Teaching the dog to come is one of the most important exercises for his training and safety, so it is worth spending time on this fundamental order of obedience.
You may already use a word to call your dog (or her name), but it probably won't work every time. Therefore, you are going to use a different word to train the call. In the following explanation the word is " Here".
Keep reading this article on our site to teach your dog to come to the call. Take note of our advice:
Teach your dog to come
- Equipment and helpers: Fanny pack, food pieces.
- Location: No distractions.
- Signal: "Come, come, come, …".
Process
While standing you show your dog a piece of food, say "Come, come, come, …" in a high-pitched voice and place the piece of food between your feet. Your dog eats it and you repeat the procedure. Very simple, right?
When you notice that your dog gets excited and approaches you every time you say "Come, come, come, …" in a high-pitched voice, generalize this exercise (retrain it) in different places in your house and with you in different positions (standing, sitting, etc.).
This is similar to charging the clicker or showing the name. You are creating an association between the signal "Come, come, come,…" and food, so that that word then evokes pleasant consequences for your dog. But you are also associating that signal with your dog getting too close to you, so much as to take food that is between your feet. That's the difference between this criteria and your dog recognizing his name
In this criterion you use the signal "Come, come, come, …" in a high-pitched voice to get your dog's attention. You don't use the final "Here" signal yet, because you want to get your dog to come almost perfectly before you start using this last signal.
Observations
- This exercise is very simple and should not present any major problems. However, make sure you maintain a very high rate of reinforcement to keep your dog motivated (treats, snacks, frankfurter bits…)
- If you don't want your dog to pick up food from the ground, hand it to him from the palm of your hand, but keeping it very close to you. The important thing is not that he grabs the food from the ground, but that he keeps his four paws on the ground when he comes to your call
- If your dog is a puppy, has vision problems or the ground does not allow good visibility of food pieces (thick carpet, tall grass, etc.), it will be difficult for him to find food. In those cases, present it on the palm of your hand near you.
Evaluation
On a day when you have not trained this exercise and in a place free of distractions, say "Come, come, come, …" in a high-pitched voice and attract your dog's attention (you can put yourself in squat if you wish). If your dog approaches you quickly and happily, move on to the next criteria.
Add command
- Equipment and helpers: Belt bag, clicker and food pieces.
- Location: No distractions.
- Signal: "Come, come, come, …" and "Here".
Process
Show a piece of food to your dog. Take two or three steps back quickly while repeating "Come, come, come,…" in a high-pitched, playful voice. You have to be attractive to your dog, so you can also clap your hands, pat your thighs, bend over, or do anything else that gets your dog's attention.
By repeating "Come, come, come, …" in a high-pitched voice, you are creating a transient signal for the call. You will use this signal to call your dog during training sessions, while you are not yet using the definitive "Here" signal.
While your dog comes towards you, click and throw the piece of food between your feet. Then flip or turn to another angle and repeat the procedure.
Once your dog consistently comes every time you back up quickly and repeat "Come, come, come,…", he begins to use the word "Here." Say it before backing up and only once. Don't repeat that word. If your dog doesn't come when you back up, you can call him by repeating "Come, come, come, …".
Generalize the exercise in at least three different places without distractions. At each location, train while backing up, walking forward, and walking sideways.
Observations
It is important that you do not repeat the word "Here". If your dog doesn't come over after you say so, hold the food up to his nose and lead him toward you. Then give him the food. If this happens too often, there may be distractions in the training room or your reinforcement rate is too low. Check those two factors.
Evaluation
On a day when you haven't practiced this exercise, say "Here" and go back quickly. If your dog approaches quickly and happily, move on to the next criterion. Otherwise, do two or three more sessions of this criterion and evaluate again.
Tips
- Practice in different places progressively increasing possible distractions.
- Practice and repeat the command regularly so you don't forget.
- Always congratulate him, even with a
