🐾 Negotiations at the Treat Table

The Setup:

Ever noticed how your dog suddenly becomes a master negotiator the second a treat appears in your hand? You didn’t say a word. You didn’t cue anything. But their eyes lock on, the gears start turning, and suddenly—it’s showtime.

🐕Meet Archer and his partner Captain, caught mid-negotiation.

🔍 Try This At Home:

The Negotiation Drill

1. Grab a treat.

2. Hold it out in plain view.

3. Say nothing. No cues. No commands. Keep that poker face on.

4. Just observe.

Watch your dog start their version of a negotiation. Maybe they:

• Offer a sit or down ✅

• Throw out their whole trick repertoire like a furry Vegas act 🎩

• Bark or paw at you 🐾

• Try to boop or snatch the treat out of your hand (lookin’ at you, Archer 😆)

Whatever it is, just watch. This is your dog saying, “Will this get me what I want?”

🤔 Now Ask Yourself:

• What do I normally reward?

• Is it calmness? Politeness?

• Or is it frantic energy, pushiness, or just persistence?

You’re not just teaching them what works—you’re showing them what you value.

And here’s the kicker:
🧠 What we reward is what we get more of.
Every behavior that earns a cookie is a behavior your dog will repeat like their life depends on it. Because to them—it kinda does.

🎯 Training Tip:

If your dog throws a tantrum or excitement storm during “the negotiation” and you hold your ground until they settle, you’ve just taken a huge step toward teaching calm focus. And that is golden.

💬 And if you cave the second they paw or whine? Congrats, your dog just successfully negotiated a new strategy to put in their playbook. 😅

✨ Final Thought:

Dog training isn’t just about teaching dogs. It’s about noticing how we respond. This little treat test isn’t just a window into your dog’s mind—it’s a mirror into your own patterns.

So... what kind of negotiator is your dog? And what are you teaching them to believe works? 👀

🙋‍♂️ Your Turn:

Run the negotiation experiment. If you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns, just reply back to this email.

Stay curious, stay calm, and keep those negotiations honest. 😉
– Steve 🐾