Box search for dogs: how to play
Set out a row of cardboard boxes, hide a treat in one, and let your dog find the right box.
- Time
- 8 min
- Energy
- Low
- Space
- A room
You'll need
- 5 to 8 small cardboard boxes, staples and tape removed
- treats
Set up
Remove all staples, tape and plastic. Put boxes open side up in a line or loose cluster on the floor.
How to play
Start with 3 boxes. Put a treat in one while your dog watches, say "Find it" and let them go.
Cheer when your dog puts their nose in the right box.
Next round, hide out of sight. Your dog sniffs box to box.
Add more boxes and spread them out. Turn a few upside down so the treat is under them.
Close the lid flaps loosely on one box for a nudge-and-open challenge.
Gather the boxes and put them away after the game.
House rules
- Only one box has food at first so the nose learns to check each box.
- Ripping boxes is fine; eating cardboard is not.
- Make it easier
- Use fewer boxes, all open, with the treat visible.
- Make it harder
- Use more boxes, scatter them across two rooms, or nest a small box inside a bigger one.
Signs it's having fun
Nose dipping box to box, a pause and tail wag at the right one.
Stop if you see
Your dog eats cardboard or gets frustrated and starts barking at the boxes.
Safety
Safety- Remove staples, tape and plastic windows first.
- Take away pieces if your dog swallows cardboard.
Sources
Written from these sources and checked against vet and trainer guidance. General guidance, not veterinary advice.
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