Delivery box search
A few empty delivery boxes spread around a room, some with treats inside. Your dog searches them all by scent.
What you need
- Cardboard box
- Small treats
How to do it
- Put your dog in another room. Set out three to six clean, empty boxes.
- Drop a treat into one or a few of the boxes. Leave the flaps open at first.
- Bring your dog in and let them search. Praise and reward every find.
- When all the treats are found, call your dog away with one more treat so the game ends on a win, not on empty boxes.
- As your dog improves, close the flaps loosely or spread the boxes further apart.
⚠️ Safety
Supervision: Stay with your pet the whole time.
Remove tape, staples and plastic packing from the boxes first. Some shredding of cardboard is normal, but stop the game if your dog is eating cardboard rather than spitting it out. Recycle the boxes afterwards.
👀 What to watch for
Frustration shows as barking at boxes, digging at the same empty box or wandering off. AKC's tip is to end by calling your dog away with a treat so they never search empty boxes for too long.
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