Find it!

Want an indoor and outdoor FUN game?  My friend Bob Singer plays this game "find it" all the time with his dogs.  Enthusiastic.  Oh yeah...over the top!

It has been hot, hot, hot so I have been giving the dogs some time off from working stock.  We have been playing the game of "find it."  This is a useful behavior.  One dog at a time in the house; I show them a bully stick, and then I hide it anywhere in the house.  Then I go back to the dog who is on a stay and say, "Find it."  Oh, how they LOVE this game.  Jet gets so over the top with excitement!  I let them have a couple of minutes chewing as a reward and then I let the next dog in.  Kilt is AMAZING.  She has a really good nose.
Trouble still offers other behaviors as she is running in circles looking for her treasure.  It takes her a little longer to get focused.  You would think as a ratter, she would be on it immediately.   There is no fooling the Lab.  Nothing wrong with her sniffer.

Once in awhile we will hide toys in the backyard.  Now the dog has to stay on the porch and can't see us hide the toy. I show them the article that I am about to hide.  I let them get a sniff  it.  I'm no tracking expert; just having fun with my dogs.  Sometimes I hide the toy in a tree.  They will sniff it out.  I think they follow my footsteps or the smell of the toy, probably because I kick the toy on the ground to it's hiding place. They will cirlcle the path I took many times as they get closer and closer to whatever I am hiding.  I'm not sure why this game is so over the top FUN for them, but it is.

Xena, our 13 yr. old Lab 's eye sight is failing and her hearing isn't like it used to be. She is characteristically taking on new changes this last month. We are watching her closely.

Xena was the first to notice the new 3" memory foam in their indoor crates

Kilt needs more jobs than I can possibly find for her. When the dogs come into the house, sometimes old Xena can't hear me call her anymore. Kilt has a new job. I tell Kilt softly "Find Xena." She now goes out back and barks at Xena to come inside. This gives her something to do and it is helpful to us.  Kilt knows all of the dogs by name (of course).  Kilt KNOWS everything or so she thinks. 

Gotta love Kilt no matter how big a knucklebrain she is :0)