Dog easter egg hunt – How and Guide To properly organize one – To spend an Easter Sunday with the dog that is truly unforgettable, you can organize an egg hunt. Our advice will help you.
When the Easter period finally comes, it is always a great joy. Although the global health emergency has displaced everyone, it must be said that the appearance of the sun, the days that get longer, the milder climate always bring some relief, at least physical, and the fear of getting flu vanishes slowly slowly, as we get closer and closer to the heat of summer. Spring is joy of life and joy, as the colors of Nature explode and envelop us, reaching us up to our homes, where the sweet scents of the newly blooming flowers penetrate.
All very poetic, isn’t it? For this reason Easter has something romantic and important in the hearts of all of us. Obviously the way it is celebrated changes a little, from culture to culture, but the substance remains more or less the same and also a common element: there are colored eggs.
Egg hunt it is part of an ancient tradition that still belongs today to the Anglo-Saxon civilization. But since we Italians have assimilated most of their habits and customs, real events are often set up here that basically work like an egg hunt. First we decorate them, as children do with their mothers on television, and then we hide them so that others can find them.
Now why write about this? We recently discovered a way to involve our beloved puppies in this party.
If you want spend Easter with the dog, in a serene and decidedly out of the ordinary way, then follow our advice: we will instruct you on how to organize an egg hunt entirely dedicated to Fido.
How to organize the most beautiful Easter with the dog despite the quarantine
This year the Easter bunny will also visit your puppy. Your Easter plans have probably changed this year due to the pandemic, but you can still give your dog a fantastic home party with an Easter egg hunt.
Easter with the dog will be unforgettable, precisely because, thanks to a few simple precautions, you will be able to transform a momentarily unpleasant situation into an excellent opportunity to do something new and different from the usual, an incredibly positive and encouraging memory in a sea of unease.
prepare an Easter egg hunt for your dog it is not only fun to watch, but it proves to be a very rewarding time for dogs. Your puppy sees the world primarily through his nose, so hunting is a great source of mental stimulation. Dogs use their noses to locate eggs full of delicacies. Dogs of any age, from puppies to seniors, and dogs of any size can enjoy Easter egg hunt.
Here is what you need for the preparation of the most beautiful Easter with the dog.
What you need for Easter with the dog
Plastic eggs
If you don’t already have plastic eggs at home, they are available from most retailers for pickup on the sidewalk or for the inclusion in your order of groceries to be delivered. Most plastic eggs have a small hole in the upper part, which makes it easier to pass the scent of the treats inside the egg, so that your dog can find it more easily.
Treats for the dog
Choose any delicacies that your dog is excited about. It is not necessary to use a large quantity, a small egg thought will work well. The very fragrant delicacies are a particularly good choice for this game, because it will facilitate the search for your dog. Fill all the eggs you want and can do: a dozen or two will be more than enough.
Various tips for egg hunting
Egg hunt for your dog it can take place anywhere, inside the house or in an enclosed courtyard, if the weather is nice.
- Fill the Easter eggs with high-value and very fragrant delicacies
- Let your dog watch you as you put a morsel in each egg
- While your dog is busy in another room or inside the house, organize the egg hunt
- Make sure to count how many eggs you are placing; it’s also a good idea to keep a list of places where the eggs are hiding to make sure you don’t misplace the eggs in any of their hiding places
- Start with easier searches where plastic eggs are found in obvious places or even outdoors, where your dog will easily find them
- The more experience your dog has in searching for eggs, the more you can start hiding eggs in really difficult positions, behind things, and so on.
- But in places where it is safe for your dog to get there (no hiding place at the top, or where he shouldn’t access, for example)
Some dogs, when they find the Easter eggs full, will open them or crush them with their paws to reach the delicacies inside them, while other dogs will naturally be more patient and will wait for your help to obtain the delicacies inside. If your dog is of the first type and opens the egg to get the treats, watch him carefully as the eggs are found and take away the empty plastic eggs if your dog starts chewing them. This is a game that you can play many and many times on Easter day or at any time during the Easter period. Change the positions where you hide the eggs, of course.
Always watch over your dog during the egg hunt. If you are doing another egg hunt for your kids (with eggs filled with candy and chocolates for humans), organize it at a separate time and make sure you know how many eggs for your kids are out, as well to make sure your dog you don’t accidentally find an egg full of potentially lethal candy.
If you have multiple dogs, it’s a good idea to organize individual hunts. This game could inspire resource protection while dogs run between eggs.
How to make the most beautiful souvenir photos of your Easter with the dog
We reveal a useful trick to capture the perfect photo to post on all social networks.
You will need:
Instructions for making the best Easter photo with the dog of your life
- Put your dog in front of you and hold the Easter basket in front of your dog
- When your dog sniffs or explores the basket, praise / click and give it to him. At this stage, we are rewarding any interaction with the basket
- So, wait for your dog to put his mouth on the basket handle, then immediately click or verbally mark with a happy “yes” and give a gift
- Repeat multiple training sessions
- Once the dog regularly puts his mouth on the handle of the Easter basket, you can wait a fraction of a second before you start clicking / praising and giving a treat
- Proceed very slowly with this trick, training the resistance of your dog who has his mouth on the Easter basket for a few fractions of a second each time. Right now, you can start presenting your verbal command of choice such as “take” or “collect”
- Once your dog securely keeps his mouth on the Easter basket until you click / praise and offer, start pulling your hand away from the basket for a split second, then put your hand on the click / praise basket and care.
- Each training session slowly increases the duration, i.e. how long you ask your dog to keep the Easter basket. As fast as a rabbit, you will get that perfect photo to remember this wonderful holiday
Easter with the dog: teaching the dog to put the eggs in the basket (without breaking them)
Teaching dogs to put plastic eggs in the Easter basket combines the just taught “keep” trick with another skill that’s always easy enough to instill in our little four-legged friend.
You will need:
Instructions for intensive training in view of the Easter celebrations
- Follow the instructions above to teach your dog to keep the Easter basket with plastic eggs or anything else you want your dog to put in that basket.
- Ask your dog to “hold” the Easter egg and put the Easter basket under your dog’s mouth
- If your dog knows how to “drop” the object from his mouth, use that indication. If it doesn’t, put a surprise in front of his face when the egg falls from your dog’s mouth into the basket. Make a lot of praise / sweets and have a small party
- You can start adding verbal cues like “in the basket”, “basket”, “egg hunt” or any suggestion of your choice
- After a few training sessions, your dog will have the idea that you want to drop the eggs in the Easter basket, but remember that aiming can be a little tricky
- You can slowly start developing your dog’s skills by asking Fido to collect the plastic eggs, instead of passing them to him yourself, and slowly moving the Easter basket a little further away
Always remember that dogs are like small children and they must never be left alone, especially if there are materials or substances around that can be harmful to their health. Be careful of Fido and try to spend a beautiful time of harmony and peace with him.
Happy Easter to you and your puppies.