FOOD PUZZLE

Place a dog treat inside all (or just a few) sections in a muffin pan, cover each cup with a tennis ball, and let your dog have fun removing the balls to find the rewards!!  Dogs love the challenge and excitement of this game!

THE SHELL GAME

Here's what you'll need:

• Three small, identical containers - cans, buckets, or bowls

• Kibble or doggie treats

• A leash and training collar

• One hungry pooch

Here's what you do:

Place your dog in a down-stay, in the kitchen.

Next, walk into your living room and place the three containers side-by-side, upside down. Leave about one foot of space between each container.

Put a treat under one of the containers.

Now, return to your dog, give him your "release" command, and walk him over to the buckets.

Say, "Where's the treat?"

Encourage your dog to smell the containers. When he gets excited about the container with the treat under it, praise him lavishly. Then, turn the container over and let him get the treat.

Repeat this process by switching the container the treat is hidden under.

Once your dog starts to get the hang of the game, you can add more complexity by spacing the containers further apart. You may also add more containers.

Initially you'll find that your dog will likely go back to the previous container that hid the treat. Don't lift the container up until he finds the one that actually contains the treat.