tricks · 19 steps · by Push Drop Stick
Your Dog will learn to pick up their toys and drop them into a bin, both for the verbal cue 'Put it away' and as a clean-up game with several toys.
This trick is a chain: Your Dog picks up a toy, carries it to the bin, and drops it in. The hard part is aiming, since most dogs love to drop the toy right next to the bin. So this plan teaches the release over the bin first, then adds picking up, distance, and multiple toys.
For this plan you will also need:
**- A Marker:** such as a clicker or a verbal word like "Yes" to instantly mark the correct behavior. This bridges the gap between the behavior happening and the time it takes to deliver reinforcement, helping Your Dog understand exactly what they did right.
**- A No-Reward Marker:** such as "Oops," to mark the moment the toy lands outside the bin, so Your Dog learns why they won't be getting a treat for that rep.
**Setup:** Start with an open box or basket with low sides. Low sides make it easy for Your Dog to aim the toy in and see their own success. Switch to a deeper toy bin once they are confident.
**Get down at first:** Sit or crouch right beside the bin for the early steps, so that heading to you and heading to the bin are the same direction. Later you will stand up and step back from the bin, so Your Dog learns to aim for the bin itself rather than for you.
**Toss, do not hand:** On the early steps, get the toy into Your Dog's mouth by tossing it for them to fetch rather than handing it over. Handing an object to the mouth is the picture of a hold, so tossing keeps Tidy Up and Hold from blurring together.
**Reward in the bin:** On the early aiming steps, place each treat into the bin beside the toy instead of feeding from your hand. This makes the bin itself the source of good things, so Your Dog looks in and aims there. Fade it as you stand up and step back from the bin, paying from your hand from then on, so the behavior travels to any bin in any room.
**Split:** If Your Dog is unsure about the bin, start on the first split step and toss treats into it to build a happy association.
**If Your Dog lies down in the bin** (treating its soft sides like a dog bed and offering a down instead of aiming the toy), switch to a firmer bin, or raise it on a stool as in the split step. A raised or firm-sided bin is hard to lie on, so Your Dog goes back to dropping the toy in.
Training steps
Nose in the bin
Setup: Your Dog is standing near an open box or low basket.
Toss a few treats into the bin so Your Dog dips their head in to eat them. Mark the moment their nose crosses into the bin, then let them clean up the treats. This builds a happy habit of aiming their head into the bin, exactly where you want the toy to go later. Repeat until they move toward the bin eagerly.
Success: Your Dog puts their nose into the bin.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Drop the toy into the bin, with help
Setup: You hold the bin, with a toy ready to toss for Your Dog to fetch.
Toss the toy a few feet so Your Dog fetches and brings it back, about 10 reps, alternating helping and not. When helping, hold the bin under the toy as they return, cue the drop, then mark and place the treat in the bin beside the toy so they look in. When not helping, hold the bin a few inches off so they must aim. If it hits the floor, say "Oops" and toss again.
Success: The toy lands in the bin at least half the time.
Advance on: 5 of 10 successes
Aim into the bin held still
Setup: You hold the bin still at knee height, with a toy to toss for Your Dog to fetch.
Hold the bin steady and let Your Dog aim the toy in on their own. Mark the instant it lands inside and drop the treat into the bin beside the toy so their focus goes to the bin, not your face. If it hits the floor, say "Oops" and toss the toy again for them to fetch. Keeping the bin still teaches Your Dog to do the aiming.
Success: Your Dog drops the toy into the bin.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Bin raised on a stool
Setup: An open bin sits on a low stool; toss a toy for Your Dog to fetch.
Set the bin on a stool or box so its opening sits around chest height. This is an in-between step before a floor bin, since Your Dog does not have to lower their head as far. Keep the stool at the same height for every rep of this step. Mark when the toy lands inside and place the treat in the bin beside it.
Success: Your Dog drops the toy into the raised bin.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Bin on the floor
Setup: An open bin sits on the floor and you have a toy ready to toss for Your Dog to fetch.
Place the bin on the floor right in front of Your Dog. Toss the toy a few feet so they fetch it and bring it back, then encourage them to lower their head over the bin and let go. Mark the moment it lands inside and place the treat in the bin beside the toy. If it lands outside, say "Oops" and toss again. A bin with low sides makes these first floor reps easier to win.
Success: Your Dog drops the toy into the bin on the floor.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Pick up a toy beside the bin
Setup: A toy is on the floor touching the bin.
Now Your Dog does the whole chain over a tiny distance. Set the toy on the floor against the bin. Encourage them to pick it up and drop it in. Mark when it lands inside and place the treat right in the bin beside the toy, since picking up off the floor is new and feeding in the bin keeps it rewarding. If they drop it outside, say "Oops" and reset.
Success: Your Dog picks up the toy and drops it in the bin.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Carry a few feet to the bin
Setup: A toy is on the floor a few feet from the bin.
Place the toy a few feet from the bin. Encourage Your Dog to pick it up, carry it over, and drop it in. Stay crouched right beside the bin so that heading to you and heading to the bin are the same direction. Mark and reinforce when the toy lands inside.
Success: Your Dog picks up the toy and drops it in the bin.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Owner stands up
Setup: A toy is on the floor a few feet from the bin.
Everything is the same, but this time stand up tall beside the bin before Your Dog brings the toy back. Standing changes the picture, so do not be surprised if they hesitate at first. Stay right next to the bin, and now that you are upright, mark and reinforce from your hand rather than placing the treat in the bin.
Success: Your Dog picks up the toy and drops it in the bin.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Owner stands 1 foot from the bin
Setup: A toy is on the floor a few feet from the bin.
Stand up and take one step back, about a foot from the bin. Now Your Dog has to aim for the bin, not for you. Mark and reinforce when the toy lands inside.
Success: Your Dog picks up the toy and drops it in the bin.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Owner stands 2 feet from the bin
Setup: A toy is on the floor a few feet from the bin.
Stand about 2 feet from the bin. Mark and reinforce when the toy lands inside.
Success: Your Dog picks up the toy and drops it in the bin.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Owner stands 3 feet from the bin
Setup: A toy is on the floor a few feet from the bin.
Stand about 3 feet from the bin so Your Dog clearly travels to the bin on their own, not to you. Mark and reinforce when the toy lands inside.
Success: Your Dog picks up the toy and drops it in the bin.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Add the verbal cue
Setup: A toy is on the floor near the bin.
Now put the behavior on cue. Say 'Put it away' once, then point to or look at the toy to prompt Your Dog to pick it up and drop it in the bin. Mark and reinforce when it lands inside. Saying the cue just before they start links the words to the whole tidy-up chain.
Success: Your Dog picks up the toy and drops it in the bin.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Only the verbal cue
Setup: A toy is on the floor near the bin.
Say 'Put it away' once and wait, without pointing or leaning in. Give Your Dog a few seconds to pick up the toy and drop it in on their own. Mark and reinforce when it lands inside. If they stall, go back to prompting for a few reps, then fade your help again.
Success: Your Dog picks up the toy and drops it in the bin for the cue alone.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Tidy up from 5 feet
Setup: A toy is on the floor about 5 feet from the bin.
Place the toy about 5 feet from the bin and cue 'Put it away' once. This is a stepping stone toward the full width of the room. Keep the distance the same for every rep of this step. Mark and reinforce when the toy lands inside.
Success: Your Dog carries the toy to the bin and drops it in.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Tidy up from across the room
Setup: A toy is across the room from the bin.
Place the toy 10 or more feet from the bin and cue 'Put it away' once. Your Dog has to carry it the whole way and aim it in. Keep the distance the same for every rep of this step. Mark and reinforce when it lands inside.
Success: Your Dog carries the toy to the bin and drops it in.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Two toys, prompt the second
Setup: Two toys are on the floor near the bin.
Cue 'Put it away' once for the first toy. When it lands in the bin, do not cue again: point at the second toy or look at it to prompt Your Dog to go get it. Mark when the second toy lands in the bin and pay one treat for the pair. Prompting instead of re-cueing is what teaches Your Dog that a single cue covers the whole job.
Success: Your Dog puts both toys in the bin for one cue and a prompt.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Two toys for one cue
Setup: Two toys are on the floor near the bin.
Cue 'Put it away' once and then stay quiet. After the first toy lands, give Your Dog a few seconds to go back for the second on their own. Mark when the second toy lands in the bin and pay one treat for the whole job. If they stop after one toy, go back to prompting the second for a few reps, then fade the prompt again.
Success: Your Dog puts both toys in the bin for a single cue.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Three toys for one cue
Setup: Three toys are on the floor near the bin.
The same game with three toys. Cue 'Put it away' once and let Your Dog work through all three without another word from you. Pay one treat once the last toy is in the bin.
Success: Your Dog puts all three toys in the bin for a single cue.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Put the whole pile away
Setup: Four toys are scattered around the room with the bin in its usual spot.
This is the real-life version. Scatter four toys around the room, cue 'Put it away' once, and let Your Dog put every one away without another cue from you. Mark and pay one treat once the last toy is in the bin.
Success: Your Dog puts all four toys in the bin, one after another, for a single cue.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lovely work. Your Dog can now pick up a toy and drop it into the bin, both on the cue 'Put it away' and as a clean-up game with a whole pile.
From here, Tidy Up is a real chore you can actually use, not just a drill. Fold it into the end of play: when you are done, cue 'Put it away' and put the toys away together, paying generously at first so the game stays fun. Keep it happy, since a chore that pays well is one Your Dog will keep offering.
You can also pay with the job itself. Once the last toy is in the bin, pull one back out and have a quick game of tug or fetch with it. For a lot of dogs that is a better wage than a treat, and it keeps the bin from meaning the fun is over.
Generalize it so the cue means tidy up anywhere. Practice with different bins, in different rooms, and with different toys, and reward the first few reps extra in each new setup. If you want a harder version, spread the toys farther apart or add more of them.
If Your Dog starts dropping toys next to the bin instead of in it, that is the aiming slipping, not defiance. Go back to a closer, easier rep, reward a clean drop into the bin, and build the distance up again.