The Best Treat Party Ever!

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The other day we were in the house working when our neighbor came over and told us that our dog was running up the street.

We had accidentally left the front gate open and our yellow lab was off exploring the neighborhood!

We went out front and looked up the street and there she was having a great time sniffing a neighbor’s front yard. I called, ‘Bella, Come!’. And she stopped and looked at me…

Now our Miss Bella is the sweetest, most affectionate, smartest dog ever.

But she has one thing that none of our other dogs has ever had — A T T I T U D E

So when she looked at me, I could tell she was thinking, ‘Nah, I don’t think so. I’m gonna just hang out here and check out this awesome yard I just discovered!’.

To be honest - I totally expected that. I knew she was having way too much fun to want to come home. But I didn’t panic because I knew I had the magic words that would make her want to come back.

So I yelled, ‘TREAT PARTY! TREAT PARTY! TREAT PARTY!’.

Well, her head snapped up, she looked at me for a split second and she took off running toward me at full speed - ears flying behind her the whole way.

Our neighbor stood there with her eyes wide and said ‘Wow! that’s something I need to teach my dogs!!’.

And I got to thinking. Maybe more people out there would like to know how to get their dog to come to them. No matter what.

So here’s how it works:

Start this training inside. For this exercise, you want to use really good treats like bits of cheese, or small pieces of hot dogs, etc.

In a happy voice, say your dog’s name and then ‘come!’. As soon as she starts toward you, begin chanting ‘treat party! treat party! treat party!’ like it’s a very fun game. While you are chanting, drop 5 or 6 treats at your feet. Your dog will love it! And she will learn that ‘Treat Party!’ means something really good to eat.

Do this once or twice a day for a week. You’ll know that your dog ‘gets it’ when she immediately runs to you when you say ‘Treat Party!' Then just do it about once a month to make sure she doesn’t forget. I practice it when Bella is out in the backyard and out of my sight. She immediately comes running no matter where she is or what she’s doing.

Always be sure to use really yummy treats!

And don’t overuse this or it’ll lose its magic.

A word of caution: If your dog has gotten loose and you need to use this to get her to come to you — always be sure to look first at what is between you and your dog. You want to make sure they won’t run into traffic or any other potentially dangerous situations before you use ‘Treat Party!’ to call them to you.

When Bella was out the other day, we had grabbed a couple of treats on our way out the door so we had something to give her. But rest assured, this will work and you can use it in an emergency even if you don’t have anything to give your dog at the time.

The best thing about Treat Party is - you won’t panic and you’ll be confident that your dog will return to you.

No matter what.

Happy training!