Use an easy search to connect an invitation with finding food, then change what the dog can see.
Prepare an accessible find
Set aside food from the usual allowance. PDSA's activity guide says food-based activities count towards that allowance and hiding places must be safe and easy to reach.
Choose an area you can check afterwards. Do not put food somewhere you do not want the dog to investigate, or wedge it into a gap they cannot reach.
Let the dog watch
The Blue Cross play guide starts with a dog watching a toy being hidden behind furniture. The same game can use dinner portions instead.
For a food-based start, show the piece and let the dog see its easy placement before inviting a search. Use a consistent invitation, such as the guide's where is it? Finding and eating that portion completes this attempt.
Conceal only after success
Once the dog understands, Blue Cross makes the search harder by hiding without the dog watching.
Change visibility without making the food harder to reach.
This room-search game is separate from following a particular snuffle mat's loading instructions; it needs no fabric puzzle or deeper packing.
Finish and reset
If the task is difficult, Blue Cross's training advice recommends a pause and an easier future attempt.
Its play guide says never to force play and to finish while the dog is still interested.
Let the dog leave. Before ending, check the places you used and collect remaining food. That closes this search; it is not a timed test of scenting ability or a reason to withhold the rest of a meal.
