Who doesn’t love having a good time with their dog?

If you want to have more fun with your dog by trying a new game, I want to help you teach your dog how to play the Find It game. It never fails to be a hit for both dogs & us humans!

Here is how you can teach your dog Find It!

1. With your dog behind a baby gate, in a crate, or on leash with a human helper holding them, move 3-5 feet in front of your dog and put 5-10 pieces of kibble on the ground

   1. Now say “Find It” or “Go Search” and release your dog to “find” & eat the kibble you just placed on the ground. Celebrate with them when they do. 

   2. Repeat this 2 more times!

2. Do the same thing but with a pile of kibble 10-20ft away from your dog.

   1. Once you have placed the kibble down you can say “Find It” or “Go Search” and release them to go eat the kibble

   2. Repeat this 2 more times!

3. Now you will want to place the kibble just around a corner out of sight. The corner should be within that 5-20ft range. 

   1. If your dog is having trouble, help them out by going over to the kibble pile and showing it to them - you shouldn’t have to do this much before they pick up on it!

   2. Remember to celebrate with your dog when they find the pile and start chowing down!

   3. Repeat this 2 more times!

4. Now you can start adding more distance to it, placing the food around corners that are 20+ft away from their starting point.

   1. Don’t shy away from helping them if they are struggling. You can also consider making it a little easier if they are having a really hard time!

5. Now you should start mixing up the locations of your food pile. Change up the location for each rep! Hide the food in sight or out of sight. It can be under furniture/plastic cups/place bowls/blankets etc… It can be around different corners in your home, behind doors, behind baskets etc… Get creative!

   1. This is where it gets really difficult so don’t be afraid to help them out a bit by moving closer to the hiding spot. At this point I would not be pointing the food out to them, but being near it to help give them be successful is okay. 

6. At this point you can start hiding the treats on raised surfaces like couches/chairs/step stools etc… Get creative with it and have fun!

This should get you and your dog having fun with the Find It game! If you're struggling to help your dog get past a certain step join my online learning community. Create a post about your struggles. I would be glad to help you leap over any hurdle you are coming up against!

Join the community here: Evolved Dog School