Easter Egg Hunt for Dogs: Creating a Safe and Fun Experience

With Easter on the horizon, it’s the ideal time to plan the perfect Easter egg hunt for your dogs. And if you aren’t yet sure if it’s worthwhile, we’re prepared to convince you!

Of all the holidays we celebrate in Australia, Easter could very well be the most dog-friendly. Yes, chocolate is very dangerous for your pet and should be kept well away, but many dog owners won’t let that stop them. Easter egg hunts have been a family favourite for decades, and there’s no family member better equipped, or perhaps as excited, to find tasty snacks carefully hidden in advance!

Fun activities where teamwork and constant communication between you and your dog are great opportunities to deepen your bond and share some valuable time - and even though they don’t understand why we’re looking for eggs (or other treats), the enthusiasm is something they do get.

So take the time this year to plan a fun, challenging treat hunt with your pets, and you’ll see just why it’s an all-time favourite of the Bow Wow crew. Read on to see our egg hunt tips.

Choose the right treat

As we mentioned, chocolate is a huge no-go and should be absolutely avoided - fortunately, there are much better options for your treasure of choice. We’re looking for treats that have the right smell. Easter eggs, as you’d use for a regular egg hunt, are all wrapped up in shiny, colourful foil so they stick out and are easy to find. Since dogs rely more on their noses than sight, we want colourful, shiny scents

The best option for a snack with a great smell is a dried Chicken Fillet. They’re full of flavour, have a powerful, distinctive scent, and are easy to break into pieces to hide around. For another treat to break up and hide away try our Super Snack Sticks, which are packed full of healthy, natural ingredients.

Finally, instead of the excitingly large egg that we save for the final reward, try a tasty Prosciutto Bone to reward your dog on their successful scavenger hunt.

Mix it up with a fun toy

While treats are ideal for attracting your dog from one hiding place to the next, they don’t have to be the entire affair. We love mixing in a fun toy or two to keep your dog engaged and play a couple of games or two at the same time

Try using a feeder toy like a classic kong bone to add an extra layer of challenge for when they find the treat, or put their favourite toy at the end of the hunt so you have something to do after the scents have all been hunted down.

Find the right place

The most important thing in a doggy easter hunt is safety and the place you choose to hide your treats is critically important. A familiar space can be the safest bet, where your pet can confidently traverse your scavenger game and easily find even the trickiest treat. But it can be great to get out somewhere with some more space and enjoy the new smells too.

Wherever you choose, just be sure to keep aware of local traffic, other animals in the area, and any harmful things that your dog can accidentally (or intentionally!) eat. Consider how old your dog is, what their recall is like, and how confident and happy they are when exploring larger spaces.

Setting up and planning

So you’ve found the perfect place, you have the right treats, and you’re ready to start setting up your hunt. Here’s what you should do.

For any good easter egg hunt, it’s always a good idea to choose hiding places with a range of difficulties. Start with some easy, obvious treats to give them the right idea, and end with some really challenging ones where they might even need a little guidance. For your pet to be engaged and in on the game, you need to keep up the enthusiasm and celebrate with them as they find treats.

If your dog needs to be on a leash the whole time, keep that in mind and maybe hide some snacks in even harder to find places since you’ll be working together with them. Make sure there’s nothing dangerous for them to find, and keep in mind that they’ll be a little excited, so be sure to keep a leash on hand.

Finally, enjoy the moment and take the time to bond with your dog. They’re extremely enthusiastic members of the family and they can love Easter just as much as the rest of us.