Exercise and play
How do you play the shell game with a dog?
Last updated 23 September 2026 · How we write and check this
Short answer
Place a treat under one of three upturned cups while the dog watches, then let the dog use its nose to find the right one, rewarding immediately when it noses or paws the correct cup. It is a simple scent based mental workout that needs no equipment beyond a treat and a few cups or boxes.
Starting simple
With the dog watching, hide a treat under one of two or three cups on the floor, then release the dog to investigate. Most dogs figure out the game within the first few tries since the reward is obvious and immediate.
Increasing the difficulty
Adding more cups, briefly shuffling their positions, or hiding the dog's view while placing the treat all raise the mental demand once the basic version becomes too easy to be engaging.
Why it works well as a rainy day activity
Because it needs no running or jumping, this game is ideal for tiring out a dog's brain on a day when a long walk is not possible, and ten minutes of focused sniffing can be as mentally draining as a much longer walk.
Key takeaways
- The shell game uses scent and problem solving with minimal equipment or space.
- Increasing the number of cups or shuffling them raises the difficulty as a dog improves.
- It works especially well as an indoor mental workout on days a walk is not possible.