It’s Imperative for You to Teach Your Dog to Come When Called
And there are many ways that you can do so.
But, my favorite way to teach my dog to come when called is by playing “hide and seek”.
However, I understand that many people can’t find the time or another person to help them. For them I would say… TRY HARDER.
Single-handedly, this, and restraint (someone holding your dog away from you when you call him), is THE BEST way to teach your dog to come when called.
Simply put, it is fun!!!
And, fun games make for reliable behaviors!
However, we need a multitude of ways to teach our dogs to come to us, whether it be formal obedience style or just functional style.
So, what is the quickest way to teach your dog to come when called?
I think the quickest way (minus the aforementioned style), is teaching them when they are on leash and you are working on leash training and obedience.
Let’s be clear, if you have absolutely NO leash manners, you can’t expect your dog to listen to any other command. He is simply out walking and pulling and yanking and sputtering to fulfill his own needs and do what he wants.
This, by the way, is not a great way to work with a dog.
Dogs should learn leash manners and learn to listen to their human while they are on leash.
It isn’t easy, but it is worth it. If you need help, read this and ALL of the highlighted articles within, because leash manners is one of the most difficult things you can ask your dog to perform.
Do You Want Your Dog To Have Good Leash Manners?
Check out our class, where we show you how you can teach your dog to have impeccable leash manners, even if right now, he’s out of control, always jumping on you during walks, or biting and tugging on the leash..
From here, we can learn to back up and call them!
So while I am walking down the road with my dog (with possibly no destination in mind), I simply run backwards and call my dog to come.
Why would I do that?
I mean, he is right there on leash next to me, and I don’t NEED him to come!
But that is the kind of consistency that he needs.
Also, that is the kind of positivity he needs.
There is literally no conflict when you walk backwards and call him to come (unless you do it in a very distracting environment).
He simply turns around and comes and sits in front of you.
You also have control!
Volume creates habit.
And, when that volume is also accompanied by reward and positivity, you are building a bridge of happiness.
You are creating a habit.
Come = GREAT THINGS!
This increases your chance that even if your dog is accidentally off leash, he will still listen!
My Recommendation
Do it often!
Reward handsomely!
Make it fun!
And, never make it’s meaning change to something negative.
Also, never think “My dog has got this…. We can stop this training and move on to something else.”
I don’t care if my puppy is 8 weeks or 15 years old, his recall is the most important thing in his and my life.
And, literally all it takes is a few minutes of fun a day to build the bridge that helps him to remember how fun the “come” command is!
So, you’d better get started!
via Whisker Therapy