Game #11 · Brain & Foraging
The Shell Game
Boosts focus and relies heavily on scent discrimination.
- What you need:
- Three plastic, non-see-through cups and a highly aromatic treat.
How to play
- Let your dog watch you put a treat under one cup.
- Tell them to find it, and lift the cup when they point or paw at it.
- Slowly start moving the cups around slightly to mix them up.
- Let them use their nose to detect which cup holds the hidden treat.
Coach's notes
- Start with 2 cups; add the third only once they're 5-for-5.
- Keep your eyes neutral — dogs will read your gaze before their nose.
- If they fail twice in a row, drop back a level.
- This is a version of the exact Two Cups task used in Dognition's assessment.
If your dog loses interest
Quick fixes when engagement drops mid-session.
- Wrong cup every time? Slow down and let them watch you place the treat with the cup lifted higher.
- If they lose focus, start with 2 cups instead of 3 for a few rounds.
- Some dogs paw all cups — reward the first-cup indication with a jackpot to shape a single choice.
Why it works
The Two Cups paradigm is a validated laboratory measure of communication and memory — the same one Dr. Hare pioneered at Duke.
References
- [1] Hare, B., Brown, M., Williamson, C., & Tomasello, M. (2002). The domestication of social cognition in dogs. Science 298, 1634–1636.
- [9] Kaminski, J., Call, J., & Fischer, J. (2004). Word learning in a domestic dog: Evidence for 'fast mapping'. Science 304, 1682–1683.
Which cognitive muscle is your dog's strongest?
Run the same science-based tasks from Duke in your living room and get your dog's full cognitive profile.