Neat Dog Tricks - How To Train Your Dog To Round Up The Dirty Laundry

I've got a very fun trick that you can train your dog to do that will actually get him to help you clean up your dirty laundry. I'm not kidding – it's called the “laundry pickup trick”. After you train your dog to react to the command “pick up the laundry”, he will run around to each room and literally collect the dirty clothes that are laying on the floor. But that's not all - he will also place the dirty laundry in your basket!

“But what if my dog is a laundry thief and has a bad habit of grabbing any piece of clothing he can find and hiding it in his bed?” - you may ask. Well luckily for you a dog that already has this habit tends to learn this trick the fastest. They are the most qualified candidates!

To begin, you'll want to start training for this dog trick by teaching him a few unique vocabulary terms. Gather up a few items of clean laundry as well as a short laundry basket in which your dog's head can reach into. Now place the basket on the floor surface in the smallest room of your house. This can be the bathroom or even a hallway that has limited room.

As soon as you place the basket on the floor, start praising your dog to gather interest. Your goal here is to feed him positive energy and praise whenever he approaches the basket. What you are accomplishing is forming an association with the basket as something special, almost like a dog treat.

Your next step is to start to use the phrase “get the laundry” in a fast tone of voice and repeating it often. Be sure to hold a piece of dirty laundry, such as a sock, while you are giving this command. This will help the dog differentiate between the clean laundry and the dirty laundry. Twirl the dirty sock in the air while repeating the words “get the laundry”. Allow him to grab the sock into his mouth while giving him lots of praise.

Once he has the sock in his mouth, direct him to the basket and pull it out so that you can place the sock into the basket right in front of him. This should be followed by tons of praise and petting. This step should be repeated as often as you possibly can.

Now it is time to introduce more items of clothing. Try using multiple dirty socks or anything else you may have. Be sure to have these pieces of clothing piled together and each time he grabs them direct him to the basket.

Finally, it is time to start in an empty room. Place the laundry basket in this room. Now go with your dog to the next room where you have a pile of dirty laundry. Give the command “get the laundry” and once he collects the laundry in his mouth help direct him to the next room with a laundry basket is so that he can drop inside. As always, follow-through with an abundance of praise. Before you know it you will be able to count on him to gather your laundry without the need for a reward.