A Dog Game for a Wet Day

Posted by Clare Bristow

dog-with-ball After another day of torrential rain, the prospect of walking Zoe and Fritz, my two Schnauzers, across muddy fields for an hour this afternoon wasn't too appealing. We'd already got soaked on our walk in the morning, so for a change we stayed in and had a game of 'Find It'.

Indoor dog games like 'Find It' are a great alternative to the afternoon dog walk - it's mental stimulation, obedience training and bonding all rolled into one, and it really tires your dog out.

We usually play Find It with food. I get both dogs to sit in the kitchen and, with one of their favourite biscuits in my hand, they smell my hand so they know what food they are going to have to look for.

I put them both in a sit stay and leave the room to go and hide the treat somewhere else in the house. On returning to the kitchen, one dog has to remain in a sit stay whilst the other is given, by name, the command to 'Find It'. There's a great amount of rushing around the house and a few minutes later one dog returns chomping on a biscuit and the other is desperately trying to contain their excitement and keep in a sit stay. The dogs then change places, and we repeat this a few times over.

They really love the game, and you can see the excitement and concentration on their faces as they try and focus on what they have to do. Their tails do not stop wagging for the whole of the time we play the game - and that's quite an achievement for dogs with docked tails!

If your dog is new to Find It, it won't take long for him to learn how to play:

Start off by getting him excited by letting him play with his favorite toy for a few minutes or letting him have a taste of a special treat.
Put him into a stay, either sit stay or down stay, and place the toy/treat a few feet away from him.
Release your dog and tell him to 'Find It' as enthusiastically as you can. He will naturally run towards the toy/treat and when he gets to it, give him lots of praise.
Practice a few times and gradually increase the distance the toy/treat is placed from him. Eventually you'll be able to hide the toy/treat in another room and under cushions, in shoes - anywhere really!

Always give your dog lots of praise when he finds the toy/treat and learn to gauge when he is tired. When you see him getting tired, stop the game before it becomes hard work for him and he loses interest - always finish the game you are playing with a success for your dog, that way he remembers what fun it was and will be keen to play again.

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