Friday, January 31, 2014

Keep Your Dog Busy With "Find It" Games

It's week two of K9 Kamp and Rocco and I have been having fun thinking up several ways to play Doggie Hide and Seek!

If you missed it, our winter session of K9 Kamp is now underway and last week we announced the challenge.


Let's all play Doggie Hide and Seek!


This week, we came up with our own version of "Find It." It works like this.

Step 1: I ask Rocco for a Down Stay


Step 2: I go to a different room (where Rocco can't see me) and hide a toy.


Step 3: I release Rocco from his Down Stay and ask him to "Find it"!


I used a PetSafe Rip 'N Tug Hammerhead Shark Dog Toy that has a nifty little pocket where you can hide a treat!


I found that this was a great way to start the game since Rocco is VERY motivated by treats. And as an extra bonus, after he finds the toy (and the hidden treat) we get to play a fun game of tug!


Tip #1: First, I created some motivation for Rocco by playing toss and fetch with the treat filled toy. Once he really LOVED fetching the toy I started hiding it in various places -- behind pillows, under his bed, etc. I tried to make it easy to start and then found harder-to-find places.

Tip #2: Regarding the Down Stay, we've also practiced that A LOT so that now I can put him in a Down Stay, walk out of sight, and he'll stay until I release him. If you don't have a rock solid Down Stay, work up to it by stepping away just a few feet at a time and going back to treat while your pup is still in his Down Stay.  Once you go out of sight -- do it for just a moment at first and go back to treat your pup. Good dog!

Tip #3: Remember to give your pup a release word (ours is OK, some folks use FREE or RELEASE… it can be any word you choose) so your pup is very clear that it's ok to get up from the Stay!

Tip #4: Pups need mental as well as physical exercise and this game is a great way to get your dog thinking as well as a fun way for you to bond with your dog. I find a young pup like Rocco needs LOTS of mental and physical exercise so that at SOME point he'll actually lay down and relax!

Next week, we're planning on teaching Rocco to go hide in a box! Do you think he'll fit?


We'd love to hear about what you're working on so please leave us a comment and link up your post below too!

Don't forget to checkout our co-Kounselors Peggy's Pet Place and SlimDoggy to see what they've been up to too!

And, as a reminder, we're co-locating FitDog Friday and K9 Kamp for the next few weeks so you can  link up here every Friday to share your FitDog AND K9 Kamp news! The last day of the winter session of K9 Kamp is February 21. Of course, there's no end to the fun at FitDog Friday, so that will continue on in between camp sessions!

AND, one more reminder… don't forget to enter our K9 Kamp giveaway for oodles of FAB prizes!


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Disclaimer:  A special thanks to Petmate, PPI, and Smart Cookee. We were provided these prizes as gifts for giveaway. No other compensation was provided to us.

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The fun and games continue every Friday with FitDog Friday, the weekly Blog Hop brought to you by To Dog With LoveSlimDoggy and Peggy's Pet Place to promote a healthy active lifestyle for pets (and their people, too!). Join in every Friday by linking up your FitDog story or visiting the blogs in the Hop.

And, from now through February 21, FitDog Friday will co-locate with K9 Kamp. So we'd love for you to link up all your FitDog AND K9 Kamp posts here!  


52 comments:

  1. That is an awesome game we play almost every day. At this time, I hide treats. Cookie loves the game.

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    Replies
    1. It's the perfect game for everyday! And so simple, we sometimes forget how much fun it can be.
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

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  2. Love find the treat/toy games. BOL funny Rocco that sure is a tight squeeze. Have a fabulous Friday.
    Best wishes Molly

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Molly! Rocco can squeeze though some surprising tight spaces. He's all fur!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

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  3. Rocco is a so smart!

    Your Tip 4 is so important. Physical and mental exercise are both important.

    -Slimdoggy

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    Replies
    1. Yes! It's what helps wear him out too!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  4. Hi Y'all!

    My Human hides the bumpers and then sends me for them. Sometimes I have to go find my toys. I only get the treat when I bring the item back to the Human and present it to her.

    Y'all come by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good boy, Hawk! You're a better retriever than Rocco!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  5. Replies
    1. Thanks for reminding us to play this fun game!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  6. Yay! So glad I discovered the K9Kamp posts. I am looking forward to ideas and inspiration for activities to keep my pups active and entertained. With the arctic temperatures we have had lately, they have been stuck indoors for most of the day and have spent many hours being lazy lumps. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hehe! It's easy to become a lazy lump when the weather's so bad. It's good to have a few indoor games to play!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  7. We love your posts and are always looking for new activities, especially in the winter to hold off cabin fever! Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. So glad you like our posts! Thank you! We'll plan to post some more indoor activities. Everyone needs those when the weather's bad.
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  8. Where to begin? Mom is very concerned with teaching me new things as I seem to only want to be chased or tear up stuff! Stay tuned. Love Dolly sigh

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    Replies
    1. hehe! Maybe she can make up some sort of game that includes chase and tearing! Or, we play something where I chase Rocco and then I turn around and run the other way so he chases me. And then we keep repeating that!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  9. Bailie are busy sniffin' around with our Nose Work. While we do that, Katie gets her favorite busy ball, so we are all finding things for K9 Kamp :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! Keep on finding good stuff! Sniffing and finding is so much fun!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  10. Very fun twist to hide and seek! :) Rocco must be super happy that there are also treats involved! We haven't started working on this challenge but I'm ready to start next week!

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    Replies
    1. The treats are essential in Rocco's case! hehe! Have fun with your games. Can't wait to read about it!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  11. Love the step by step pics! Rocco is such a cutie

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! He's a fun boy too!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  12. Cool twist. We need one of those toys (or something similar anyway). I'm always asking Mr. N to sit on top/in boxes so he offers that behavior a lot when he sees them.

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    Replies
    1. There's also a "Lotus" toy from PetSafe that look like a small ball, and you can stuff it with treats too. We may need to get one of those next! Glad you have lots of fun with boxes too!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  13. First visit to your page, love it!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you! So glad you stopped by!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  14. First visit to your page, love it!

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  15. LOVE the toy :-) Sugar loves "find it" game. At the moment, she's not allowed to play with any toys. Great job Rocco. Happy Weekend. Golden Woofs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We keep Sugar in our thoughts and hope she gets to play with her toys soon! Happy weekend to you!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  16. LOVE the toy :-) Sugar loves "find it" game. At the moment, she's not allowed to play with any toys. Great job Rocco. Happy Weekend. Golden Woofs

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  17. Maya and Pierson love the "find it" game! The more they do it, the better at it they get. :)

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    Replies
    1. Glad they love it! It's so simple, yet so fun!
      Your pals,
      Diane and Rocco

      Delete
  18. Those are some Awesome cool giveaways
    Lily

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  19. Sounds like you are having fun playing hide and seek. :)

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  20. How fun! I like to find new ideas to help my Chinese Crested, Sookie be more active physically and mentally.

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  21. We are excited about exercising mentally and physically with puzzle toys.

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  22. I'm excited about all the ways to get my Blackie exercising. He has lost 3 pounds but has 5 more to go. I think the mental and physical tips are great for him. TFS

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  23. I LOVE playing hid and seek inside and outside!!! :)

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  24. I'm looking forward to new ways to stimulate the pup!

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  25. I like the paw plunger cleaner on their site!

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  26. He's so cute. I love that the shark has a pocket for a treat.

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  27. I need to teach my dog find it, he loves to learn new things.

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  28. having fun with my dogs and teaching my newest addition Daisy some new tricks

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  29. I like the Aikiou interactive feeder toy.

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  30. I look forward to time with my dogs. :)

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  31. This looks like an easy way to get my doggie moving!

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  32. The Paw Plunger looks pretty neat!

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  33. I would love to try the Zen Clipper™. A couple of my pups have clear nails but I am always worried about cutting to0 close on my black dog.

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  35. Such a brilliant idea! I never thought about using find-it games to keep my dog entertained. Can't wait to try this out and see how my furry friend reacts. Thanks for the creative suggestion. virginia uncontested divorce laws

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