How to Play “Find It” With Your Dog

Here’s how to create your own “Doggie Easter Egg Hunt.”

My beloved mutt Baxter is a mix of who-knows-what. But somewhere in there, I’m pretty sure there’s a hound. Dude looooves to sniff!

When we first adopted Baxter, I started playing “find it” to test his nose and to have fun together.

Basically, it’s a doggie version of an Easter egg hunt. So I thought, given that we’re a week away from Easter, I’d share it with all of you.

I’d love to hear what games you play with your dogs, and especially any nose games those of you with sniffy dogs play.

How to play “find it” with your dog

1. Select a favourite treat. Small bites are best.

2. Put your dog in a stay (or, for the advanced version, put your dog in another room).

3. Hide treats around the room. Under tables, behind chairs, or just along a wall. I like to make it a bit more challenging by varying the height of the treats, so I will put a couple on the fireplace hearth or on the TV stand.

4. Hold a treat in your hand and let your dog get a good sniff. Feed him the treat and then tell him to “find it.”

5. If your dog is new to the game of “Find It,” you may find it helpful to escort him to the first treat.

6. Once your dog has found all of the treats, acknowledge his success with a “good dog” and scratches or a toy.

Here is a video Baxter playing Find It:

Click here if the video is not showing.

Do you play “find it” with your dog?

What other games do you play with your dogs? Any tips for games for sniffy dogs?

Let us know in the comments!

Julia Thomson is a blogger at Home on 129 Acres where she writes about her adventures of country living and DIY renovating. She and her husband live on a 129-acre farm in Ontario, Canada.