Every dog owner has the responsibility to find new fun games to try with his loved companion. On rainy days or when you’re stuck inside your house, it can be difficult to spend your energy together. An activity such as hide and seek will certainly help you to keep you both busy and active. However, I recently wondered how you can play this game with your dog?
After some research, I’ve found that it’s not as complicated as it looks. With some training, patience, and treats (or toys), everybody can play hide and seek with his pooch. Besides this game is an excellent way to provide both physical activity and mental stimulation to him in your house. This game might seem too simple or boring for you, but your dog will probably find it extremely entertaining and fun. Let me share with you how you can start to play hide and seek together!
There are many ways to play hide and seek with your dog. The simplest method would be to start hiding where he can see you. Call your dog’s “Name” or use a command such as “Find Me” or “Seek.” Then, reward him with praise, treats, or toys. After some practice, you could increase the difficulty of the game by hiding in places less obvious!
While teaching this new game to your buddy, there are some other things to know. For example, positive reinforcement is essential to enjoy playing hide and seek together. Besides, you might need an assistant to distract your dog while you’re hiding. At the end of your reading, you will know everything you need about this awesome activity!
How To Play Hide And Seek With Your Dog?
This game simply consists of you hiding somewhere and your companion needs to find you to get his reward. Playing hide and seek with him might seem simple, but it can be quite complicated. However, this activity is accessible to nearly everybody. Even if your house is small or your dog is untrained, there’s a way to enjoy this fun game!
Train Your Dog To Play Hide And Seek!
To be honest, it will be easier to get started if your companion is well-trained. Mastering basic obedience training isn’t necessary to play hide and seek, but it will certainly help a lot. Moreover, your dog should also be excellent with the “Sit” and “Stay” command to play without an assistant. Nevertheless, you can start to enjoy this game together even if he’s not very obedient, it will just be more difficult!
Two Methods To Play Hide And Seek With Your Dog!
Now, let’s dive into the “How To” of this article. I already briefly explained the simplest way to play hide and seek with your dog, but more details could be useful. Then, I also want to share with you another method in case you don’t have access to any assistant to enjoy this activity. Therefore, everybody will have the opportunity to enjoy this fun game with his companion!
Here’s a video to show you how much playing hide and seek can be pleasant and entertaining!
What Do You Need To Play Hide And Seek With Your Dog?
Something very interesting about this game is that it doesn’t require a lot of accessories to enjoy it. On the contrary to most dog sports or activities, you should have everything you need to play hide and seek at your home. Here’s the list of the things you might have to find to start enjoying this simple activity!
- Training Skills, An Assistant, or Any Other Distractions.
- Rewards. (Treats, Toys…)
- Leash. (Not Always)
Hide & Seek For Dogs: The Simple Method!
This is the way I would recommend you to get started with this game. The easier it is for your dog to figure out how the hide and seek game works, the faster you will be able to enjoy it together. Therefore, here’s the simplest process to slowly master this awesome activity!
1. Find An Assistant.
Before anything else, you should find an assistant to ease your task. His responsibility will simply be to hold your dog or distract him while you’re hiding. Besides, he might need to motivate your furball to find you once you’re concealed. Thus, your assistant doesn’t need any experience with dogs or anything like that. It could be your friend, a member of your family, or anybody else that you trust!
2. Hide Somewhere Your Dog Can See You.
The first time you’re hiding from your companion, go somewhere extremely obvious. It could be as visible as hiding behind a chair or under a table. Besides, you could also let him see exactly where you hide. The goal is really to help him figure out how to play this game. Your assistant can hold your dog, but the less distraction he has the better he should understand!
3. Call Your Dog’s Name Or Use Another Command.
Once your companion sees where you’re hiding, you could simply call out his name to make him come to you. If you consider playing this game quite regularly, you could even teach him a command such as “Find”, “Search” or “Seek.” However, you might just want to start with simple things that he understands like his name!
4. Reward Him When He Finds You.
Your dog’s motivation is extremely important if you want him to find you. That’s why you should always reward him when he discovers where you were hiding. The reward doesn’t need to be some treats, it can also be one of his favorite toys, praise, or anything else that your dog enjoys can motivate him!
5. Increase The Difficulty With Less Obvious Hiding Places.
After some practice, your dog should start to understand the game. Therefore, you could stop hiding where it’s too easy for him to find you. I highly recommend you to upgrade the level of difficulty slowly to not discourage your companion. The more experience he will have, the better he should be to play hide and seek!
6. Swap Roles With Your Assistant.
Another interesting way to increase the difficulty is to change the person that is hiding. Your dog might not be as motivated to find somebody he doesn’t know very well as he is to find his owner. Therefore, you could ask your assistant to hide himself to accustom your buddy to find different people. This will allow him to play hide and seek with anybody!
The Advanced Way To Play Hide & Seek With Your Dog!
If you don’t have an assistant to distract your dog, there’s still another way to enjoy this game. This method might take more time to master, but I’m sure it will be worth it. This technique could also be interesting for people that simply want to play hide and seek only with their dog. Thus, let me share with you how to enjoy this activity without any help!
1. Get Your Dog’s Attention.
Without any assistant, you will have to communicate well with your dog to play this game. Therefore, it’s important to get his attention right off the bat. To make sure he’s responsive you can use his favorite toy, treats, or something else that he likes!
2. Make Him “Sit & Stay.”
For this method, your companion must master the commands “Sit” and “Stay.” Otherwise, you won’t be able to go hiding while keeping his attention. However, there’s an alternative for dogs that don’t have a strong “Stay” behavior!
Simple Alternative For Untrained Dogs!
To be honest, my Labrador isn’t extremely well-trained. Her “Sit & Stay” command isn’t reliable enough to play hide and seek with the advanced method. Therefore, I’ve found another way to enjoy this game without an assistant. You can simply run away from your dog to hide somewhere very simple!
Once you think he starts understanding the game, you could step up the difficulty. You could get his attention on something else than you before to disappear. This will simply not let him see where you’re hiding. Your dog’s favorite toy would be an excellent distraction to give you time to find the perfect hiding spot. You can see an example in the video below at around 2:20!
Here’s another video that shows people playing hide and seek with dogs!
3. Let Your Dog See Where You’re Hiding.
Whatever technique you want to use, you should always let your dog see where you’re hiding at the start. It will also be easier for him to understand the concept if you start with simple spots to find!
4. Call Out His Name Or Use Another Command.
As for the simplest technique, you will have to give your dog the signal to start seeking you. Whether you want to use his name or another more specific command, it doesn’t matter as long as he starts looking for you!
5. Reward Your Companion Every Time He Finds You.
Don’t forget to give something to your dog that he enjoys when he finds your hiding spot. This reward is important to motivate him at every game of hide and seek!
Here’s an example of how you can do this more advanced method to play hide and seek with your dog!
Bonus: Outdoor Hide & Seek.
Once your dog understands the game, you could try to play it outside. The concept is the same, but simply with a new environment. To be honest, this will be more difficult for him to stay focused on the activity in the wild. Nonetheless, it could be very fun to play hide and seek in the great outdoors!
How To Play Hide And Seek With Your Dog Outside?
- Have An Assistant.
- Find Trails or Spots With Hiding Places. (Trees, Park Benches, Rocks, etc.)
- Have Your Assistant Keep Your Dog Distracted On Leash.
- Hide Somewhere Easy To Find. (Not Too Far, Obvious, etc.)
- Call Your Dog’s Name Or Use Another Command.
- Let Him Search You. (On-Leash With Your Assistant Or Off-Leash If Reliable Recall)
- Reward Your Dog When He Finds You With Praise, Treats, Or Toys.
- Increase The Level Of Difficulty. (Better Hiding Places, Longer Distances, etc.)
You can find complementary information on how to train your dog to play hide and seek on this article from the Wag Walking blog! [Link Open In a New Tab]
Important Tips To Play This Game Properly!
Now that you know how to play hide and seek with your dog, there are some other things you should keep in mind. Like any other activity, this fun game has certain risks. That’s why you should play hide and seek properly to make the most of it!
Always Use Positive Reinforcement!
Using activities to train your companion can be extremely fun and efficient. For instance, hide and seek is an excellent way to help him master some basic behaviors such as “His Name”, “Sit & Stay”, etc. However, you should always use positive reinforcement while teaching him how to play this game!
I highly recommend you to ignore mistakes. It’s not that important if your dog is off track. Let him understand the game without punishment or too much interaction. Besides, don’t forget to reward him whenever he finds you!
Don’t Forget To Leash Your Dog If It’s Necessary!
Without an excellent recall, playing hide and seek off-leash could be dangerous. Even in your house, your dog could break things or hurt himself by trying to find you. Outside, smells, wild animals, or other distractions can make him forget about the game. That’s why keeping your pooch on-leash to play hide and seek is always safer!
Is It Good To Play Hide And Seek With Your Dog?
Hide and seek is an awesome game to provide good mental stimulation and physical activity to your dog. Finding where you’re hiding will certainly keep him busy and happy. Besides, this game is perfect to teach him basic obedience or commands. You shouldn’t neglect that hide and seek can also be extremely fun for both humans and dogs!
Other Fun Games To Play With Your Dog!
Hide and seek is a fun way to stimulate your companion both mentally and physically. However, there are many other games that you should teach him. Whether it’s to avoid boredom or to keep him healthy, you have plenty of activities that you can do with your dog. Here are some things to try other than to play hide and seek to have fun together!
- The “Find The Toy” Game.
- Nosework.
- Tug-Of-War.
- Flirt Pole.
- Play With Dog Toys.
- Fetch or Frisbee.
- Training Games.
- Dog Sports.
- Etc.
Last Thoughts About Playing Hide And Seek With Your Dog!
In general, most dogs should learn this game rather quickly and easily. With some training, practice, and patience every canine owner will be able to play hide and seek with his dog. Letting him locate you principally with his nose or brain will be extremely stimulating and pleasant for both of you. Besides, there’s nothing better than games to strengthen your bond while having fun together!
Teaching new things to your furball isn’t always easy. However, I’m sure that every effort you put into making him understand how to play hide and seek will be worth it. Once he masters this game, you will have something to do with him even on rainy days. I hope this article helps you understand how to play hide and seek with your dog. Whatever method you choose to follow, don’t forget to have fun!
