How to Teach a Dog to Pick Up Items Off the Floor

By L R

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Dog treats
A dog that knows basic commands such as sit and stay
An item that the dog can easily pick up off of the floor (not their dog toy)

Step 1:
Understand that most dogs will want to get something in return for doing a trick--whether they get a dog treat or a hug and a pat on the head. Have a few small dog treats on hand for the first few times you teach your dog to do this trick. During the initial training process, show your dog that you actually have the treats in your hand to give them should they do something to earn their reward.
Step 2:
Drop something on the floor that you don't care about, such as a small plastic cup. The reason to not use the dog toy is because chances are they already know that when their dog toy is thrown that they go and get it to bring it back to you. They need to have the same association with other items that fall onto the floor and not just with their dog toy.
Step 3:
Using a small empty plastic cup as an example, accidentally knock it off of the table when the dog is in the room. Don't throw it to the ground like you would do their dog toy.
Step 4:
Call the dog over by name. When the dog is standing right over the item, bend down, pick it up and touch it to their mouth and say "(dog's name) pick it up" Then put the item back on the ground.
Step 5:
Keep saying "(dog's name) pick it up" and putting the item from the floor to the dog's mouth a couple of times. The dog will probably try to grab it in his or her mouth and that's OK. Let them do it but take it out of their mouth and put it back on the floor. Finally, put the item back on the floor, point at the item and say "(insert dog's name here) pick it up". If the dog picks it up, give tons of praise using a cheerful voice and using their name repeatedly.
Step 6:
Standing not far from the dog, call the dog over to you while they still have the item in their mouth. Again, give lots of praise in a cheerful voice using their name repeatedly but this time give them a dog treat. If it doesn't work right away, don't lose patience, just keep repeating steps number four and five.
Step 7:
Each time the dog picks up the item that you ask them to and brings it over to you, give them a dog treat and move further and further away from where you dropped the item but stay in the same room. Right after you point to the item and tell the dog to pick it up, move to a further location but keep saying "(insert dog's name here) pick it up". This will teach the dog that even if you aren't right in the area, it's OK to pick the item up off of the floor.
Step 8:
After a few times of the dog successfully picks up the first item off of the floor and brings it over to you, move onto another item. Pretty soon the dog will get the sense that when an item falls to the floor that they are to pick it up without being told.

Tips & Warnings

Dog treats are bribery and they work very well.
Never let the dog see you throw an item to the floor and then ask them to pick it up. "Accidentally" drop it. If the dog sees you drop it, they will consider it to be a game. The dog playing with their dog toys is a game and you know how dog toys end up looking after awhile. The dog needs to identify between a dog toy that is their own to rip to shreds if they like and an item that they are to pick up off of the floor and not shred it because it is their job.

Photo/Video Credit

Lauren Romano (myself)

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