Teaching Your Dog to Come
March 25, 2009 by Paris and John
Filed under Tips, Training
Of all the useful commands you can teach your dog, teaching him to come when you call his name isn’t just useful, it can be lifesaving.
It won’t, however, necessarily be easy. There are a lot of temptations out there in the dog’s world, interesting smells to investigate and sounds to follow. You’ll have to teach your dog that coming to you will result in good things for him.
Start by teaching your dog in a small area, whether that’s a small fenced yard or your own living room. This will allow you to practice the command without chasing your dog down. Call your dog’s name and say the word “come” in a cheerful, upbeat voice. When your dog finally comes to you, use lots of praise and a treat. (In time, just the praise will work but, for now, your dog will respond much faster with that “paycheck” of a treat.)
Practice for about five minutes. Never let yourself get impatient (OK, you may get impatient, but never sound or act impatient!) End the lesson after a successful call and give your dog extra praise.
One tip to remember is to never, ever call your dog to you for punishment. All you’ll teach your dog is that coming to you just might get him in trouble. A call to you always means good things.
After you have good luck in the confined area, move outside and graduate to a long leash. (You’ll find 20-foot leashes for about $10.) It is best not to have other people or other dogs in the area.
Easy Steps for Training Your Dog to Come
1. Move about 10 feet away from your dog as he’s not paying attention to you.
2. Enthusiastically call out your dog’s name, followed by the come command: “Come! Come! Come!” Turn sideways as you call your dog (don’t turn your back because you need to watch him closely), and start clapping as you begin to run away from your dog.
4. As soon as he moves in your direction, call out your praise (“Good!”) and keep going.
5. Slow down and let your dog catch up to you then stop and immediately give him a handful of treats and lots of enthusiastic praise–like coming to you was the best thing in the world!
6. Walk about ten steps away from your dog and wait for him to look away from you.
7. Repeat Steps 3, 4 and 5.
8. Repeat this process three times.
You’ll want to repeat this training process every day, always keeping it fun for both you and your dog.
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