Teaching Your Dog to Come

Yesterday at the dog park a woman was trying hard to get her dog to come.But despite her repeated admonitions, all her buddy did was run...and keep on running...with her in hot pursuit.When her dog finally was captured, the woman put a leash on him, yanked him around, yelled at him, then dragged him out of the park and put him in the car.

Positive reinforcement?You bet, if she wants to teach her pet how notto come when he’s called.Unfortunately, many people unwittingly train their companions to run away rather than obey their command.How?By making bad things happen when the dog returns: He’s punished, loses his freedom, and his fun comes to a grinding halt.

A trained dog is a happy dog.It means he can go places and do things that an untrained dog can’t.But unless he’s in your backyard or at a dog park, even a well trained dog should be on a leash when he’s out in public.It’s safer for him, for you as his owner, and for the general public.In fact, most pet adoption organizations (humane societies and impound facilities)have a clause in their adoption contract stating that an adopted dog must be leashed or they have the right to take it back.

Teaching your companion to come, also known as the recall command, may be the most important lesson he will ever learn.It will not only save your sanity, it may even save his life.Whether you’re working with a puppy, adult, senior or rescue dog, your companion should respond because he wants to, not because he has to.Whenever you say “come,” he should not only understand what you want but get positive reinforcement in the form of praise, pets, and/or “high value” treats such as small pieces of boneless chicken, steak, hot dogs or freeze dried liver.

If your dog does not have a reliable recall, there’s always the possibility he may get loose and take off down the street.If you chase after him yelling “come,” he’ll either think it’s a game, feel like he’s being threatened, or figure you’ll punish him and put him in solitary confinement by withdrawing your affection.If you’re lucky, you might get him to return by calling his name once or twice and walking or running in the opposite direction.If that doesn’t work, you could lay on a lawn or the sidewalk to get his attention.Lastly, you could call it quits and pray that he doesn’t get lost or hit by a car.But no matter how mad or scared you are, or how long it takes him to return, praise him when he gets back.Young or old, your dog needs to know that when he comes, good things happen.

An excellent way to work with him informally is when he’s occupied in the backyard. Call him.When he responds, praise him, give him a treat and allow him to resume the activity he was enjoying.If you have time, call him, then take him for a walk or initiate a game. That way, he'll look forward to doing your bidding rather than devising ways to outwit you.Even if you’re late, or mad because your request has been ignored, you should always be positive when he finally obeys.This means using praise and a high happy voice, even if you’re calling him not-so-nice names.No matter how long it takes for him to come, don’t hit him, yell at him, tell him he’s bad or intimidate him.If you do, you will never achieve a consistent, immediate, recall.

Depending on your pet’s age and previous training, different techniques need to be used but, any dog can be trained to come if the owner is willing to put in the time and patience requiredto meet the challenge.A good example was my six-year-old Lab-cross rescue who was left at the pound because she kept running away.She was a genuine Houdini when it came to getting out of the yard, and her response to the come command was to look over her shoulder then pick up the pace going in the wrong direction.To get her attention, I’d call her name. The second she looked over her shoulder I’d say, “Good girl, Bonnie. Come,” and throw a treat about three feet behind her.

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