Find ItDog searches for and locates a hidden treat or toy
Mental exercise that tires a dog faster than running. Scent work is natural for dogs, and this skill channels it. Start with treats in plain sight and build to hidden ones. Great for rainy days and settling anxious dogs.
Also known as: Search, Where Is It
At a glance
- Tier
- 1 · Basic
- Time to fluency
- 1–3 weeks
- Practice
- 4× per week, 10 min each
- Equipment
- Smelly treats (cheese, dried liver), Muffin tin and tennis balls for beginner puzzles
Prerequisites
Your dog should know these words first:
How to teach find it
Lure
Toss a treat in plain sight and say the cue as the dog goes for it
- Start by tossing a treat 2 feet away where the dog can see it land
- Mark when they pick it up, then toss another
- Gradually toss behind objects or under towels
- Let the dog's nose do the work. Do not point or help
Hand Signal
Sweep your hand toward the search area
- Point to the general area, not the exact location
- Hide treats at nose height first, then higher and lower
- Use different rooms to keep it fresh
Verbal Cue
The cue word sends the dog to search
- Say the word, then let the dog work. Do not guide them
- Build from one hidden treat to several scattered in a room
- Vary hiding spots so the dog searches genuinely, not from memory
- Use it to redirect energy on days you cannot walk
Success criteria
- Unlearned
- Does not search for hidden items
- In progress
- Searches a room for scattered treats on the word alone
- Mastered
- Finds well-hidden treats or a specific toy by scent in new environments
Common mistakes
- Hiding treats too well too soon. The dog should succeed 90% of the time
- Pointing directly at the treat, which teaches the dog to follow your finger instead of their nose
- Always using the same hiding spots
- Forgetting to count your treats. Leaving unfound ones trains the dog to search furniture forever