🕹️ The One Game German Shepherds Can’t Resist (Teach It Tonight!)

This game taps into instinct and excitement. Once you start, your German Shepherd will beg to play again and again.

Walk into any German Shepherd forum and you’ll see the same complaints: “My dog is destructive,” “She won’t settle down,” “He seems bored no matter what we do.” The real issue? Most GSD owners drastically underestimate how much mental stimulation these working dogs actually need. Physical exercise alone won’t cut it.

That’s where Find It changes everything. This deceptively simple scent game engages your shepherd’s natural tracking abilities, satisfies their need for purposeful work, and creates a tired, happy dog in about twenty minutes. No agility course required, no advanced training necessary.

Why German Shepherds Are Hardwired for Find It

The Nose Knows Everything

German Shepherds possess approximately 225 million scent receptors in their noses, compared to a human’s measly 5 million. This isn’t just a fun fact; it’s the foundation of their entire worldview. While we experience the world primarily through sight, your GSD experiences it through scent.

When you play Find It, you’re not teaching a trick. You’re speaking your dog’s native language.

Working Dog Heritage Demands Mental Challenge

German Shepherds were developed in the late 1800s for herding and later adapted for police work, military service, and search and rescue. Every cell in your dog’s body expects to have a job. Without one, that drive doesn’t disappear; it just gets redirected into behaviors you probably don’t enjoy.

Find It transforms aimless energy into focused purpose, giving your German Shepherd the mental workout their genetics are screaming for.

The beauty of scent work is that it’s exponentially more tiring than physical exercise alone. Twenty minutes of concentrated sniffing and searching can exhaust your GSD more thoroughly than an hour of fetch.

What You’ll Need to Get Started

Essential Supplies (You Probably Have These)

• High-value treats: Small, smelly, and irresistible (think tiny pieces of cheese, hot dog, or freeze-dried liver)
• A willing German Shepherd: Any age, any training level
• A few rooms or spaces: Indoor or outdoor works perfectly
• Patience: About 30 minutes for the first session

Optional But Helpful Items

• Small containers with holes (for advancing to container searches)
• Different treat varieties (to keep things interesting)
• A clicker (if you already use clicker training)

That’s it. Seriously. The simplicity is part of what makes this game so accessible yet so powerful.

Step-by-Step: Teaching Find It Tonight

Step 1: Build Value for the Cue Word

Start in a quiet room with minimal distractions. Hold a treat in your closed hand and let your German Shepherd sniff it. The moment their nose touches your hand, say “Find it!” in an excited voice and immediately open your hand to release the treat.

Repeat this 10 to 15 times. You’re creating a powerful association: “Find it” = something amazing is about to happen. Your GSD’s ears should perk up at those magic words.

Pro tip: Use the most delicious treats you can find. This isn’t the time for boring kibble. You want your shepherd’s eyes to light up.

Step 2: The First Easy Toss

Now take one treat and let your dog watch you toss it about 2 to 3 feet away on the floor. Say “Find it!” and let them pounce on it. Celebrate like they just discovered buried treasure!

Do this 5 to 7 times, gradually increasing the distance. Your German Shepherd should be racing to the treat the second it leaves your hand. That enthusiasm? That’s the addiction forming.

Step 3: Introduce the Search Element

Here’s where it gets interesting. Have your dog sit and stay (or have someone gently hold their collar). Let them watch you place a treat in an obvious spot about 10 feet away, perhaps next to a chair leg or against the wall.

Return to your dog, build the anticipation for a second, then release them with an enthusiastic “Find it!” They’ll bolt to the treat. Repeat several times, each time placing the treat in a slightly less obvious location.

Step 4: The First Real Hide

Time to engage that powerful nose. Put your GSD in another room or have someone hold them where they can’t see you. Hide a treat somewhere in the room at nose level (think behind a plant pot, under the edge of a rug, or tucked beside the couch).

Bring your dog back and give the cue. This is the magic moment. Watch them switch from using their eyes to using their nose. You’ll see their head drop, nostrils working, body language shifting into search mode. When they find it, party time.

The moment your German Shepherd realizes they can use their nose to solve problems, you’ve unlocked a completely new dimension of their intelligence.

Step 5: Multiple Hides for the Overachiever

German Shepherds catch on fast. Once your dog successfully finds 3 to 5 single hides, level up by placing multiple treats around the room. Start with 3 to 4 treats in different locations.

Say “Find it!” and let them work. Don’t help. Don’t guide. Let that magnificent brain problem solve. You’ll be amazed at how methodically they’ll search, checking spots they’ve already cleared, working a pattern through the space.

Step 6: Increasing Difficulty Like a Boss

Now the real fun begins. Try these variations:

• Height variation: Place treats at different heights (low, medium, high on furniture).
• Smaller treats: Use tinier pieces so they’re harder to spot and must be scented out.
• Trickier locations: Inside a cardboard box, under a towel, inside a muffin tin covered with tennis balls.
• Different rooms: Expand the search area to multiple rooms or take it outside.
• Container searches: Put treats in small boxes or containers with holes, then hide those.

Common Mistakes and Quick Fixes

Moving Too Fast

The problem: You hide treats in impossible locations on Day One, and your German Shepherd gets frustrated and quits.

The fix: Always set your dog up for success. If they’re struggling, make it easier. You want them to succeed at least 80% of the time to maintain enthusiasm.

Not Enough Value in the Reward

The problem: Your GSD finds the treat, sniffs it, and walks away unimpressed.

The fix: Upgrade those treats immediately. Find what makes your dog lose their mind with joy. Every dog has a kryptonite treat; find yours.

Helping Too Much

The problem: You keep pointing at the hide or leading your dog to it because you feel bad watching them search.

The fix: Zip it. Seriously. The searching is where the mental workout happens. Let them work. Struggle builds confidence and problem-solving skills.

Inconsistent Cue Words

The problem: Sometimes you say “Find it,” sometimes “Go search,” sometimes “Where is it?”

The fix: Pick one phrase and stick with it religiously. Dogs thrive on consistency.

Why This Game Changes Everything

Mental Stimulation on Steroids

A 15-minute Find It session provides the mental equivalent of a 2-hour hike. Your German Shepherd’s brain is processing scents, solving spatial problems, making decisions, and staying focused. This is enrichment in its purest form.

Confidence Building for Nervous Dogs

German Shepherds can be naturally cautious or protective. Find It allows them to succeed repeatedly in a low-pressure environment. Each discovery builds confidence that translates to other areas of life.

Rainy Day Sanity Saver

Living in Seattle? Dealing with winter storms? Injured dog on rest? Find It works anywhere, anytime. Your living room becomes a training ground, your hallway a scent detection course.

Bonding Through Collaboration

This isn’t you commanding your dog to perform. It’s you and your GSD working as a team. You hide, they seek. You celebrate together. That partnership strengthens your relationship in ways that traditional obedience training simply can’t match.

Find It isn’t just a game. It’s a conversation in your German Shepherd’s first language, a job that satisfies their deepest instincts, and a solution to the “my dog is driving me crazy” problem that actually works.

Advanced Variations to Keep It Fresh

The Scent Discrimination Challenge

Once your GSD is a Find It pro, introduce specific scent targets. Place a cotton ball with a particular essential oil (birch, anise, and clove are popular in competitive nose work) in a container. Teach them to find that specific scent among distractors.

This is literally what detection dogs do professionally. Your pet German Shepherd can absolutely learn it.

Hide and Seek (With Toys)

Use the same principles but hide your dog’s favorite toy instead of treats. Say “Find it!” and watch them search. When they discover it, engage in a brief play session as the reward.

Person Hide and Seek

Have family members hide throughout the house while your GSD waits. Send them to “Find [person’s name]!” This combines scent work with learning names and creates hilarious family moments.

Outdoor Tracking

Take it outside. Create a simple scent trail by dragging a treat along the ground for 10 to 15 feet, then leaving a jackpot of treats at the end. Gradually make trails longer and more complex.

The Results You Can Expect

Week One

Your German Shepherd understands the game and searches enthusiastically in a single room. They’re using their nose purposefully and you’re seeing genuine mental tiredness after sessions.

Week Two to Four

Search areas expand to multiple rooms or outdoor spaces. Your dog’s problem-solving skills noticeably improve. You have a reliable way to burn energy regardless of weather or your schedule.

Month Two and Beyond

Find It becomes a lifestyle. Your GSD reminds you it’s time to play. Destructive behaviors decrease. That intense focus has a productive outlet. You’ve got a calmer, happier, more fulfilled dog.

Start Tonight (Yes, Really)

You’ve read this far, which means you’re ready to try something new. Your German Shepherd is probably sleeping nearby, completely unaware that their evening is about to get way more interesting.

Grab some treats. Pick a room. Follow Step 1. That’s it. In 20 minutes, you’ll have introduced your GSD to their new favorite game.

The best part? This is just the beginning. Find It grows with your dog, adapts to your lifestyle, and never gets old. Your German Shepherd’s powerful nose finally gets to do what it was designed for.

So what are you waiting for? Those treats aren’t going to hide themselves. Go unleash your shepherd’s inner detective. Tonight.