Come When Called...HOW TO

[RedyreRotties]

One mistake many people make when they begin trying to train their dogs to do something is use the command word to elicit the behavior before the dog understands what it means.

For example, if you are teaching your puppy to sit, he should not hear the word sit unless he IS sitting, and preferably in the ACTION of sitting. This names the correct behavior for the puppy. If he hears you say SIT. SIT SIT. SIT SIT SIT SIT while is standing or jumping around on his hind legs, then his brain has associated the word sit with THAT behavior.

NOT sit.

Once the dog demonstrates a good understanding of the link between the verbal command and the behavior, you can then use it to elicit the behavior.

Many people unwittingly teach their dogs to ignore them when they call them by the way they use the recall command when the dog is NOT coming.

So remember, name that behavior ONLY when it's happening in the beginning.

Here is how to teach them to RUN to you when you call....

This is my version of the popular game to teach puppies to love running to you when you call. This game also is a reinforcer for attention training.

COPYRIGHT 2005/2006 Rebekah L. Pless * all rights reserved
Free for use or copy by anyone as long as author info remains intact

The Recall Game

Having a dog who will reliably come when called is one of the best
things in life. This means FREEDOM for your dog. Here is how to teach
your dog to RUN to you each time you call it.

1) NEVER call your dog unless you are CERTAIN you can enforce
the command. Each time you call your dog and he does not immediately
come to you to receive a food reward, you take a step backwards in
his learning to come when you call. It is important not to make
mistakes when teaching the recall. DO NOT CALL YOUR DOG if there is
ANY chance you cannot enforce the command. EVER.
2) NEVER call your dog to you for anything unpleasant. If you
need to interrupt a play session, or you are going to trim nails, or
if you are about to do anything to your dog that he does not enjoy,
GO GET THE DOG. Do not call him to you.
3) FOOD REWARD every single recall. EVERY SINGLE ONE. This
means keeping treats in your pockets at all times.
4) Smiles are required equipment when calling your dog. NEVER
EVER call your dog in anything but a praise tone of voice. Correction
will NEVER help a recall. Your dog must WANT to come when you call.

To play the game you need at least 2 people, and several is great.
Each person is given a handful of very small soft treats. I prefer
tiny pieces of hotdogs or string cheese. Pieces should be VERY small,
even for a larger dog or puppy. I slice a hotdog in half and cut the
pieces the size of a nickle. Once people have their treats, they
should take a seat around the room with as much room between them as
the room will allow.

One person takes the puppy or dog and points him towards the person
who is going to begin the game. This person may do anything to get
the puppy to come towards him except say the word COME. Clap hands,
smile, laugh, show the treat, call PUPPPY PUPPPPY PUPPPPY, or the
dog's name. When it is CLEAR that the pup is committed to going to
the person, and ONLY THEN, say the pup's name, and come. For example,
Bailey, COME! It does not matter if the puppy is almost to you, as
long as the pup hears his name and the word COME while he is going
TOWARDS the person calling.

Hold the hand with the food right up next to your body so that the
puppy has to come all the way up to you and touch you to get the
treat. Do not feed the treat until you are holding the puppy's
collar. This prevents the "snatch and run" game. Praise and pet the
puppy cheerfully while he is getting his treat. Once the pup has had
his little tiny treat, it's time to point him towards another person
who does the same thing.

It is extremely important that the participants understand they are
NOT to say the word COME unless the puppy is already doing just that.

Play as long as the pup is interested. Main rules, Do not say COME
unless the puppy IS coming, hold the treat up CLOSE to your body, and
you must be holding the collar to feed the treat.

This simple game does more to build a reliable recall than any other
training you can do. Your pup will quickly learn that his name and
the word come means TREAT. Each time you call the pup and reward him
for coming quickly to you, you build a more ingrained and reliable
response. If you are consistent and train this game at least 2 to 3
times per week, you will have a dog who will ALWAYS come when you
call it. Most owners list this as a top priority for their dogs. Here
is a fun and simple way to attain this goal.

Practice often! Your pup will love this game, and so will your friends.


Once the puppy is coming reliably and happily indoors, you can graduate to outdoors.

Use a retractible leash or a long line. Wait for the pup to get distracted. When he is interested in something really cool, call him. If necessary, help the pup with the lead or the line. Make sure when you start outdoor work you have treats that are ESPECIALLY GOOD. Call him off what he is interested in, and JACKPOT the pup the first time. (give him a whole handful of the delicious treats).

Many times it will take a while for the pup to go get interested in something else again after you have called and rewarded him. Be patient.

Practice often. Gradually increase the distractions. If you use these methods consistently, over time you can build a recall that is almost bomb proof.

[lisahumphreys882]

Thanks that info seems really useful. Mine desperately needs to learn that...

[BOBS DAD]

Thanks that info seems really useful. Mine desperately needs to learn that...

I agree. Thanks... I am going to give this stuff a whirl. Funny thing you mention about the negative reinforcement... My wife will call BOB endlessly and even talk about how bad he listens... laugh, and then to prove her point begin calling him again, "Bob, Come... Bob, Come, Come here... Bob, Come here". I always thought that this was a bad proactice and now I have Emailed her your pasted quote" Bob listens to me best (of the family members) and ironically I was just subconsciously doing more of what you've stated, I really only do seem to call Bob when he is most likely to come and I only call him once. If he doesn't come, then I go get him. But your ideas are very good practice to begin. Thanks again!!!

ANY IDEAS ON NAILCUTTING????

Bith my dogs hate it and will fight with me for an hour before I can finish. Ginger just squirms but Bob will even ngrowl and nip my hands. I don'y get it. I've never cut to their quick and I have nice sharp cutter (both kinds) but they just refuse to cooperate - even for the vets. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

[RedyreRotties]

First thing I would do is buy a small dremel. This is something they will not associate with nail cutting because it is so different. You can then condition a pleasant association with the dremel.

Once they have a pleasant association with it, you can begin using it to groom nails.

http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merens...el/dremel.html

[GreyhoundGirl]

If there's one thing ( other than agility ) that jen knows that I'm proud of it would be comming when called. This is what I did.

1: go to a fenced area, I used dog-park and tennis court.

2: let dog off leash and wait 'till she is a few meters away.

3: call dog and pull out tasty treat. ( I suggest last nights chicken )

4: gradually increase the distance from your dog before you call her.

5: enjoy a well-trained doggie.

Hope this works for anyone who's working on it. Good luck.

[Thandi]

Everyone mentions treats while training. Well, Chloe is totally and absolutely disinterested in any form of food as a treat. It's a bummer, really, because it would make life so much easier! The laser pointer works if she's in the mood for it. Mika will do anything for a treat, so I don't have a problem with her, but neither do I have a problem with training her, only with Chloe. Oh well....

[binka_nugget]

Everyone mentions treats while training. Well, Chloe is totally and absolutely disinterested in any form of food as a treat. It's a bummer, really, because it would make life so much easier! The laser pointer works if she's in the mood for it. Mika will do anything for a treat, so I don't have a problem with her, but neither do I have a problem with training her, only with Chloe. Oh well....

How about turning the training sessions into games? Kai LOVES playing hide and seek so I do that for his recall exercises. I started by putting him in a stay, then hiding somewhere (where he could still see a part of me.. like behind the curtains). Then I'd call him and reward him like crazy when he found me. He got better and better so eventually, I was able to leave him upstairs while I went downstairs and hid in tough spots.. like downstairs, in my closet, in my room, behind some blankets. He LOVES it. I find that he responds much better when training is a game for him, rather than just working for food. I also try to do the hide and seek a bit when we're in the dog park. I usually hide behind a tree or bench so he still thinks of come as something fun and exciting.. even when we're at the park.

[Thandi]

Thanks Binka, but Chloe is still learning about playing! She finally tossed a toy into the air a week ago, but as soon as she saw me looking at her, dropped it. She lived on the streets for the first two years of her life and doesn't know how to do a lot of normal dog stuff. She also will run away if given the opportunity, or herd smaller dogs at the park until she starts to nip, so learning a really good recall is essential. We have resorted to wearing a muzzle at the doggie park because of the chasing dogs down thing she's started, only with certain dogs, and almost always much smaller than her.

She still watches Mika for guidance on what to do, although they do play amazingly together, it's such a pleasure to watch. I'll keep trying the recall and maybe soon she'll begin to work for treats.

[koas house]

Koa is 10.5 weeks old and I'm not a trainer but he loves to play chase and run after me. While running, I clap my hands and keep repeating "come on Koa, come on". I'll get a little ahead of him (now that he's faster than I am I have to trick him by going around an object and he'll try to cut me off) but I'll turn around and as he's coming right at me I kneel down, clap my hands and say repeat "come on Koa, come on" and he bounds right into my arms and I praise him excitedly. In the short 2.5 weeks we've had him, I'm the only one that can reliably get him to come to me because I'll just kneel down, clap my hands and use the same excited words as when we're playing and he'll come right to me. My husband and kids are just starting to use the technique and it's instantly working like a charm with them as well. I'm not sure if it would work on older dogs but good luck!

[timlewis]

Thanks for the tips i have a 8 week old boxer i have been trying to train starting with sit. i have been telling her to sit while she is standing and jumping i will try it the your way and see how it works.

[RedyreRotties]

Tim, if you want her to sit, take a tiny piece of food, for a puppy that size, a piece of hotdog half the size of a nickel is great. (Start with a frozen hotdog, slice it lengthwise, and then into slivers about the thickness of a nickel. Voila. LOTS of puppy training treats. you can do string cheese the same way)

Hold the food between your thumb and fingers so she can smell it but not get it. Hold it right down where she can easily reach it to smell it and lick it, and keep it right on the end of her nose. Once she is interested, start to raise the food upwards and slightly backwards towards her rear. As her nose follows the food up, her butt will go down, and she will sit. As he butt hits the floor, say SIT, and release the treat into her mouth.

Work gradually on using just a hand motion to lure her to sit, and then towards her sitting on a verbal command only.

Once you have her sitting, make another post, and I'll tell you how to teach down.

If you have not already, please read the post about the TOY BOX.

[timlewis]

thank you for the tip i have been trying it that way with a treat, after reading ur post and after just 2 days she is responding great.