Summer Games to Play Indoor with Your Dog

"Find It" is a great game to play indoor with your dog during the summer months. This is a great game to get a dog to use their nose. Stimulating the part of the brain that processes scent enables them to play with you while using their natural abilities.

THE GAME:

-The main idea will be to get your dog to stay in one area, while you hide some treats or their favorite toy in a separate area and then they have to search for it.

-When you give them the command "Find It" the search begins and they will have to use their nose to look for it

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Keep your dog still in one area:
   

• If your dog knows how to sit, or lay down and stay then awesome! Use that command while you hide the goods, and then simply release them.

• If your dog doesn’t know how to stay still, you can have them wear a harness and tether them to something sturdy with a leash. Once you hide everything, you can unclip the leash. Another option is to leave your pup in another room divided by a door or baby gate while you stash the food or toy. Make sure the room they are left in is a safe space where they can be unsupervised while you hide.
  

1. Make sure your dog understands the game:
   

• To help make sure your dog gets the game, you want to start off very easy. You can put the food or toy in plain eyesight of your dog before releasing them to look for it. If using food, you want to make sure it is something your dog really likes and that it has a strong smell. If it is one of your dog’s favorite toys, it will already be loaded up with scents. Once your dog understands that they are being released to go find the item, then you can progressively make it more difficult,
  

• A Sample progression would look like this:
  

  • In plain sight of your dog 2 meters away

  • In plain sight of your dog 4 meters away

  • In plain sight of your dog but slightly under an object

  • Out of sight, but easy to spot as they enter the area

  • Out of sight and half hidden under some object
    

1. Make sure the object they are searching for is really rewarding to them Tips Start saying “Find It” right before releasing your dog to find the food. At first, this phrase will be irrelevant, but with repetition, they will learn “find it” means go sniff around until you find something cool.
   

• Figure out what your dog really loves. Some dogs are all about the human touch and affection, and others do not. Some dogs love to eat and others love tug or fetch. When your dog finds what they are looking for, you can reward them by doing whatever they love the most. I also always celebrate verbally as well by saying, “Good Boy!” when the item is found to let them know they achieved the objective of the game. If they are looking for food and find it, they will be self rewarded because they get to eat it.