If you have worked with me, follow us on social media, read this blog regularly, or explored the Ultimate Puppy website, you know that I never get tired of talking about the benefits of playing Find it with your dog. Find it is for life!

Yes, we absolutely want to discover what our individual dog loves to do and give them plenty of opportunities to do it. But I’ve gotta say, I have never met a dog who didn’t enjoy a good round of the right kind of Find it game for them.

If you haven’t taught your pup the Find it game yet, go here to learn the basics. It’s fast, easy, and fun. From here, you can learn how to refine your game and take it to the next level.

Step up your game!

The key to enrichment is not to plateau. You want to make sure your dog is appropriately challenged, remains keen to play, and is having fun. This is an important part of a successful enrichment strategy.

If your dog understands that the opportunity to search for and access food or a toy is available when you ask them to “find it” it’s time to add some new elements.

Adding a Solve component once your dog finds a food-stuffed toy that you have hidden is a great way to introduce novelty and increase the challenge. It’s important to teach the Solve skill separately before adding it to your Find it game. Once your dog learns a Solve be sure and practice multiple repetions before you start hiding it and send them to Find it. Read on to learn Solve.

Solve this!

Here are five Solves to play around with. Start in EASY mode, then build the difficulty.

Unwrap

Wrap a towel around a toy.

Easy mode: The towel is very loose, and part of the food-stuffed toy is visible/accessible.

Gradually increase the difficulty by wrapping the towel more tightly around the food-stuffed toy. You can also wrap multiple toys in paper and then wrap all of them in the towel.

Push a box off

Place an appropriately sized lightweight box over a toy, considering both your dog and the size of the toy.

Easy mode: Part of the toy is showing. You can also make a couple of holes in the box and elevate one corner high enough for your dog to shove their nose under or grab the toy with their paw.

Gradually increase the difficulty by placing the box over the entire toy, not punching holes, lifting the corner less—or not at all—or using multiple boxes inside boxes.

Shred

Placing food in paper provides your pup with the opportunity to shred. Shredding is a normal, healthy behavior that dogs find fulfilling. Pairing it with Find it is double the fun!

Easy mode: lightweight brown paper bag with treats inside, AKA a puppy piñata. The top of the bag is open, and you can tear several large(ish) holes in the bag so the food is visible and easy for the pup to access with minimal effort.

As your pup discovers the joys of shredding, which will only take a few rounds, you can increase the difficulty. Twist the top of the bag closed; add only 1 small tear to the bag, then no tears and a tighter twist. You can use this same method with brown paper and paper rolls. Pro tip – if you feed your pup raw frozen chicken necks, you can put it in a paper towel roll and hide it (watch a video here).

Climb up or on

Your pup needs to put their front legs up or get up on something to access the treat or toy (watch an example here).

Play safe with this. Make sure your pup can access the elevated spot safely. If they can’t make it up by using pillows or any low, safe platform. Outside, it could be a large, low, flat rock or bench. The elevated surface needs to be safe from both height and surface fronts. Get creative but be safe!

Easy mode: hide a toy or treat under a pillow on the couch or bed or a foot stool. You can hide it right on the edge so all the pup needs to do is put their front paws up versus having to jump up.

Gradually increase the difficulty level as the pup learns to look for things beyond just the floor.

Sit to signal a find

Prerequisite: Your pup needs to understand the Sit cue and be able to reliably sit when you ask. Once they have that skill, you can teach them to use the Sit to signal, “I found it!”

If you need to teach sit, learn how here. Use this downloadable training plan to refine it.

Step 1

As your puppy watches, put a treat inside or underneath a box, bucket or container that you can easily close to prevent them from accessing the food.

Ask your puppy to sit → when they sit, say “Good!” → quickly open the container → take out the treat → feed it to them.

Repeat until you can tell your puppy is getting the idea.

Step 2

Fade the verbal Sit cue.

As your puppy watches, hide the treat using your container. Keep your eyes on the container.

If your puppy sits without you asking → quickly open the container → get the treat → feed it.

If they don’t sit after about 3–5 seconds → ask for the sit → open the container → get the treat → feed it.

Repeat until they reliably sit without you asking.

Step 3

With your pup in another room, hide the treat in the same spot.

Bring your pup to the hiding spot → cue “find It.”

If they sit → quickly access the treat → feed it.

If they don’t sit → ask for the sit → access the treat → feed it.

Step 4

With your pup in another room, include a hide in your Find it game where they must sit to signal that they’ve found it before you access the food or toy.

Putting it all together

Once your dog is skilled at solving these challenges, add them into the Find it game. Set up your hides and send your dog to find. You can do multiple Solves within one round of Find it.

We have included an awesome FREE training plan for you to print out. It includes a space for you to track which Solves you are using. Examples of Find it and Solve setups. Which toys to use and what to stuff them with, and supplies worth collecting. Everything you need in one place to get started with upping your Find it. So much searching, sniffing, and solving awaits. Have fun with it!

Free Training Plan!

Get your free Find It training plan here. Download it and let the games begin!