A retrieve brings an object back. Tidying adds a chosen destination and a release there.
Practise pickup and release
The Dogs Trust tidying guide rewards toy interest, then mouth contact. Add the pickup word as the dog mouths the toy. Practise different presentations, floor pickups and different toys. Then mark and reward letting go; introduce a release word once dropping is familiar.
Teach the destination separately
Choose the box or basket you want toys taken to. Mark and reward approaching it, then introduce its own location cue.
This identifies a destination; it does not establish that the container's material, dimensions or access are suitable. Resolve those product questions separately.
Connect the actions
Dogs Trust joins pickup, destination and release cues in that order. Check where the toy lands: approaching the box is not the same as depositing the toy inside.
Apply Battersea's reward-timing principle: identify the intended completed action and reward promptly, rather than rewarding an unrelated response later.
Return to the missing piece
Blue Cross recommends pausing and reconsidering a difficult task before trying again later.
Practise a failed piece separately. A toy beside the box is an incomplete deposit.
