Teaching the dog to come to the call is one of the most important exercises in canine obedience. Dogs that come when they are called have more freedom to play with their friends in the park, go for walks in the countryside and be safe anywhere. Plus, a reliable call can save your dog's life in certain circumstances.
With this article on our site you will learn how to teach the dog to come to the call from short distances and in environments without distractions, and stay next to you for a second. With these criteria you can delve into the subject of dog training later. Keep in mind that your dog does not know this command yet, so you should not release it in open places. Practice this exercise indoors and without distractions. In addition, it is recommended that you start practicing so that it comes after teaching the dog to recognize his name. This will make things easier for you.
Criterion 1: Your dog comes when you take a few steps back
Hold a small piece of foodto your dog's nose to get his attention, and take two or three steps back at the same time time you bring the food closer to your body. Then stop. When your dog comes to you, click with a clicker and give him the food.
Repeat the procedure three to five times, but each time you bring the food closer to your dog's nose, until you only have to take a few steps back for your dog to follow you. At this point, stop holding the food in your hand every time you back up. Simply walk a few steps back and when your dog reaches you, click, take a small piece of food from your pocket or fanny pack and give it to him. If your dog freezes when you back up, make a kissing sound or clap your hands a few times to get his attention and encourage him to follow you. Also try going back faster.
Practice in short sessions, until you get your dog to follow you 80% of the time you back up, in two consecutive training sessions. Then go to the next criteria.
Criterion 2: Your dog comes and stays next to you for a second
Repeat the procedure of the previous criterion a couple of times so that your dog remembers what this exercise is about. Then do the same procedure but gradually increase the time between your dog reaching you and you clicking. When your dog reaches you, simply mentally count "One", click, take the food from the pocket or fanny pack and give it to him.
If your dog doesn't wait while you mentally count "Uno", he starts by counting "Un", or even an instant shorter. Gradually increase the amount of time your dog stays by your side, up to a second. If you can increase this time more, do it, but do not forget that the criterion you are pursuing is that your dog stays with you for only one second.
Criterion 3: Your dog comes while you move your arms
Repeat the procedure from criterion 1, but move your arms as you go backIn the first repetitions of this dog training criterion, move your arms slowly so as not to confuse your dog. Gradually increase the movement you make with your arms.
When your dog reaches you, click and give him the food, but he keeps moving your arms while you click. You can do two or three repetitions of criterion 1 before starting the training sessions.
Criterion 4: Your dog comes and stays next to you for a second while you move your arms
Repeat the procedure in criterion 2, but move your arms as you move back. Keep moving your arms when you've stopped and are counting "One" in your head.
In the first repetitions, the movement of your arms should be slow and not very pronounced. Gradually increase the intensity and speed of that movement. The benefit of this exercise is that it helps generalize behavior in the face of very slight distractions.
Criterion 5: Your dog comes when you call him
Repeat the procedure in criterion 1, but say "Here" before going back. When you notice that your dog responds correctly to the command, practice the other criteria of this exercise, but saying "Here" before backing away. In this criterion you enter the dog training order.
If you use the "OK" command instead of the clicker, do not use "Here" to call your dog. The two commands may sound very similar, so it's best to use another command to call your dog. Here, Here (pronounced "jier"), or other commands may work for you.
Criterion 6: Your dog comes without a formal order in different situations
Take the opportunity to make your dog come in different situations of everyday life, but don't use the command anywhere just yet. Just make a kiss sound (throw a kiss in the air) and if your dog comes to you, click and give him a piece of food. You can also take a few steps back when he looks at you, to encourage him to follow you
Practice this in different situations, but not in formal sessions. Do this about three times a day, regardless of formal dog training sessions. When doing this, make sure there are no distractions that could compete with you. For example, don't practice this criterion when your dog is playing with other dogs. Practice this criterion when your dog is with nothing to do in the dining room, in the garden, etc.
When you notice that your dog responds very frequently to the sound of the kiss, you can start using the "Here" command to call him in different situations, but you will probably need more practice to get to this point.
Possible problems when training your dog to come to the call
Some problems you may face when teaching the dog to come to the call are:
Your dog doesn't come when you back up
If your dog won't follow you when you back up, you may need to find a different place to train. The key to dog training to come to the call is to be the most attractive to your dog at the training site. It is very likely that your dog will not come if there are other distractions, because he is not yet ready to respond in the presence of distractions.
If you think the place is right, do a quick series of handing out bits of food. Give your dog about five small pieces of food quickly before starting the training session, so that he is attentive
Your dog jumps on you when he gets to you
If your dog jumps on you every time he comes, you must click before he jumps on you and throw the piece of food on the ground. Another alternative is to feed from your hand, but crouch low enough that your dog has to lower his head instead of looking up.
It is important that your dog does not jump on you when he comes to the call because this behavior is difficult to eradicate
Your dog comes when you back up but not when you use the command
It is possible that the command you are using is "poisoned". Many dogs learn that their names and the command "Here" (or "Come here") mean something bad, because they are punished after those commands.
If you have used a command to call your dog and punished him for coming, you will have messed up that command because your dog will have associated it with negative things. On the other hand, if you have been using a command to call your dog but have not trained the behavior to be highly reliable, your dog has likely learned that it is more rewarding to ignore your call. In either case, use a different command that your dog doesn't know.
Your dog doesn't go outside
Your dog is not ready to come to your call in the presence of distractions. In fact, he's not even ready to go on a long-distance call in distraction-free environments.
For the time being, do not use the command to call your dog other than in formal training sessions. If you take your dog for a walk, still don't release it in places that aren't fenced. He is not ready to respond properly to your call under these circumstances and it can be dangerous if you take him off his leash in the street.
Precautions when calling your dog
Never call your dog to punish him or to subject him to activities he doesn't like (for example, bathing him). If you need to restrain your dog for something he doesn't like, move closer to him instead of calling him. This way you won't mess up the command to teach dog to come on call
Keep in mind that some activities that don't seem unpleasant can be. For example, if you let your dog out to play with other dogs somewhere indoors, don't call him to leave. If you do, your dog will learn that obeying the call means ending the fun. In any case, approach him to hold him or lure him with a toy.
