We love playing hide and seek in the Loki household. There’s nothing better than seeing her run towards me with her tail wagging when she’s finally found my hiding spot.
It’s one of the few times she’s actually excited to see me! Because she’s with me all day as I work from home, I’m pretty much part of the furniture. Sad face.
But anywho…
If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for ways to challenge your dog. There are many benefits to enriching your dog’s life with games and puzzles. Crucially, it relieves boredom and stops them resorting to destructive or hyperactive behaviour.
A lesson we learnt pretty quickly!
This game satisfies all your dog’s favourite pastimes, using their sight, smell and hearing to find the one thing they love most in the world… You!
And it’s not just fun for your dog, I guarantee you’ll have a blast too.
The great thing about hide and seek is you don’t need any treats. We’ve all been there. Sometimes it seems the only way to keep them entertained is by stuffing them full of food. But that’s not always good for their waistline.
Our greedy schnauzer is particularly motivated by food, but the excitement of finding us is enough to hold her focus.
So now you too can keep your dog out of mischief without creating a little porker in the process.
I’m sure you’ll be surprised by how quickly your dog understands the premise of the game. Loki was a little ninja from the very start.
It’s simple, but here’s how it’s done.
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How to play dog hide and seek
You need to get your dog to stay put long enough for you to hide. Ideally your pooch will understand the wait command. This is particularly helpful if there’s no-one around to help you.
You may struggle on your own if they haven’t mastered this command. Go here to teach your dog to wait.
If not, use a friend or family member to hold onto them.
Don’t make it too difficult to start. Make it relatively obvious and hide behind a door in the next room.
As your dog may not be entirely sure what they need to do, you need to raise their interest through the tone of your voice.
In the most enthusiastic pitch you can muster, call out, ‘where am I.’
As soon as Loki hears this, I can immediately hear her zooming around the house to search for me.
If you find they’ve bolted in the wrong direction, such as headed upstairs or outside to the garden, simply call out again to put them on the right track.
As soon as they find you say, ‘You found me!’ and give lots of praise and fuss.
When pup gets the idea, you can start hiding in more obscure places such as in wardrobes or cupboards.
You could even take it outside to a park and hide behind trees or in long grass. There’s only so many places you can hide in the house and Loki’s already learning our usual spots.
Try it for yourself. I’m sure you and pup will love it.
Check out one of our hide and seek sessions below. Aw, just look at the excitement on her little face!
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