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At least three times a day, take a full 30 seconds to reward your dog for coming to you. Start in a quiet place where you have no treats on you, but they are available (in a cupboard, etc.). Out of the blue, say “Treat Party” and then run to the cupboard, and start the party. Some of the time the treats can be on you, but make sure that treats aren’t always there before the party begins. Otherwise, the treats become the cue, not the Treat Party phrase that you are trying to teach.

Continue rehearsing treat party at least a few times a day for at least a few months. As you feed or play with toys, say the cue/phrase over and over, like Treat Party, the whole time I’m tossing out treats on the floor. Be sure to cue Treat Party before she knows that you have treats, so the phrase predicts the party. Treat Party is an emergency cue for coming back to you.

Say the Treat Party cue only when your dog is definitely coming to you, and then repeat the cue during before each treat during the feeding (or playing) process. I use the goofy cue of Treat Party because I want you to keep the parties coming, so that that cue stays strong, even if all else fails. Make sure you also remember to say the emergency cue in a real emergency. Practice in many different locations, but be sure it’s the right level of distraction. Set it up so that your dog will definitely come to you when you say Treat Party.

VIDEO NOTE:

I really like video because it gives me a chance to see where I can improve. Expect to see videos in this course where I follow up with an explanation of how I could have done better.  You can post your videos for peer discussion in the ABBA Facebook group. If you do so, please be (emotionally) ready for suggestions from your fellow students and any CBATIs in the group on how you can improve.

Catch yourself doing things right in the videos, but it will probably not be perfect. If you do post video to the group, point out what went well and also be sure to note times when you could have done better, and explain how. This is a good opportunity for you to learn.

For example, in my leash video above, the dog is wearing a flat collar because we had no other gear. I would really, really prefer to have her in a harness. I use the rear clip for BAT set-ups, unless more control is needed for safety.

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