This trick can be taught with any toy or item and could turn out to be very useful if you lost something. Besides the practical usefulness of this trick, this is a really fun game to play with your dog! Have your dog go out of the room and sit, then hide the object somewhere in the next room. The object could be anything: one of his toys, an article of clothing, but make sure he knows what he's searching for. For a more advanced performance, hide something with a less noticeable scent, such as the tv remote or a set of keys.
Step 1: Have your dog sit.
Step 2: Hold up an object that he is familiar with (he knows its name) and let him smell it.
Step 3: Place the object under something obvious (like a towel), and say "find it." You might add the name of the object if it doesn't do it quickly ("find it" bunny). Click and treat when he touches the object.
Step 4: Repeat several times, but each time you repeat move the object to a different location, getting progressively more difficult. Click and treat each time.
Step 5: Let him smell and then hide other objects that he is not familiar with and give the "find it" command.
Once your dog knows this command, you have built a foundation for scentwork, barn hunt, and shed.