5 Tips to Have Your Dog Come Over When You Call Him
By Jennifer Chen
My Doggie Dreamland Columnist
Does you dog come to you when you call him? Let me tell you, it's a great experience when you in the great wilderness or in a park and you call your dog. Could you imagine if you called your dogs name out loud and it ran to you. It's almost like a smiling kid running to you and calling your name. All dogs don't do this. However, every do needs to start out somewhere.
Here's my top 5 tips for having your dog come:
1. Start the behavior from the beginning. If you have a new puppy, you'll be at a great advantage. Right when your dog enters your home, you can start off by training him with your voice and actions. In this early stage, you'll be able to ingrain this habit of coming to you when you call your dog by its name.
2. Be nice to your dog whenever he comes to you. One of the quickest ways to teach your dog not to come to you is to call him and then when he comes, punish or do something he perceives as unpleasant. Many dogs consider being given a bath unpleasant. When he needs one, go get him instead of calling him to you. Another example of unintentionally teaching your dog not to come is to go for a run in the park and call him to you when it's time to go home. Repeating this sequence several times teaches the dog that fun is over! Soon, he may become reluctant to return to you when called because he is not yet ready to end the fun. You can prevent this kind of unintentional training by calling him to you several times during the outing, sometimes giving him a treat, sometimes just a pat on the head, and then letting her play again.
3. During times of uncertainty, keep your dog on a leash. Sometimes it's not good to say "Come" a lot. It's kind of like the boy that cried wolf. If your dog runs over to play with some other cat or dog, you'll be linking some other behaviors with your "call" which you may not want. So instead of hollering you dog to come over during those times, putting him on a leash can control such behaviors.
4. Did you know that lack of exercise can cause your dog not to come to you? Do do any physical acitivity, your dog should be in good health. Your dog is full of energy when it wakes up and it has to use it in good ways. Otherwise, your dog will use it for things that you wish it wouldn't...like barking, running way, digging, and a bunch of other bad habits. So take your dog for a walk and you'll be in in good health as well
5. Before you reward or praise your dog, make sue it comes to you and allow it to touch its collar. This is an anchor that gives the dog a signal that it can relate to. Otherwise, your dog might get the habit coming towards you and run around you...which is something you might not want him to do. So take that extra step.
About the Author
Jennifer Chen is a dog training specialist and a contributing writer to MyDoggieDreamland.com
Learn more about how to train your dog