How can I get my dog to come, when he's called, he never comes to me. I always have to chase him!
What can I do?
I understand your frustration! Many people have the same problem with their dogs. "Come" is probably the most basic command
every dog needs to learn. A dog that won't come when he's called is a danger to himself as well as a headache to you.
First, until your puppy has been properly trained, do not let him run off leash even for a minute! Dogs aren't smart enough to look
both ways before crossing the street. They have no idea that cars can kill them. Accidents happen in the blink of an eye and it only
takes one mistake to lose your dog forever. If you love him, put his safety first and keep him on his leash!
Most puppies have a strong instinct to follow and stay close to their masters. They readily come when they're called. As they grow up
, they start to think for themselves and become more independent. Busy exploring or playing, the dog ignores your call. Why, he has
better things to do!
Well, I know exactly what you are going through! "your dog will run to you if he has experienced something unpleasant for his trouble".
To get your dog to come to you, this time and every time, you have to make it worth his while. "Come" needs to be the sweetest word
your dog ever hears, it should always mean love, hugs and rewards. Never, Ever, call your dog to you to punish him, to give him a bath
or for anything he might think is unpleasant. "Come" must always mean that something good will happen to him, something far better
than whatever he's doing at the time."
This lessons should take place in the house or within a fenced in area. You should crouch down low to the floor or ground, using a
happy, loving, cheerful tone of voice, calling the dog to you. If he doesn't want to pay attention, encourage him with whistles, funny
noises, toys or extra special treats. When he reaches you, act like he's done the greatest thing in the whole world! Hug him, praise him,
pet him, love him and reward him with treats. Little bits of hot dog work very well!
Throughout the day, stop what you're doing for a minute and call your dog. Reward him handsomely when he comes. It doesn't
matter if he's three feet away, in another room or a different part of the house. Call him and love him to death when he comes!
Practice often and make coming when called the most enjoyable thing in your dog's life.
When your dog is coming happily to you the first time he hears you call, it's time to move your training outside where there are more
distractions. This is very important: for now, keeping your dog on a leash! You must be able to enforce the come command if your dog
doesn't obey. Without a leash, you have no control over the dog and he knows it. Always use a leash until your dog is more reliable.
With a pocketful of treats, go for a walk with your dog on a loose leash. Using a cheerful voice, stop and call him to you. Praise him,
give him a treat and hug him when he obeys. What if he doesn't come or pretends he doesn't hear you? Tug sharply on the leash and
walk backwards, calling him merrily the whole time. Reward him generously when he reaches you even though you had to make him
do it. Return to your walk, stopping periodically to call your dog over and over.
As your dog improves, practice with a longer leash. You can buy "long lines" at a pet store or make your own using materials from the
hardware store. Nylon roping and even clothesline works well. Let him explore, chase a stick or play with a ball, then stop and call him
to you. If he doesn't come, tug on the line and run the other direction, calling "come, Come, COME!" Let him chase you and when he
reaches you, reward him with praise and hugs. Make the training a game and make him think that coming to you is a much better
game than he could think up on his own!
When your dog will come each and every time, you can start working off the leash but within a fenced area, the smaller the better at
first. Do not trust him off leash in an unconfined area! Let him play, sniff, explore, then call him. He didn't come? Don't try to catch
him, instead resort to trickery. My favorite method is to sit down right there on the ground and pretend to have a treat. He'll come
running back to see what's in your hand. Don't scold him for not obeying, just snap the leash back on and keep practicing. He's shown
you he's not ready for freedom and needs to go back to the basics. Start his training over from the beginning and don't remove the
leash again for at least a week.
"Sometimes" when I let my dog out in the yard "and or" go for a walk he will run ahead of me, so I stop and chouch down and call him
and he will always come, thinking I have something for him! If you only call your dog when it's time to come in, he may think that "
come" always means "the party's over." Under those circumstances, you might not come either! I like my dogs to learn that "come"
means something really good will happen to them or that another new adventure may be about to begin. Throughout my training,
use "come" to call him often just for loving and playing as well as when playtime's done and it's time to come in.
If you know your dog understands the command to come, but doesn't respond when you call, don't waste time calling his name over
and over. He'll just keep on ignoring you. In the process, he'll learn that it's okay to ignore you. Instead, call him again using a happy,
encouraging voice but only give the command twice, no more. He heard you the first time. If he doesn't respond, go and get him.
When you catch up with him, don't scold or punish him. Just snap his leash on and matter of fact, go straight to the house. No
punishment but no rewards either. Then start his training over again.
When my dogs do something wrong I never use "come" I say "Get Over Here, NOW"
If someone called you and when you came they yelled at you, what would you think? You'd probably wish you'd run the other way
instead, wouldn't you? The next time they called, you probably would run the other way! That's exactly what your dog is doing. When
she hears you call, she doesn't know what she's going to find when she gets there "will I get a treat or will I get a spanking?" She
certainly doesn't want a spanking so she's going to go the other direction just to be on the safe side.
No dog will come if it thinks there'll be something unpleasant when it gets there. That's why trainers always recommend that we should
never, ever call a dog in order to punish it or make it do something it doesn't like. When you need to correct your dog, go to her, don't
make her come to you. When it's time for a bath or a trip to the vet, don't call her to you, go and get her instead. "Come" should
always be a word that means joy, love, hugs and treats, never punishment or unpleasantness.
