Can dogs understand this concept?

[Dreeza]

I play hide and seek with one of oakley's toys...he sees me walk into a room with it, and then walk out without it...

yet, he usually starts looking in the wrong room...the room i usually hide it in is basically a dead end for him...cuz we keep the door shut...so it *has* to be in there...yet he often goes in completely the opposite direction of where i was hiding it...

so can they just not grasp that? or is my doggie just special?

 

[Melissa_W]

Well, I think you have to start out really simple, so that they get the idea. It's best to start with food too, because they can smell it. Take a treat, and then let him see that you have it. Then let him see you hide it someplace very easy. Once you've "hidden" it, tell him to find it. You can then work from there, gradually making it more difficult.

 

[Gempress]

It is possible. I had a brilliant golden retreiver who just amazed people with her ability. We played a different version: we held a small treat and put her in a stay. Then we'd go through the room and stop at various places, pretending to hide the treat at each place, such as under a cushion, behind the bookshelf, etc. When we released her from the stay, she would check out each place we stopped at until she found the treat. It was amazing: her record was 14 hiding places remembered. We never trained her, she figured it out on her own.

 

[colliekid]

Wow... that's all I can say.

 

[Gempress]

Wow... that's all I can say.

She was the only dog I ever had who could manage it. Odin never got it, and Zeus, while a sweetheart, it not a rocket scientist. Keep trying with Oakley. Maybe he'll figure it out.

 

[RD]

I can hide a single toy in a cupboard, and if ripley sees me put it in there, he will jump and whine at that cupboard for hours on end. He doesn't forget it, and NOTHING can get his mind off of that counter. I have tried locking him in his crate for 15 minutes so he "cools down" and when I let him out he STILL runs straight for that cupboard and starts whining at it again.

With Dakota, it's "out of sight, out of mind". I can put something up and easily divert his attention to something else. It's quite nice, actually, compared to what Ripley does. LOL.

 

[Dreeza]

oh wow gempress, thats impressive!!

oakley will always find it...thats never been a problem...it was funny, cuz i thought it was in the kitchen (where oakley is usually) and i told him to go get his ball...and he starts scratching at the door...im like stop! find your ball!! and he just kept by the door...so i open it, and he runs into the living room and is searching all over, and then finally found it in the dining room!

so he knew it wasnt in the kitchen, i was impressed


haha sometimes its kinda good sometimes that he is so slow in finding it...keeps him occupied!