"come"

[AndrewF]

Well, just finished with Jake's evening walk and what fun it was!

About half way through, while crossing a road, Jake's leash unfastened from his collar and he was free as a bird in the middle of the road. I'm not sure if the clip didn't fasten around the 'd' ring or if the ring managed to slip out of the clip.

Regardless, if there's one thing you ever teach your dog, make sure it's to come - both inside and outside.

Thankfully no cars were coming and like the good pupp he is, he came to me when I called him, walked to the other side of the road and sat while I got the leash re-fastened (cold metal on cold fingers - yay!!!).

I'm really proud of Jake for doing as well as he has with learning his commands and something like this really proves the importance of teaching dogs to come - not just in the living-room, but outside where there's plenty to distract a puppy's attention.

 

[stbernard]

Ya, I know the feeling. I have trained Missy to go outside and she goes and then comes back to me. I have a small potion of yard in my front yard and I have used the same area for her to go. I am outside w/her...of course. After she is done, she come to me and I give her praise for doing the right thing. My yard is in the middle of my house and the street, and she stays out of the road.

 

[candy722]

Oh man. You guys have really obedient dogs. I try to teach Toki Come and he only comes when he sees food in my hands. Once he runs out of the house and I go after him I catch him on the road and he won't listen to "come". He understands come when Im inside the house but he would only do it if his not distracted by something and if I have food in my hands. His the type of dog that learns fast but he will only do what you say when you have food. He only plays fetch when I have food or else Im the one fetching after him. Sucks.

 

[homelessdog]

Whew, I'm glad your dog came when you called!

BTW, for anyone else in that situation, running towards a dog that's got loose will often encourage them to keep running! They say it's best to run in a different direction, and make lots of noise, clapping and calling for the dog to chase you. You want to become the one leading the run. When they come near, fall down to the ground and let them investigate you till you can grab a hold of them!

 

[smkie]

my old boss always took out his white hankercheif and would wave it in the air to get the dog's attention and then give it a little toss...that almost always got their curiosity and they would run in to see what it is..white really helps...even a white piece of paper..anything will work in a pinch.
Congrates to you and jake..you have obviously bonded nicely and he respects you even from a distance..that is such a big step in developing the kind of dog you can take anywhere with you with complete trust..your trust in him..and his trust in you.

 

[schaferhund]

Oh man. You guys have really obedient dogs. I try to teach Toki Come and he only comes when he sees food in my hands. Once he runs out of the house and I go after him I catch him on the road and he won't listen to "come". He understands come when Im inside the house but he would only do it if his not distracted by something and if I have food in my hands. His the type of dog that learns fast but he will only do what you say when you have food. He only plays fetch when I have food or else Im the one fetching after him. Sucks.

Hello, try practicing this, it might help you with the come command/recall. Every dog should know it, it is the most important command.

First place your dog in a sit directly at your side in a heel position with the leash on. Tell your dog to wait. We like to distinguish the wait command and the stay command. With the wait command, they can get up without a release word. With the stay command they can only get up when we say the word "ok". Anways, once you tell your dog to wait, step in front of him/her and walk to the end of the leash. A 6 ft leash works the best for this exercise. Proceed to call your dog to you by saying the dogs name followed by "come". Make sure you are using an upbeat voice while calling your dog to you. Once you call him/her, start walking backwards while pulling the dog into you with the leash. Take about 6 or 7 steps then stop and get your dog to sit directly in front of you. While your walking backward and your dog is coming to you praise him/her by saying "good come" "great come" in a very upbeat voice. Once your dog gets to you and sits praise him/her again. Remember to always be very upbeat. Practice this everyday if you can until your dog comes to you the first time you call him/her. Eventually your dog will get the hang of it. If your dog does not come back to you, then keep practicing on leash.

One more tip, if your dog does not come back to you, do not yell or scold him. That will only make him not want to come to you when you call him. Never call your dog to you to punish him. You always go get him and then show him what he did wrong. Also, if you call him and he does not come, do not chase him, he will only think it's a game.I hope this helps.

The best way to know if you've mastered the come is to take your dog to an enclosed area and play with him/her. Throw a ball or a favorite toy, have family members play with him/her and then call him/her to you while the dog is playing. Especially when you throw a toy, and he is going for it, call him back to you before he gets to it. Then reward him with the toy and lots of praise, "great come", "good come", "boy that was a nice come", etc.

 

[Doberluv]

That was great Andrew...looks like you're doing a great job teaching your dog to come.

I think the sit/stay command is equally important. If your dog is away from you on the other side of the road and you see a car coming and there's no time for the dog to come to you without getting hit, it is impreative that he know "sit/stay!" (even from a distance)

Another thing I would discourage in the early stages of training is to call your dog to come after being put into a sit/stay. It will solidify your sit/stay better if he never is encouraged to break it until he's very, very good at the stay. What I did with the recall at first was keep my dog on a long line and entice him to come, not using the word, "come" at first. I'd make silly, fun noises and run the other way, clapping my hands and in general looking like a nut. When he was obviously coming and just a few feet away, I'd say, "come." And then reward with treats and praise. I then phased in the automatic sit in front of me when he came. That must now be consistant.

If you have a problem with the dog ONLY coming when he sees treats in your hand, put them in your pocket. Do the other methods to entice him to come and add the command ONLY when you are positive he's coming. Then give the treat and praise...lots of praise. Later on, give the treat randomly...not every time. But for a while until this becomes habit to come when called, give treats.