Teaching the COME command in obedience
This is the result of a different thread and Anna asking me to share this information. Sorry it is quite lengthy but there is a lot of concept behind achieving a successful recall. I hope this little training session will help someone. You can let me know! :)
There are two things that are critical in learning a solid recall. One, the dog has to have it worth his while to come to you every time. No dog will want to come to his owner if he has experienced unpleasant results for doing so. So what I am saying here is never punish your dog for coming to you no matter how mad you may be. Example.... Pup decides he is going to run out the door from you when it opens, you are in hot persuit and madder than a hornets nest. He is several houses down and you keep calling Come. Eventually he does and you are so embarrassed and mad that you drag him home by his collar the whole way and never give him acknowlegement for coming. His response is... go to her and she'll just drag me home, who needs that! So every time he comes you need to make it worth his while. Even if you don't think he deserves praise but he comes, GIVE IT! Next time he will think.... hmmmm... Come, I go to her and she gives me treats and hugs, OK... I'm on my way mom!!!!
Second, and it ties in closely to number one, Come needs to be a word your dog thinks is the sweetest word in the world he ever hears! It should always mean rewards, including praise which is with you no matter where you go. Never associate Come with anything unpleasant. If your dog hates baths, never associate a come command with getting in the tub after he gets there. Same thing with anything else he has a fear of such as getting nails trimmed, going to the vets, etc.. Instead of calling him to Come to you, in these instances GO TO HIM. Come should never be associated with anything in your pups mind that is unpleasant! Come should be a word that means love, happiness, treats, rewards, toys, whatever is good!
I believe the Come command is one of the most valuable commands a dog can learn because some day it may be the difference between life and death. It is a command that also helps you to establish your authority and teaches your dog respect for you in addition to keeping them out of harms way.
First start when the pup is young, the younger the better! Have a working partner. Have the partner hold the dog by leash while you walk about 6 feet away. Turn and face the pup and say "DIXIE, COME". (Of course you will want to use your pups name.) Make a distinct break between the commands such as Dixie, pause, Come. I like to give the Name authoratatively to get the dogs attention. A common mistake here is to slur the two words together. This is not effective when they are slurred together. You say the dogs name to get his attention. If he is sniffing and you say his name, he will associate get ready she is going to tell me something that will mean rewards... Make sure the dog gives his attention first before saying the COME command. At this stage you can repeat the dogs name if saying it doesn't get his attention the first time. You want to set the dog up for success in any way you can. Especially in the beginning stages of training.
When you say COME, have your working partner release the pup keeping the leash on so it is dragging behind him. When pup arrives in front of you, reward with treats, praise, and any other jubilant expression you chose to display. Let the dog know you are extremely happy he listened. Never reward for the dog coming near you but not too you! Never grab for the dog to come to you. It must be the dog positively being motivated by your praise and treats that will make him Come directly to you! Entice him to come directly too you by showing the treat he will get.
Now you can either have the dog go back to the partner and repeat a minumum of 15 repetitions or have your partner now give the command while you hold pup back. But the partner needs to be someone who is also going to work the dog consistently if they give commands also.
Remember not to say Come in a angry tone, Even if he is in trouble. Use your regualar voice. Always use the same phrase and in the same tone! Be consistent
After the pup successfully can accomplish 10 - 15 repetitions in a row successfully, you are ready to move on......
....Now your pup is catching on so you are ready to move onto the next level of teaching the come command. Continue working with a partner if possible or establish a good sit command if you need to work alone.
Go to your local store and buy a long line that is at least 30 feet long. I purchased a nylon cloths line and put a buckle on the end of it. It was cheap. DO NOT USE A RETRACTABLE LEAD!!!! They are not effective for this training. Work in a area where there are no distractions and ample room for the dog to extend 30 ft. out.
Put the dog on the long leash. If your dog knows the sit/stay, you can give the command and walk away. If not then you need to work with a partner who will hold your dog back while you walk away. Once you are about 10 - 15 feet away, stop and face the dog. Using a soothing but authoritative voice call the dogs name. Remember you want to get the dogs attention with his name. Immediately after the dog looks at you, give the COME command. Say it authoritatively but not in a harsh or mean way. I have heard people say it with so much authority that it is intimidating and others who say it so soft and meek that it does not get the dogs attention. Try to find a happy medium between the two. Once you find your tone that you want to use, BE CONSISTENT! Never waver from that tone.
If you call the dogs name and he does not listen, try it again. If he still doesn't listen then you need to tug on the long line and watch for the dog to look at you. Immediately when he does give the COME command. If he looks at you like WHAT???? is she talking about, start to reel the long line in to you very fast. Once the dog is in front of you praise with treats and a lot of verbal praise. Keep repeating this until the dog looks at you when his name is called and comes when you give the command.
One thing to watch out for but don't get to crazy over is the dog coming with his name and not the Come. You can back up and if you notice the dog watching you already, give the COME command without the dog's name. The name is just to get attention. If you already have attention then you just need COME using the reel in fast if the dog doesn't understand. This is why a lot of people start slurring the two words together. This does not inforce the command in the dogs mind. He needs to know his name and the Come command are seperate.
You need to develop the consistentcy of this distance (10 - 15 ft) before moving back the entire length of the long line. Once you have consistency the distance of the long line, you are ready for distractions.
Working dogs with distractions is the most important part of this training. It is what cements the training in your dogs head. Basically what you do is take the dog where you know there will be distractions. It could be your backyard filled with screaming kids or a dog park with other dogs running around or where ever you can find distractions. Always on lead, use the above technique you did without distractions. NEVER go off the long line at this point and start at only 10 - 15 ft. Move up to 30 ft. very gradually. Before moving up make sure the dog does it consistently 15 times before moving the threshold.
Why most dogs fail is because they are moved too fast through the stages. Don't rush it and you should work the dog for at least two 10 minute sessions daily in the beginning. Once the dog starts to understand you can shorten it to once a day for 10 minutes but remember practice makes purfect!
Another pitfall to avoid, only give the command Come once and then reel the dog in. If your dog knows you will give the Come command three times before you reel him in, he will wait until the third time. Don't give him that opportunity to wait. It is COME , 1001, 1002, reel in real fast! This reinforces the dog to come the first time he is called.
Once you have it mastered on leash with distractions, you can try off lead without distractions and work your way up to off lead with distractions. However by the time you get to off leash training you should try to have a nice solid sit on the dog also.
By the off leash training stage you should also get the dogs attention with only one command of his name. If you don't have this, don't proceed to off leash work. If you know your dog understands the command to come but does not respond to you 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, go get the leash and put him back on it. Call him again (only once). If he ignores you again then reel him into you and then reward him with only praise but no treats. And the praise should not be as jubilent either but you should still praise. The reward is not so great for not listening the first time! Go back to on leash training for a few more times before trying off lead again.
Never end a training session with a disastrous recall. If you have to get a successful one by having the dog on lead, then do so. Leaving on a bad note will stick in the dogs mind more than any of the other successful recalls.
You need to work this until you feel the dog comes consistently. Make sure the dogs reward for coming is exciting and worth his effort to come. Happy Training!!! :D :D
