Does your dog favor tricks or treats? What if it was possible to have both this Halloween season? Along with our blogger friends we’re offering trick tutorials (Ours is how to train your dog to clean up their toys. About time!) and a fantastic giveaway with a grand prize of a $350 Petco gift card and an assortment of various toys and treats. Visit each blog to learn all the tricks and for the most chances to win.
Train Your Dog to Clean Up Their Toys
So in order to train this trick, your dog should already know how to “fetch” and preferably “drop it”.
- Set them up for success: You want a box that’s low enough that the dog can comfortably see over it and wide enough to accommodate their head and several toys. It’s easier if you practice with the same toy and keep the box in the same location at first.
- Build value around the box: If your dog already knows how to retrieve to hand, you can just put your hand over the box so the dog will drop the toy into the box and gradually move it away as they become more accustomed to dropping it in the box. Otherwise you can hold the toy directly over the box and then after your dog takes it, ask for a “drop it.” In both cases reward liberally and don’t worry if the toy doesn’t land precisely in the box to begin with. Remember to reward your dog at the “source” i.e. at the box.
- Building distance: Once your dog is accustomed to dropping the toy in the box with reasonable fluency (say at least eight out of ten tries or so), you can start building distance. If you have a velcro dog like Mr. N, it’s easier to have them move away to get the toy and come back to you and the toy box than the other way around. So put the toy about a feet or so away from the box and ask them to pick it up and direct them towards the box. Pointing helps. Remember to keep rewarding them at the box after they’ve dropped it.
- Building fluency: Once they’ve gotten the hang of distance, you can mix in different toys and start pairing the action with a cue word like “clean up” or “put it away.”
- Success: Congratulations! Now you have a dog that can clean up their toys. It’s a popular party trick and people ask you to teach their dogs and their children!
If your dog is an overachiever like Mr. N, they might just climb in the toy box with their toy!
Now reward yourself with some nice wine/beer/chocolate/your vice of choice and reward your dog by entering our fantastic Halloween giveaway! We’ve teamed up with our blogger friends are also offering trick tutorials for the holiday as well as:
GRAND PRIZE:
$350 Gift Card to Petco
**PAID FOR BY ALL PARTICIPATING BLOGGERS**
This giveaway is NOT affiliated with Petco.
SECOND PRIZE:
Assorted KONG Dog Toys
$150 VALUE – SPONSORED BY KONG
THIRD PRIZE:
$100 in Wellness Pet Food Dog Treats
$100 VALUE – SPONSORED BY WELLNESS PET FOOD
FOURTH PRIZE:
2 Bags of Each Spike Dog Treat Recipe
(8 Bags Total)
$98 VALUE – SPONSORED BY PETCUREAN
FIFTH PRIZE:
All Meat Bites, Jerky Bites, Chicken Chips,
Jerky Strips, All Meat Crispies, and Jerky Wraps
(1 Bag Each)
$78 VALUE – SPONSORED BY ONLY NATURAL PET
SIXTH PRIZE:
6 Month Subscription to DOGTV Online
I and Love and You Fresh All Rover Dental Chews
$66 VALUE – SPONSORED BY DOGTV
SEVENTH PRIZE:
Four Flavors of Soft n’ Tasty Baked Bites,
One Grass Fed Beef Bone Broth,
and One Free Range Chicken Bone Broth
$60 VALUE – SPONSORED BY CARU PET FOOD
EIGHTH PRIZE:
1 Small Bag of 1mg Pumpkin Chews
and 1 Large Bag of 4mg Pumpkin Chews
$56 VALUE – SPONSORED BY TREATIBLES
NINTH PRIZE:
Cha Cha Chicken, Bodacious Beef, and Peanutty Perfection
(24 oz Bags – 3 Total)
$56 VALUE – SPONSORED BY NOAH’S BARK DOG TREATS
TENTH PRIZE:
Qwizl Treat Toy and Rowdies Toy
$56 VALUE – SPONSORED BY WEST PAW
ELEVENTH PRIZE:
Mutt Hatter Plush Toy Collection
$48 VALUE – SPONSORED BY P.L.A.Y.
PLUS follow ALL bloggers on
Facebook & Instagram for a chance to win
one of 13 SPECIAL SOCIAL MEDIA PRIZES!
A new giveaway will be posted each day on either
Facebook or Instagram and will run for 24 hours.
Each giveaway will be posted on the co-hosts’
social media pages along with a select group of bloggers.
You can enter on each participating blog’s account for MORE entries!
You have to enter each day for a chance to win that day’s prize.
Co-Hosts:
Beagles & Bargains – Facebook | Instagram
Kol’s Notes – Facebook | Instagram
Plus follow us too!
Tenacious Little Terrier – Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
WHERE TO ENTER:
Learn to Jump Through a Hula Hoop
by Kol’s Notes
Learn to Spin
by Beagles & Bargains
Learn to Come
by A Dog Walks into a Bar
Learn to Hug
by Boogie the Pug
Learn to Wear a Hat
by ChiPets
Learn to Hold a Long Down-Stay
by Dog Mom Days
Learn to Play Hide & Seek
by Fidose of Reality
Learn to Show Your Belly
by It’s Dog or Nothing
Learn to Jump Through Hula Hoop Hands
by Maggie Loves Orbit
Learn to Back Up
by McSquare Doodles
Learn to Take a Bow
by My GBGV Life
Learn to Do An Obstacle Course
by My Rescued Life
Learn to Say Your Prayers
by Oh My Dog Blog
Learn to Clean Up Your Toys
by Tenacious Little Terrier
Learn to Leg Weave
by The Broke Dog
Learn to Balance Items on Your Dog’s Head
by The Chesnut Mutts
Learn to Crawl
by Wag ‘n Woof Pets
Learn to Wave
by Wear Wag Repeat
Visit each blog for more chances to win!
Follow #TrickorTreatDogs!
October 18, 2018 9:05 am
Love for my dog to get our mail.
October 25, 2018 5:05 pm
He’s so smart but rolling over has had a huge learning curve. Hmmmph!
October 18, 2018 12:35 pm
I would like to teach my dog to heel
October 18, 2018 4:47 pm
catch a frisbee
October 18, 2018 5:55 pm
My dog has one of those toys that you put treats inside. I’d like to teach her to fetch it for me.
October 18, 2018 11:45 pm
I’d love to teach my dog Myla to put away her toys.
October 19, 2018 6:57 am
The dog trick I would like to teach my dog is not to bark incessantly. Thanks for the giveaway!
October 19, 2018 7:18 am
I’d love to teach my dog to clean up his toys….. I think he knows what he’s supposed to do but it’s more fun to exchange the toy for another!
October 19, 2018 7:21 am
My pup loves to wipe his paws, thank you so much!
October 19, 2018 7:59 am
I would like to teach my dog how to be able to move the cat out of her dog bed so she can actually lay on it!
October 19, 2018 8:25 am
I would like to teach my dog to get me soda from the fridge!!
October 19, 2018 8:53 am
I’d love for my dog to stop being so over the moon cute!??
October 19, 2018 9:35 am
I would like to teach my dog to stop barking at dogs on TV.
October 19, 2018 10:58 am
I would love to teach my dog to pick up her toys after playing.
October 19, 2018 11:29 am
I would like to teach my dog how to shake.
October 19, 2018 11:48 am
I would like to teach my dog to army crawl.
October 19, 2018 12:43 pm
I would love to teach him to clean up his own toys
October 19, 2018 1:11 pm
Would be awesome if he could learn to fetch mail or something! lol
October 19, 2018 2:05 pm
I would love to my to get me the remote control.
October 19, 2018 2:05 pm
I just want to teach her STAY. She is wild and crazy. UGH
October 19, 2018 2:40 pm
I would like to teach my pup to bring me his leash when he wants a walk
October 19, 2018 2:43 pm
They can push open the back door from outside, just havent been able to teach them to close it behind them
October 19, 2018 5:11 pm
I would like to teach my dogs to stay. They’ve got just about every trick down but that!
October 19, 2018 5:42 pm
play dead would be fun
October 19, 2018 6:13 pm
open the fridge
October 19, 2018 6:37 pm
I would like to teach my dog to play dead.
October 19, 2018 6:38 pm
I would love to teach my dog how to call 911 in an emergency
October 19, 2018 7:32 pm
I would love to teach my dog to help carry in the groceries.
October 19, 2018 9:58 pm
I would love to teach my dog how to sit on command.
October 19, 2018 10:25 pm
I would love to teach my dog to fetch, I’ve tried and tried, but just can’t do it.
October 20, 2018 6:55 am
How to fetch!
mia2009(at)comcast(dot)net
October 20, 2018 7:34 am
I would like to teach my dog to sit. I know that seems simple, but we have 3 dogs and 1 can sit and shake, 1 can fetch and 1 doesn’t know how to do anything. I wish she would learn to sit
October 20, 2018 9:56 am
wipe his paws when coming inside
October 20, 2018 12:01 pm
I would love to teach them to rollover. It just seems like a hard one to teach. Thank you!
October 20, 2018 12:58 pm
I wish I could teach my dogs to calm down and relax. They freak over loud noises, going any where and when they see people.
October 20, 2018 1:32 pm
what a great trick. Matisse knows fetch and drop it but only with his spring toy. I love the West Paws toys, excellent line.
October 20, 2018 2:31 pm
I would love to teach my dog to shake hands
October 20, 2018 4:02 pm
I’d like to teach one of mine to open the door.
October 20, 2018 4:47 pm
I want to teach my dog to pull the covers up and over them
October 20, 2018 10:34 pm
I would just like to train my dog to come when I call, even when he doesn’t feel like it.
October 21, 2018 8:30 am
I would like to teach my dog how to shake. I think it’s so cute!!
October 21, 2018 11:38 am
I would like for him to stay off the couch
October 21, 2018 1:28 pm
I’d like to teach my dog to catch a frisbee or a ball, but she’s not interested.
October 21, 2018 8:18 pm
Fetching something, like the remote control, would be a fun thing to teach…and lazy going forward on my part. LOL!
October 21, 2018 8:34 pm
Now putting their toys away is a great trick I’d love to teach my Huskies! What a fantastic lineup of giveaways! You guys sure put the happy in Happy Halloween! 🙂
October 22, 2018 9:11 am
Mr. N is the cutest cleaning squad ever! I’d like to teach my dogs how to roll over.
October 22, 2018 12:57 pm
I would love to teach my dogs this trick, but I’ll need to really work on Fetch first! Icy and Phoebe just don’t get the concept of retrieving something and bringing it back to me. I need to work on that one. Great contest.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
October 22, 2018 1:24 pm
stop sniffing every inch of the yard when we go for a walk
October 22, 2018 5:56 pm
I always wanted to teach play dead.
October 23, 2018 9:39 am
Ah, yes, we messed around with this trick too. Tricks are great for bonding, building confidence and teaching responsiveness.
October 23, 2018 12:59 pm
Mr. N, you look so cozy in the box with your toys – good job taking it an extra step! 🙂 I trained Luke to do this but it took a few more steps since he didn’t know the other cues at the time. But we did it, and it was a lot of fun.
October 23, 2018 3:19 pm
How adorable! My dog actually does this, but we never trained her too…. Much appreciated though.
October 24, 2018 7:45 am
I would like to teach my dog how to clean up his toys after he takes them all out of the toy bucket
October 24, 2018 10:26 am
I would like to teach him to heel.
October 24, 2018 10:44 am
I would to teach my dog how to stay.
October 24, 2018 3:17 pm
To play dead!
October 24, 2018 6:11 pm
I would like to teach my dog to fetch
October 24, 2018 9:06 pm
I should teach my dog this!
October 24, 2018 9:51 pm
I would like to teach him to fetch and stay.
October 24, 2018 10:15 pm
I would like to teach my dogs not to pee in the house!
October 25, 2018 7:39 am
We just got our dog to “sit” and are working really hard for “stay”
October 25, 2018 10:59 am
I desparately need to teach my dog this! He is smart cookie and knows all his toys by name. He will dig through his toy box to find the right one, but he leaves his toys all over the house. I want to teach him how to pick them up and put them back!
October 25, 2018 2:38 pm
To stop staring when we are eating.
October 25, 2018 6:12 pm
to roll over
October 26, 2018 6:52 pm
I would teach them to play frisbee
October 27, 2018 1:14 am
i would like to teach my dog to play dead
October 27, 2018 1:14 am
i would teach my dog to play dead
October 27, 2018 5:34 am
Definitely ‘roll over.’ I think that’s a fun one.
October 27, 2018 7:05 am
I’d love to teach my dog how to clean.
October 27, 2018 9:18 am
How to play dead.
October 27, 2018 10:51 am
Would love to teach my dog to find the misplaced remote and car keys!
October 27, 2018 2:58 pm
I would teach my dog to get me a soda from the fridge.
October 27, 2018 5:20 pm
I want to teach my dog to roll over. She can already sit and shake
October 27, 2018 5:22 pm
I just am trying to get him from jumping.
October 28, 2018 12:17 am
would like to teach my dog to heel
October 28, 2018 9:41 am
I’d love to teach this to my own little terrier….there are always toys strewn everywhere! 🙂
October 28, 2018 10:19 am
I would teach my dog to get the newspaper
October 28, 2018 12:33 pm
If we could teach him to let himself out at night – that would be awesome!
October 28, 2018 2:46 pm
To pick up after my own children!
October 28, 2018 3:29 pm
I would love to teach him to play dead.
October 28, 2018 3:53 pm
I’d love to teach my dog to close the door behind her. She loves to open our screen but never closes it!
October 28, 2018 5:35 pm
I would like to teach my dog to shake hands.
October 28, 2018 6:28 pm
I would like to teach my dog to pick up all his tennis balls in the yard and put them in a bucket we have to contain them when he is done playing.
October 28, 2018 7:51 pm
How to roll over.
October 28, 2018 9:16 pm
Definitely picking up his toys lol
October 29, 2018 1:28 am
I’d love to teach her to come to me when I call her, she’s just a teeny bit stubborn lol.
October 29, 2018 6:23 am
I would love to teach my dog how to roll over
October 29, 2018 6:24 am
I would love to teach our dogs to pick up their toys! I think that would be wonderful!
October 29, 2018 6:52 am
My dog is so smart but what she hasn’t been able to learn is not to jump on people and get so out of control excitable when she sees them. This wouldn’t be a trick I suppose but it sure would be great for her to accomplish this. 🙂
October 29, 2018 6:57 am
OH MY! Maxi needs to learn this trick!!! He has toys literally ALL over my house!
October 29, 2018 7:41 am
I would love the idea of our dogs picking up their toys! That would be wonderful!
October 29, 2018 8:32 am
I would love to teach him to bring me my book without destroying it.
October 29, 2018 8:53 am
I would like to train her to get bottles of water for me.
October 29, 2018 8:55 am
Not a trick so much as getting her to not run. She’s a shelter dog and people had a hard time keeping her. Her age was estimated at two years. We have now had her for over 3 years. We adore her but she will still run if she gets loose. At least now she comes home.
October 29, 2018 9:21 am
i would love to teach my dog to sit.
October 29, 2018 9:57 am
I’d like to teach my dog to give me his paw.
October 29, 2018 10:17 am
My dogs need to learn a bunch of commands, but it would be really helpful for them to learn stay.
October 29, 2018 3:58 pm
I would like to teach my dog to stay. Whenever I try and pick her up, she runs around the house. It’s exhausting.
October 29, 2018 5:21 pm
i’d love to teach him to heel especially when walking to not pull
October 29, 2018 5:30 pm
I would love to teach my dog to roll over.
October 29, 2018 5:57 pm
I would love to teach my dog to fetch.
October 29, 2018 6:42 pm
I just want bailey to stop eating his toys
October 29, 2018 6:49 pm
I’d like to get my newspaper fetched in the morning
October 29, 2018 7:17 pm
I’d like to teach my Nilla to put away her toys. How awesome that this post showed up!
October 29, 2018 7:30 pm
I would love to teach my dogs to listen when I tell them it is time to come inside. The weather is colder and my bulldogs love that, so they will stay outside for an hour or so and I stay outside with them. So cold!
October 29, 2018 8:06 pm
I would like to teach my dog how to retrieve my newspaper.
October 29, 2018 8:09 pm
I would like for her to put her toys back after she makes a big mess with all of them
October 29, 2018 8:25 pm
I’d love for her to pick up after herself when she’s done playing.
October 29, 2018 8:30 pm
I would teach my dog to fetch me my pops out of the fridge, but that might be a stretch. I would love it if my dogs would stop jumping on visitors.
October 29, 2018 8:44 pm
I’d love to teach my dog to actually listen to stop and down. Because she has a lot of love and wants to greet everyone with a kiss and by jumping on them.
October 29, 2018 9:12 pm
I would like to teach her to put away toys
October 29, 2018 10:39 pm
I would like to teach my dog to swim
October 30, 2018 8:22 am
I would like to teach my dog to roll over.
October 30, 2018 3:53 pm
I would love to teach him to use the toilet, I saw a dog do it on a video once and I was amazed.
October 30, 2018 4:32 pm
I would teach Rex to play Dead
October 30, 2018 6:46 pm
I would love to teach my dog to walk next to me in the store.
October 30, 2018 8:40 pm
Too cute! I need to teach this one to the dogs for sure LOL I’d like to teach my dogs to hold something in their mouth and to ring a bell.