Fun with Cones

Category: Cognitive Enrichment • Problem-Solving • Impulse Control • Level: All Dogs (beginner modifications included) • Time: 10–15 minutes

Why It’s Enriching

Cones aren’t just for backyard drills — turn them into a thinking game and you get real cognitive enrichment.

Hidden treats → working memory and scent tracking

Cone shuffling → visual tracking and sustained focus

A clear right-or-wrong choice → decision-making with a real payoff

This is the same skill set your dog uses to solve a food puzzle — just wrapped in something that costs less than $10. And because they have to wait, watch, and choose instead of just chase, it builds impulse control right alongside the fun.

🐾 Great for dogs who blow through food puzzles too fast, or who need practice thinking before acting.

What You Need

3–5 plastic cones (or cups, small bowls, even paper cups)
High-value treats
Optional: a clicker or marker word (“Yes!”)

How to Play

Game 1: Find It

Show your dog a treat, then place it under one cone while they watch.
Say “Find it!” and let them nose or paw the correct cone.
Mark and reward the instant they choose right — let them “win” the treat out from under it.
Repeat 5–6 times, then start mixing up which cone hides the treat between reps.

Game 2: Shuffle & Search

Once Find It is easy, add movement:

Place the treat under one cone, then slowly slide two or three cones around each other.
Stop and give your dog the chance to choose.
Reward whichever cone they commit to. Early on, the goal is confident guessing — not perfect accuracy.

Pro Tip

If your dog is guessing randomly instead of watching, slow the shuffle way down — or stop moving cones altogether until they’re clearly tracking with their eyes and nose, not just pawing everything in sight.

Special Section: Making It Work for Your Dog

New to the game:

Start with one cone and no shuffling. Let them lift it themselves before adding more.

Confident dogs ready for more:

Add a 4th and 5th cone, or shuffle longer before letting them choose.

Independent play:

Skip the shuffle — just hide treats under 2–3 stationary cones for a solo sniff-and-search session.

🐾 Looking for a movement-based version instead? Games with Cones (in the Physical Enrichment section) puts these same cones to work for weaving and confidence-building drills.

DN-CET | MS. PSY

Curated by a certified canine enrichment and behavior professional.