Calm Your Rowdy Dog with a Treat Scatter. Solve 3 Problems with 1 Technique.

A treat scatter is one of my favorite tricks for both preventing and fixing problem behaviors. It’s especially helpful for Rowdy Dogs who tend to find LOTS of things in life VERY exciting.

Getting your bouncy, loud Rowdy Dog to focus on the floor is a surprisingly simply solution for a number of problems!

What is it? A treat scatter is treats placed or lightly tossed onto the ground. That’s it!

Why does it work? Treats on the ground get your dog to focus on the ground instead of ___________. When the treats are hard to see, your dog has to use nose to find them and this helps lower his heart rate!

How is it done? Initially, offer a fistful of treats close to your dog’s nose before lightly tossing the treats away from yourself or dropping them onto the ground near your feet. It’s important for your dog to see you toss or drop the treats so he knows where to look. Once he’s more familiar with the game, you don’t have to be so obvious.

Here are some common problem scenarios that I solve with a treat scatter.

Problem #1: Arrival Jumping

Jumping when the family arrives home is a common problem for Rowdy Dogs. Preempt the jump by keeping a stash of treats outside the house and tossing when your dog comes running towards you. Make sure to toss before he jumps, otherwise he’s getting rewarded for jumping. He does not need to sit before you toss. All he has to do is approach — which he’s already doing!

Problem #2: Equipment Dressing

Rowdy Dogs who get squirmy when the harness and leash come out can be very challenging to dress. A treat scatter is the surprisingly simply solution for a lot of dogs.

First, I use a few treats to guide his head through the neck hole, then I drop more treats onto the ground to keep him busy while I buckle. Click here to watch me do it with Hudson and Luke.

Problem #3: Meal Prep

If your Rowdy Dog gets vertical or vocal when you’re preparing his food, some treat scatters can help him keep his voice and body down. As soon as you see your dog START getting worked up, toss a small handful of food onto the ground — you can pull it straight out of his bowl— and continue to toss throughout prep until you put the bowl/toy down for him.
(Buy yourself some extra time between tosses by tossing into a Snuffle Mat!)