Originally posted by ktreva52:
Teaching the come is very important -- .
Hannah is 5 years old and I've had her since she was a puppy. We have practiced the "come command" every single day, inside and outside. Come is about the only command that is almost 100 percent rewarded with a treat, usually the BaaBaa Q's which are her favorite. Yes I have used ALL the principals you have recommmended and in training she does "come" perfectly. The problem develops when she is outside in the fenced back yard and I want her to come in and especially when she has started to bark at some distraction like a neighbor's cat or a squirrel. This is usually at the most inopportune time like first thing in the morning or last thing at night when I am in my pajamas. I call, "Hannah, come", and it is like she is deaf. Here is where I do resort to several calls. Now I am promising her cheese. Then I tell her Tucker is getting the cheese. (Sometimes this works.) If not, I go outside in my bathrobe and gloshes and try to coax her to me. Forget it! As soon as I get close, she zips away. She is still barking at the cat or whatever. Now, I have given up on the "come" and start with "in the house" which is another command she knows. Generally, I get her in after some effort, but this is not what I'm looking for. For three years we did not have a fenced in yard so whenever she was out, she was on a long leash, so "come" was enforced repeatedly. But she has deduced when it can be enforced and when it can't.