Three-cup shell game
A treat under one of several cups. Your dog learns to point out the right cup with nose or paw, then you start shuffling them.
What you need
- Plastic cups
- Small treats
How to do it
- Let your dog watch you put a treat under one cup. When they nose or paw the cup, praise, lift it and let them have the treat.
- After a few rounds, add a second, empty cup next to the one with the treat.
- If your dog picks the empty cup, lift it to show there is nothing there, then try again.
- As your dog gets it right, add a third cup and start moving the cups around so they have to use their nose.
⚠️ Safety
Supervision: Stay with your pet the whole time.
Use cups that suit your dog's size: paper cups for small dogs, sturdier plastic cups or flower pots for bigger dogs, so nothing breaks into pieces that could be swallowed. Count the treats in the day's food.
👀 What to watch for
Knocking the cups over in frustration means you added cups too soon: go back to one or two.
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