Pick it up! dog training game

Lots of dog-training games start with the dog picking something up. For many dogs, getting them to ignore something on the floor is harder to do than grabbing it. If your dog’s in this group, now you have a way of putting their natural curiosity to work. We touched on the “Pick it up!” dog training game in relation to Obedience dumbbell work.

Since dogs don’t have hands, their way of checking something out is first to sniff, then to taste. Exploring their world is generally a good thing – as long as you’re there to pull the not-so-good things out of their mouths. We know one puppy who took four different trips to the emergency veterinarian because: Socks! 

Assuming that your dog’s a picker-upper kind of dog, getting them to do it for the Pick It Up! game is simple. Assemble a bunch of different “stuff” from around the house. Try to vary the shapes and materials. Include plastic, wood, metal, fabric – whatever you can find. For obvious reasons, don’t use anything that can’t be easily cleaned. We use various kitchen utensils and items destined for recycling. The kitchen stuff can go in the dishwasher, and the recycling will still be recycled if/when it gets broken. A recent 2-Minute Trainer “Spotlight” video featured Torque putting his cans in separate containers.

How to Play “Pick It Up!”

Have your treats and clicker ready. Start by placing one object, say a wooden spoon, on the floor. When your dog looks at it, click and reward. Clicker-trained dogs know when they hear that sound that they’re on the right track. Reward close to the spoon so the dog knows the spoon is important in this game. Dogs learn by association. When your dog sees that you’re interested in the spoon, that you reward for interaction with it, he/she will quickly learn to be interested in it, too. So if your dog isn’t interested in looking at the spoon, much less picking it up, just be patient and stare at the spoon. Lean over to emphasize your focus on that spoon.

Chances are your dog will look at the spoon just to see what you find so fascinating. You may even get a semi-frustrated “Lady, are you crazy?” look from them. That’s okay. If you stay where you are and just wait, your dog will look at the spoon. Click and reward!

Dogs repeat what’s rewarded. What gets rewarded, gets repeated. When your dog’s looked at the spoon and been rewarded three times, it’s time for you to ask for more. Your two minutes are probably spent by now, so save it for the next time you play.

Be patient

Next time you play “Pick It Up!” your dog’s probably going to run straight for that spoon and stare at it. But it’s time for the next step, which is getting the dog to touch it with their mouth. Many dogs will paw at something, rather than pick it up. It’s time for you to be patient. Stare at the spoon. If you’re soft-hearted when it comes to your dog (and who isn’t?), give a click and treat for that initial look. Then wait patiently and encourage your dog to do something else. Lean over and stare at the spoon. 

Resist the temptation to click and treat if your dog uses their paws. That’s not what we’re looking for with this game, and you may wind up confusing your dog if you reward pawing. If they try it, just be encouraging, but make it clear that’s not the behavior you want. “That’s okay, dog, but not what we want. Can you try something else?”

Some dogs get frustrated and try to disengage or get a little wild. If your dog disengages, have them on leash to play. At least they’ll stay in the vicinity. Keep staring at the spoon – your dog will come back and try again, as long as you’re patient and encouraging. If your dog tends to lose focus and start messing around, play a game they know, like “Touch!” to get their head back in the game.

Hardest part of dog training

You’ve heard us say, many times, that the hardest thing in dog training is doing nothing. This is one of those hard times. And if the timer goes off after your 2 Minutes, and your dog hasn’t touched the spoon with their mouth, that’s okay. You’ll try again another time, starting again from the look.

You want your dog to be successful. But this initial stage is where your dog does the most learning. If you “help” by handing your dog the spoon, or pointing at it and saying “get it, get it!” you’re not letting your dog learn. You’re depriving them of the chance to solve the puzzle. And the joy of figuring it out themselves.

Sooner or later, your dog will touch the spoon with his/her mouth. Click and reward! Three times. Then ask for more. The next step is to pick it up. Success! Call it something – “Good Pick Up!” “That’s Pick Up!” or whatever you want to call the game. Use something that’s easy for you to remember.

What next?

When your dog is successfully picking up the initial object, he/she may drop it as soon as they hear the click. That’s okay. That’s what this game is about. Adding on more behaviors such as holding it, carrying it, putting it someplace else, are all different games you can play with your dog.

The next step for “Pick it Up!” is to play with other objects. Different shapes, materials, and placements around the room, then around the house. You can even name the objects for your dog. Studies have shown that dogs can understand names of things, if you want to teach it. Again, so that your dog can generalize “Pick Up!” play with other things in different places.

This simple game can turn into whatever behavior you can imagine. It’s the start of that all-star dog behavior of fetching you a soda from the refrigerator. Or something even stronger.