What should the COME command look like to a Dog Owner?  On hearing the command, the dog stops what they're doing, runs as fast as possible to its owner, and sits!  Ahem.  Now that RARELY happens in real life.  Why?  The trust between the owner & dog has not been built & rewarded.

If you call your dog to come only to give him a bath, a pill, eardrops or cut nails, he may be reluctant to come if he's never been allowed to expend his energy with lots of exercise.  Should he get loose, or if you take him to the park, and only call him when it’s time to go home - he may not come if he thinks fun's over!

When teaching the “recall”, always reward the “come” with either a favourite treat, a game your dog enjoys, petting and/or lots of praise.  In the beginning a tasty treat works the best.  Let the dog get the scent, then say “come” & back up a few steps, as the dog approaches you ask him to sit; reach for the dog’s collar slowly & then reward with the food. The reason to reach & get a hold of the collar is to prevent the dog from taking the treat & then running away (known as a fly by).  Do 10 recalls in a row, rewarding each one with food & 10 seconds of praise!

Practice also before each meal.  Take 10 kibbles from his dish, do 10 recalls.  Then let your dog eat his meal.  You can also give 5 treats to each family member (or friends) and have them spread throughout the house or in fenced back yard; take turns calling the dog to come between the people.

These training tips will work on all puppies & young dogs.  If you have an older dog or a rescue - and they've learned to ignore you or run the other way, you may have to change the command word “come” to “here” or “front” and start retraining as you would have with “come”.  May your Dog(s) run to you, with much speed & happiness!  Jean