Skill Breakdown: The Go Find Game + Variations

The Go Find Game

The Go Find Game, also sometimes called a scatter feed, is an easy and versatile

intervention you can use with your dog.

The benefits of playing The Go Find Game:

·       An easy and versatile game that is easy to teach to most dogs

·       Engages their senses and gets them out of “worry/ thinking mode”

·       Decreases visual stimuli as they put their nose to the ground

·       Encourages deep breathing/ slowing down while rooting around and eating

·       Can be used as both a positive interrupter and to help dogs regulate after a reaction/ big emotions/ overstimulation

How to play the Go Find Game:

·       Using a variety of high incentive, smelly treats + kibble, take a couple of the treats in the palm of your closed hand.

·        Beginning in a low distraction environment, open your hand slightly, waving the treats right under your dogs’ nose. (Inside your home, on a flat surface.)

·       As you wave the treats under their nose, cue: “Fido: Go Find!” and gently toss 2-3 of them, at a close distance to begin.

·       Repeat this 10-15 times, tossing the treats a little further away each time, maybe throwing them in different directions to begin helping them generalize the game.  

·       Help your dog Proof* this skill by playing often, in increasingly more challenging/ distracting environments. Playing the game frequently and increasing challenge slowly (by playing in grass, low lying bushes, in busier areas, etc.) this will help your dog enjoy the game and be willing to play more reliably. (* If you want to learn more about Proofing your dogs skills to ensure they can reliably perform known behaviors, read more here: Proofing Blog )

You want to be sure to practice games, interventions, and skills OFTEN, when you DON’T NEED THEM, so that when you DO NEED THEM, you and your dog are both confident and comfortable and able to reliably use what you’ve learned.

Play the Go Find Game inside, outside, in community areas, at the vet’s office, after your dog has experienced big feelings/ a reaction/ an unexpected greeting with another, etc. Play the game when YOU need a moment to breath/ regroup/ text/ pick up poop, and want to give your dog an activity to keep them busy while you breath/ regroup/ text/ pick up poop etc.

Is your dog a pro at the Go Find Game already? Want to evolve it and add more challenge and variation for Fido? Read on for variations of the Go Find Game!

The Go Find Game + Recall 

The benefits of playing The Go Find Game + incorporating Recall/ ‘Come’:

·       An easy and versatile game that is easy to teach to most dogs

·       Engages their senses and gets them out of “worry/ thinking mode”

·       Decreases visual stimuli as they put their nose to the ground

·       Encourages deep breathing/ slowing down while rooting around and eating

·       Can be used as both a positive interrupter and to help dogs regulate after a reaction/ big emotions/ overstimulation

·       Can be used to improve your relationship with your dog

·       Can be used to build a strong foundation of recall skills/ increase reliability in recall

·       Is a low energy game (for the human) who can sit/ lay/ stand still while helping your dog burn a lot of mental and physical energy

How to play the Go Find Game + Recall/ ‘Come’:

·       Using a variety of high incentive, smelly treats and kibble, take a piece of kibble,

wave it directly under your dog’s nose.

·       As you toss the kibble piece a short distance away, cue: “Fido: Go Find!”

·       Let them finish eating, and when they naturally turn back towards you, realizing that you have food and are doing a fun thing with them, say "Yes!" (to Mark and Reward their eye contact/ look back towards you.) When they get back to you, give them a high incentive snack. (Example: I use Open Farm Lamb Kibble to toss away because it’s lower incentive and less rewarding, and I reward when the dog returns to ME with codfish skins, dehydrated chicken, beef liver, cheese, or Open Farm Meal Mixers. We are communicating that moving away from us is less rewarding while returning to us is highly rewarding and always a party.

·       Repeat the process:

·       Wave a piece of kibble under Fido’s nose, tossing it a bit further this time, letting Fido see you do it, as you cue: "Fido: Go Find!"

·       Be sure to let them FINISH EATING BEFORE REPEATING THE PROCESS, this time aiming to MARK and CUE them a split second before they look to you with "YES!! Fido: Come!" As they look to you/ begin to move toward you/ indicate they've heard you and are making an effort to respond, immediately Mark with "YES!!!" and keep cheering them on and praising them as they make their way to you.Many humans make the mistake of only celebrating and rewarding when their dog has completed the 'Come' cue/ arrived all the way to them, often causing confusion for many dogs and a lack of follow through.

We want to be abundantly clear,

as often as possible,

when our dogs are

ON THE RIGHT TRACK.

Now, put it all together:

1) Let your dog see you throw a bit of treat/ kibble.

 2) As you toss it cue: "Fido: Go Find!"

3) Let them "Go Find" and consume the treat. 

4)  When they are done chewing/ appear to have completed the "Go Find" behavior, THEN cue them "Fido: Come!" looking for the moment they make the choice to look/ move towards you so that you can Mark that moment/ choice/ responding to our cue with "YES!!!! Good Fido!!! Good Come!" 

5) Proceed to celebrate and praise them as they make their way to you.

If they get distracted along the way, no big deal. You might: 1) remain quiet until they get back on track, then Marking, Praising, and Rewarding as they reengage in the behavior AND/ OR 2) you might use an interrupter like "Uh uh!" or "No" and before repeating the cue ONE TIME: "Fidooooo!!!! Come!" remembering to again look for the moment they make the choice to respond to your cue so that you can Mark with a clear and loud "YES!!!!" and continue to praise and celebrate them as they make their way to you, rewarding with a treat as they arrive.

6) Repeat x168628755869873 times, every day, as often as you like, in as many environments as possible, (beginning with low distraction and increasing distraction as you build your dog's skills/ reliability,) to  build your dogs': 

• relationship with you

• ability to focus on you around distractions

• reliability to perform recall/ "Come" cue

To Add Challenge/ Help Fido burn more energy +

use their problem solving skills:

Using the Go Find Game + Recall exercise structure....

When your dog returns to you for their Reward/ completing the ‘Come’ behavior, (once they are done chewing their snack reward,) give them another known cue to perform.

Some of our favorites that most established Engaged Dogs know are:

• Sit

• Down

• Touch (Touch your nose to my palm, wherever it is)

• Spin (turn your body in a complete circle in a counter-clockwise direction)

• Twist (turn your body in a complete circle in a clockwise direction)

• Paw

• High-Five

• Middle (stand or sit in between my legs and wait for further instructions)

• Middle + Let’s Go (remaining in your Middle cue, move with me, following my hand target to guide you. Movement is most often done moving forward or turning in a counter-clockwise direction together)

• Right (put yourself on the right side of my body)

• Left (put yourself on the left side of my body)

• Behind (stand behind me until further notice)

• Front (stand in front of me, nose to my left side, parallel to my body)

  
  

  By requiring your dog to stop, listen, and respond between repetitions of the original game, we are now: 1) slowing them down 2) making them listen, consider, choose whether to respond or not, problem solve when they are unsure/ unclear of the expectations 3) requiring them to use more energy and brainpower than the previous version of the game

Training should always be fun and enjoyable, for both pups and pawrents, as this is how our dog's are best able to learn and retain new skills. Additionally, our dogs must get adequate, quality rest to be able to retain learned skills.

Have questions? Running into challenges? Want to play together? Schedule a session!