Find-it games are always fun

By Tori Rose

CHILDREN get bitten, scratched and knocked down playing with dogs, especially puppies. This Find-it game allows kids to play with dogs while teaching them some obedience.

Start in the house, put Fido on a sit-stay. If necessary, have someone hold his leash, or tie him up (Always supervise tied dogs to prevent tangling and choking).

Place a favorite treat or toy 10-15 feet away, in plain sight. Go back, release him and command him to Find it! What joy! He’ll be ecstatic. You will be, too.

Dogs require repetition when learning new tasks. Don’t rush. Get a good foundation with him waiting on a sit-stay, then charging off to find the reward. Dogs also don’t generalize well, which means they get confused when cues, situations, or environments change, so keeping him in the same spot each time and placing the reward in the same spot each time will help him develop his drive to find the reward when released.

This is simple and easy, but still … practice at least 20 times. You want him to be deliberate and enthusiastic about taking the reward.

Now move it further away, but still in sight. Go back, release him and command him to Find it! Praise him! He’s such a genius!

Practice, practice, practice … at least 20 times. You are setting a foundation so you can later make this task harder and still keep his drive and excitement high.

If you have been tying or holding him, now ask him to sit-stay on his own. Since you are making it harder for him, place the reward closer. Start by asking him to stay only a few seconds and work up to longer and longer stays. If he breaks, scoop up the reward (this is vital!) and try again. As he becomes more reliable, place the reward farther and farther away, but still within his view.

When he is a pro, place the reward in the same room, but out of view, like on the other side of the couch, or just around a partition. Advance to hiding it in other rooms. See why you need him to be reliable before moving on? You will be disappearing. He needs the confidence of knowing that if he stays, he will be released to find it, and he needs the drive to go find the item out of his view. Always train dogs in baby-steps. You can NOT hurt his training by going too slowly, but you CAN hurt it by going too fast. Go slowly and get a good foundation.

Now hide the reward so he has to really work for it. Hide it in a small trash can, under the edge of a throw rug or stuffed between two pillows. Cheer him as he searches: “Find it! Hurry up! Find!” Later, move the game outdoors. (Be sure your treats are strong-smelling.) Get him to sit-stay around the corner of the house, or behind a tree. No peeking! Now that’s challenging and even more fun!

'Til next time, "kiss the kids"
Tori (Mom of Jetta WAC, CGC)

Victoria “Tori” Rose/Better Best Friends Dog Behavior and Training, offers in-home dog training/behavior modification in Denver, CO, USA, and by phone in the US. (It works or don’t pay!) For more tips and advice, subscribe to her free 3300-plus subscriber “Doggie Parenting” Tips and Tricks e-Newsletter by visiting her website: www.BetterBestFriends.net