Trained Dogs Rule

Training your dog to come I believe is one of the most important things you can teach your dog. We found that out last week when our two made the great escape. If they hadn’t responded immediately the outcome might have been a lot different.

Your dog will probably respond well to the recall command in the house but outside with all the distractions it is a totally different story.

Training starts the day you bring your dog home.  What you are really going to be doing is developing your relationship with your puppy and at the same time training them.

One of the things you can do is if your puppy has a favourite toy, get the toy and entice him (so to speak) with the toy while calling him. Make it like a game. When he comes, praise him and reward him with the toy. Be enthusiastic Make it fun! Do this several times a day. This I guess you would say is like a prep to training.

As you develop a good relationship with your dog and they see it is fun to come when they are called you can advance to “actual training”.

Remember other basic obedience has been going on at this time also.

We have always used a slip collar, a 6 foot lead and a 30 foot lead when training our dogs to come. Starting with the 6 foot lead put your dog in a sit stay position. Walk away from your dog. (Don’t look back). Now facing your dog, Call your dog. If the dog doesn’t respond immediately give him a pop (quick jerk on the leash). As soon as the dog responds “Praise” then “Reward”. Timing is everything with this command. The better you get your timing with the pop the faster your dog will learn.

Remember motivation is the key in getting your dog to come. He has to want to come.  Some people reward with food, others with a toy. Find out what motivates your dog and use it.  Remember, however, if rewarding with treats you will eventually want to wean them off of that unless you intend to carry treats with you forever.

I would practice this between 5 and 10 times in one session. Don’t over do it because you don’t want your dog to lose their focus.

When you think your dog has gotten the recall down pat it is time to use the longer lead.

Use the long lead basically the same way as the shorter lead. Put the dog in the sit/stay and walk to the end of the lead then call your dog. As soon as he reacts “Praise, Praise, Praise”. If he doesn’t react give him a pop. Be enthusiastic. Nobody wants to go running over to an old grump.

What you are doing is simply increasing the distance between you and the dog and getting him to come. You can also just let the dog wander around at the end of the lead and practice calling him. This is good because he will be more distracted then when you call him. Your goal is that no matter what your dog is doing when you call they will come.
The recall seems to be the hardest command to perfect. Common mistakes made when teaching this command are calling your dog for something unpleasant such as a bath, or giving medication. You don’t want your dog to associate anything bad with the recall.

As always time and patience is a key factor when training and always end your training session on a high.
Remember also never to leave the slip collar on the dog when not training. They can easily get caught on something and possible injury themselves.

As Barbara Woodhouse said, “A well-trained dog is worth its weight in gold; it is up to you to see you are a well-trained owner.

Until next time

Maureen Brownell