How to Get Raikou, Spinda, Shiny Snubbull, and Shiny Houndour in 'Pokémon GO'

Pokémon GO is celebrating August with a new Field Research challenge that’s all about Raikou, the legendary Electric-type dog Pokémon from Pokémon Gold and Silver. However, that also means a bunch of other Pokémon and special Pokémon variants are joining the game, including Spinda, Shiny Snubbull, and Shiny Houndour. Here’s what you need to know to catch ‘em all.

Let’s start with Spinda, a Gen 3 Pokémon that’s been mysteriously absent from the game until now. This is likely because, in the series, Spinda’s design features randomized dots, leading to over 4 billion potential variants. Pokémon GO’s solution to this problem is to offer just eight different versions of the Pokémon, and just one to start.

For now, you can only catch a Spinda with a dot pattern that makes it look like the Pokémon is sporting a goatee. To do so, you’ll need to visit a Poké Stop with the same pattern to unlock the challenge and then land three successful curveballs in a row. Once you do that, Spinda should appear. At that point, it’s up to you to catch it.

As for those shinies, that mostly comes down to luck. Since the odds of any Pokémon showing up as shiny are randomly generated and very rare, you’ll just have to rinse and repeat until you luck out and find a Shiny Snubbul (purple)l, and Shiny Houndour (blue). Then again, your best bet may be to wait for a future special event where the spawn odds for these Pokémon increase, improving your chances of running into a shiny version.

Finally, to add Raikou to your collection you’ll need to complete various tasks in the August Field Research challenge, unlocking stamps that give you opportunities to take on the legendary electric dog. If you stick to it, you should get four chances to catch Raikou this month. Good luck!