# Putting Toys Away



## pizno (May 8, 2007)

I wonder how many of you have done this with your Havs. What a great trick! I thought I'd have to wait until we got there in dog class but it hasn't been all that hard to teach Marvin how to put his toys away all on my own.

I started a few months ago to get him excited about a toy, then tell him to 'go get it!', then 'bring it back' (I don't know why, I like this better than fetch). Then I tell him to drop, and praise and give him a treat. Easy Peasy for a smart little Hav. So then, it was easy to get to 'put your toy away'. I pointed to a dog bed where we store the toys, and kind of helped him get it in there. As soon as he came close, I praised him and gave him a treat. He caught on really quickly. By the time I did this with all 500 toys, he became really good! (He's 6.5 months, by the way). Today he was even carrying toys from one room to another to put them away. Of course, the treats are an essential part of this training. This is JUST ADORABLE and friends cannot believe they are actually seeing a dog clean up. I hosted our book group last week and little Marv kept putting a toy in, then taking it back out, then putting it back in and looking at me expectantly. You can just see that little brain working.

Now, if I could get him to come WHENEVER I called when we were outside - we'd be in great shape! 

And, if I would stop playing with the pup and start making dinner, we'd be in even more exellent shape. 

Carol


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Carol, that's great! After you start making dinner, then you'll also have to take some video and post it. Ha ha!


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## pizno (May 8, 2007)

Yea, our walks lately have been a bit frustrating. Lots, and lots of sniffing and rabbit poop eating. I end up tugging on the leash a little more than I'd like. But, he waits perfectly at every corner, and in general is sooo wonderful.

Kara, I keep calling toys by their names but it doesn't seem that he gets that, exactly. I keep on trying!

Carol


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Carol,

Maybe by the time you train the toy names, I will have taught Gucci how to pick them up! lol My problem is that after she brings the right toy, she expects to play play play with it and will occasionally entice me to chase her. ound: Thus, leaving the toy at a random place in the house.

They are such little joys! She's fussin' at me for sewing tonight, she has been such a little attention hound today. I can't get anything done 

Enjoy your dinner!
Kara


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

Dora never lets toys be put away. I have to put her basket in another room and shut the door then she acts like I will never give them back. No way is put away gonna happen!!! Very cute idea though 

Amanda


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Carol, that is so cool! I need to start teaching Kubrick some new tricks. We have been very lax on his obedience lately because I've been so busy and he just got neutered, but I really need to get back on it. Just now he had selective hearing and would not come to me into the apartment from the hallway. Although I have just started putting a bag of treats right next to the door and hopefully this will start to get better.


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## MopTop Havanese (Sep 25, 2006)

Carol~ Want to come over?! *hehe* I wish mine would put toys away.....it gets pretty bad with 5 dogs dragging toys out all day! And then, after you are done teaching them to put toys away, can you teach them to NOT freak out every time they see someone outside, then can you teach them NOT to spaz out at the doorbell, then can you knock some sense into Jester because he was a complete brat this weekend at the show.......
:biggrin1:


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

Katie, sounds like you'll have Carol pretty busy!! You have to share, you know! Can't keep her all to yourself!  LOL

Great stuff, Carol! Sounds fun and a neat trick.


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## Brady's mom (Dec 1, 2006)

I joke all the time that I should teach Brady to put his toys away. I am impressed that you actually taught it and it is working for you. We will have to work on that one here. Brady brings his toys by name too. Of course, he doesn't know all 150+or- toys he has (I am a bit out of hand, no children syndrom of spoiling the dog) but he does know at least 15 or so of his favorites. He is like Gucci, don't ask him to get it if you don't plan to play. Spoiled little dogs are so manipulative!


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## pizno (May 8, 2007)

Oh Katie, I wish I could teach Marvin not to freak out every time he heard a person or dog walk by! His latest thing is wanting to go out onto the screened porch, so he scratches at the door. Then 2 minutes later, scratches to come in. Out, in, out in. And when he's out, bark bark bark! 
It's nice to have the putting toys away trick so I have something to balance all the annoying things! It is SO cute, though. 

Any other cute tricks out there? Marvin rolls over (too much!), high gives, shakes, and is getting good at 'leave it'. I'm running out of ideas - maybe it's time to look at that book. Oh - we did work on bringing in the newspaper, but his sharp little teeth break through the bag and he can't haul it up the 2 steps on the front porch. 

Right now we're going to go IN THE CRATE AND SAY GOODNIGHT!!!!

Carol


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## Amy R. (Jul 1, 2007)

Wow, Carol that is wonderful! What a little smartie!


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

I wish I could see Marvin and Gucci with their toys! I will start working on this with Ollie too...that's just so cool. 

I was reading about teaching them to "find". You start by hiding a favorite toy under a washcloth while they're watching. Then tell them to find 'teddy' (or whatever). When they paw at the washcloth to get the toy, you praise and treat. Then as they start to get it, you make the hiding place progressively harder and harder. Once they learn to find toys, you can work on finding other pets, people or your keys! I would love it if my dog could find my keys...that would be a great trick!


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## pizno (May 8, 2007)

I love this idea! I'll try it on Marvin tomorrow. I would just like Marvin to find the shoe he took off somewhere! I don't know how many times I have sat down to put on one running shoe and then said OK, Marv, where's the other shoe?

Carol


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

pizno said:


> Any other cute tricks out there? Marvin rolls over (too much!), high gives, shakes, and is getting good at 'leave it'. I'm running out of ideas - maybe it's time to look at that book.


Carol, Marvin is so smart! I am really impressed with his repertoire!

Lincoln's half sister can "share." She is very smart and even has her CGC. Her owner told her to "share" when she was at my house for a playdate - and then she flung the toy she had been carrying in her mouth about 8" away. She did it twice, so it wasn't just a fluke. I asked her, "WOW! How did you teach her to do THAT?" And she said, "Well, the same way you'd teach a child to share!" Oh....I'm STILL working on that one with my kids, ha ha! :suspicious:


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

How neat! I like the "share" trick, although......that might be a really tough one to teach!

I wonder how she taught her to "throw" it?

I play this "tracking" game w/ Gucci at night. I always have these smaller pieces of jerky (since its homemade), and I'll give her a large jerky and then hide the small one someplace in my room ON the bed (under covers, pillows, etc) or near the bed and she loves sniffing for it.

Maybe I should make my keys smell like jerky? LOL

Kara


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## pizno (May 8, 2007)

I bet you could train her to find your keys! This has made me think of all sort of things you could do with finding games. Thanks for the ideas. I'd love to know how your trick training works out!

Carol


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Carol, I am truly impressed with marvin's skills. I Really wish i could teach the boys to do this. we have toys strewn all over the livingroom.


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Carol,

My Hav LOVES to 'track'...it is probably her favorite game. I am going to try things other than the jerky.

I doubt I can get her to "throw" anything. Heck, she does not even respond to 'drop it' half the time! lol

Kara


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## pizno (May 8, 2007)

Kara,

I know you've been to puppy classes so they probably taught you the 'leave it' command. We have a treat in our hand, wave it in front of their nose until they are interested, then say 'leave it' and toss it on the floor, behind us. Then they get treated with an even better treat from our other hand! Pretty soon you can toss it right in front of the dog, and they leave it. I think this same idea works for drop it. Give a treat when they do!

How are you doing with keeping them from jumping up on people? Marvin knows to sit (treat, treat) but he always sneaks in some jumps in there first! He just gets so excited when someone comes to the door - its hard to contain all that whimpering enthusiasm. 

Carol


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Kubrick's excellent at leave it. I think it's because he can hear the tone in my voice pretty well when I say it. No one in his class could believe it since I had never done it before, but the moment I would say leave it he would actually back away from the treat and lay down. I have no idea where he learned it, but he's done that consistently since day one. 

Now, if I could teach him to pick up and put his toys away, that would definitely make him the perfect dog! LOL.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Carol, we too are havingt a little problem with Logan and the jumping. He is just so excited that he cant contain himself!! He learned leave it, and it pretty good at it, but another really good command, that we use Often (with underwear and socks mostly) is "drop it" he opens his mouth and drops whatever he has in there when he hears the command. I dont think Iwould be able to teach that to my girls as they normally dont pick things up in their mouths.


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

Jax thinks its a game when i put away all their toys & chew items in the toy basket. He *immediately* goes and takes everything back out, one by one and puts it all in the center of the living room. Its soooo cute & funny to watch him try & get in that basket.

He does the same thing when i put toys & chews in the expen before we put them in there. So now i have to make sure that i add those items after i put them in the pen.

You all sound like you have very smart pups!! I admit, i could spend more time training them but.......................well i guess i have no excuses!


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Yall' are lucky! I have even tried using the command "Gimme that"..and she takes that as a "cue to RUNNNNN" ound: I obviously have work to do on this. lol and yes...I do use a stern tone, but Gucci is a comedian.

Kara


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## LuvMyHavanese (Apr 13, 2007)

Except for pooping & peeing in the house or eating animal guts, just about everything they do puts a smile on my face. Mischevious or not, i cant help but laugh.


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

When it is cleaning day in my house, all the toys go into the toybox and I stand the box up. After all is done, Lily stands at the side of the box, scratching it wanting her toys out. She just stands and barks and scratches. so Logan - who must the the engineer of the group - goes up onto the hearth, stands over the box & hands toys out. Then he tries to knock the box over on its side. Once it is on its side, Lily takes EVERY toy out and puts the last one in the box in her mouth, walks across the room & plays with it. As if she knows, the last one in the box, is the best one!! We are always laughing!!


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Shannon,

I hear ya! I'm certain the comic nature of Gucci's antics is partially why I cannot train the 'drop it' command. Heck, I've even fallin' for her game and chased her a few times, especially when she has a pencil (which she has a knack for finding!)

Laurie,

I would love to see the 'toybox' ritual! ound: These lil' ones are SO clever!

Gucci has been such an 'attention hound' the last few days. I mean, she always is to a certain degree but she's super clingy and whiny. I wonder if she's not feelin good? 

Kara


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## pizno (May 8, 2007)

I love this thread! I am laughing at all the antics! 
Right now my little toy putter awayer star, Marvin, is instead throwing them into the air. I think he has too much energy. He slept until 10:00 this morning! I had him out at 5:30 (before my swim) but then he just kept sleeping. Now we've been to the park, chased geese and eaten goose poop. Yum!!!

Carol


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## marjrc (Jan 13, 2007)

here's one great site for all kinds of training tips: *http://hobbies.expertvillage.com/videos/dog-obedience-leave-command-part1.htm*

This site: *http://www.loveyourdog.com/ * is GREAT! If you click on *'dog tricks'*, you'll get a whole slew of tricks and how to teach them. Someone here posted the link somewhere......

I printed out a whole bunch of them about 2 months ago. Did I take the time to try them out? Do my dogs know them yet? Will I finally get off my lazy butt and have fun trying them out?? 
ah..... well............ we shall see......... LOL

Laurie, I love that toy game your 3 play and can't believe some of the things I'm reading. These guys are just too much! lol


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