Hide and seek is a good game to play, especially if you have kids. But first, you’ll need a reliable stay command. To teach your dog to Stay you need to teach him how to sit first. This is generally very easy.
To teach your Basset Hound how to sit all you need is a few minutes every day. Start with a treat; hold it just above your Basset Hound’s nose. Now pull it up slowly, making him have to lift his head up to reach it.
When he lifts his head he has to go into a Sit position because he’s more comfortable. Once he does give him the reward and praise him for good behavior. If he doesn’t do it, or if he turns around you have two options. Either lift the treat slower and closer to his nose, or put him in a confined space (like a chair) where he can’t turn around.
That’s all there is to it. Don’t push his rear down; don’t force him in any way. You don’t even need to touch him. All you have to do is raise the treat above his nose and praise him for being such a good, obedient dog.
Teach your Basset Hound how to stay
Once he knows sit you can go on to Stay. Start with your dog in a sitting position. Say “Stay” and move back 3-6 inches. If he didn’t stand up immediately say something like “good Stay, good boy” and give him the reward while he’s sitting.
If he stands up when you say “good boy” and you haven’t had the chance to give him the treat don’t do it anymore. He’ll quickly figure out that he only gets the treat if he continues to sit. Once he knows how to stay put for one second extend the time in 5 second increments until you get to one minute.
Some troubleshooting if he starts to stand up too soon. Say you’re trying to have him sit for 10 seconds but he always stands up after 7 or so. Go back to the 5 second Stay and reward him for 5 seconds. Make him succeed. Another idea is to keep saying stay after every 10 seconds. I don’t really like this approach but if it works it works.
How to play hide and seek with your Basset Hound
Once he knows how to Sit and Stay it’s very easy to play this game. Give your dog the stay command and go around the corner. Call him once and be amazed of how he finds you. When he does, praise him big time.
Once you do this consistently you can start hiding in tougher spots. Eventually you’ll be able to go around the block and he will still find you like you’re some sort of pie.
One thing to look out for is if you hide after every Stay command. If you do you’ll end up with a Basset Hound that always chases you around. If you always leave he will associate Stay with your wanting to get rid of him. So, occasionally, come back after you go around the corner and reward him for a Good Stay.
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