How To Train A Dog To Come On Your Command
How to Train a Dog to Come on Your Command
Training your dog to come is probably one of the most important commands you can teach your dog. It's essential for safety reasons, it gives your dog more freedom, and as an owner it gives you piece of mind. When we're teaching our dog to come on our command, what is the desired result we want?
We want our dog to hear your command and respond straightway, regardless of what else is happening at the time. This can be very hard to achieve and can take a lot of work, but don't get discouraged; you can succeed. You can teach the "come" command to a new puppy or an older dog, although earlier is best.
This will be more the how without the why; so let's get straight to it…
Start off with you and your dog in the same room. Have some tasty treats in your hand ready. Now, stand a few steps away from your dog and call your dog by name, followed by the simple command, which in this case is "come". If and when your dog approaches you, give them a treat and praise them. This is positive reinforcement; using it will allow your dog to quickly associate the command with the desired action.
Slowly increase your expectation by calling your dog from another room. If this doesn't work, go back to calling them from the same room for now. Remember to praise them after they perform the desired action. Once your dog has mastered this, you can try doing the same in the backyard.
Gradually introduce distractions and practice getting your dog to come to you. The idea of this is that you want your dog to recognise and go for the most attractive option; that's you. Once your dog has got this, you can gradually start phasing out the treats; although it's still good to praise your dog when they perform the desired action.
