Dog toys can begin to take over your living room pretty easily.
As a way to make your life easier, give your dog mental stimulation, and create a stronger bond with them, work on training your dog to put her own toys away.Choose a Box
Find a box or basket to keep your dog’s toys in, if they don’t have one already. It should be large enough to hold all their toys, but short enough for them to easily reach their head into. You should also choose a place to keep the box at this time (on the floor, of course). You should try to keep training near where the box will stay, so that they recognize not just the box, but the area where they need to take their toys. Consistency is key!First Steps
Place the basket between you and your dog, and call them to you. Give treats (and click, if using a clicker) as soon as their head is over the basket. Continue this pattern until your dog offers the behavior readily. Once your dog is used to having their head over the basket, throw a toy and have them bring it to you, keeping the basket between you and your dog (or just hand your dog a toy over the basket, if they aren’t good with fetch). Give them treats for holding the toy over the basket.Getting the Toys in the Basket
If your dog knows the “drop” or “give it” command, tell them to release their toy over the box and treat them when it falls into the basket. If your dog doesn’t know “drop,” then wait to see if they drop the toy in the basket; treat when the toy gets into (or even near) the basket. You want to them to associate the toy being in or near the basket with getting what they want!
istockphoto/Renphoto