Teaching Your Dog to Help with Chores Around the House 

There’s nothing better than having some extra help when it comes to household chores! Not many people would think to include their four-legged friend in the equation. Just think about it. This can provide mental and physical stimulation to a dog. Plus, it will help you out along the way! Below are some tips on how you can teach your dog to help with chores around the house.

Fetch the Newspaper – Are you one of those families who still gets the Sunday newspaper? If so, you can teach your dog how to “fetch” the paper. Have them obtain the paper and walk it into the house. Reward them for a job well done!

Closing Doors – You can teach your dog how to close the refrigerator, pantry door, or any other cabinet that is open. Do this by teaching your pup to target with their nose. We would recommend using their paw, but it may scratch some surfaces and that’s never a good thing!

Picking up Trash – It’s crazy to think that those who normally make messes can clean them up as well! Lots of dogs have been taught to pick up their own toys and put them away in their “toy basket”. You can do the same thing by teaching your dog how to pick u p trash and placing it in the garbage can. Talk about a huge help!

Sorting Laundry – This is an advanced chore that you can teach your four-legged friend! Since dogs are partially color-blind, it is probably too much to expect that they sort clothes by color. Instead, you can have them try and sort the clothes by article (socks, shirts, pants, etc.).

We bet that you had no idea that you could include dogs in your household chores. Bonus: if you have family members who love to sleep in, you can teach your dog to pull the covers off those who need to wake up! I mean, who wouldn’t want to wake up to a dog? The sky is the limit when it comes to creativity. Think outside the box to focus on your dog’s mental and physical stimulation!