Training sheet: Teaching “Find it”

🎒Preparation▼

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Smelly treats

Cheese, sausage…

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Quiet room

Little furniture at first

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Starting position: Your dog is in a sit or held in place (by another person or with the “Stay” cue).

🎯The discovery phase (step by step)▼

Priming

Let your dog see you put a treat on the floor, just 1 or 2 metres away, in plain view.

The signal

Release your dog and say “Find it!”.

Success

As soon as they reach the treat and eat it, praise warmly: “Find it! Good dog!”.

Progression

Repeat, placing the treat further and further away, but still in view.

🔍Adding difficulty▼

Once your dog has understood that “Find it” means there is treasure to be found:

Hiding out of sight

Place the treat behind a chair leg, under a rug or behind a door while your dog is not looking.

Multiple targets

Hide 3 or 4 pieces around the room and encourage your dog to keep going: “Find more!”.

🧸Moving on to searching for an object▼

If you want your dog to find a specific object:

Linking the name

Link the name of the object to a reward (e.g. your dog touches their ball → they get a treat).

Hiding the object

Hide the ball and give the cue: “Find the ball!”.

Rewarding

Reward as soon as your dog finds it or interacts with it.

💡Final tips▼

Visual help: If your dog cannot find it, do not give them the answer. Simply move towards the area to guide them with your body.
Do not overdo it: Using their nose tires dogs out enormously (far more than walking). Keep sessions short, 5 minutes maximum.
Use the wind: Outdoors, hide the object upwind so that the scent drifts straight towards your dog's nose.
The level: Never hide the object too high at first. Dogs naturally tend to search at ground level.

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Reminder: Scent work is an excellent mental stimulation exercise. 5 minutes of searching tires a dog as much as a 30-minute walk!