Training Come

[Dogsareme]

What are the main rules of training come??

I know you want to try avoid calling a dog when they are sniffing around or peeing (get attention first)

You don't want to repeat yourself.

Say the command only once and when you are teaching the word "come" (or here) say it when the dog is already coming to you and only a few feet away.

And of course use really yummy treats that your dog only gets for coming when called.

Have a long line attached to dog incase you need to reinforce command or dog becomes to distracted (another dog or person walk by) double the treats if they come during this.

Now what am I forgetting? lol
Or any tips anyone has learned that really helps I would love to hear.
As it is my dogs listen pretty well, but they are not worked up to big distractions yet and that can be frustrating (as I'm sure you all know).

[sammy]

- only use your recall cue when you are 100% certain they will come and build from no distraction up to high distraction. Turn a failed recall into a successful one by going to the dog and doing a 2ft (or 2inch if necessary) recall.

-I use the dog's name followed by my recall word "Sammy come!"

-when I teach recalls it's usally on an adult rescue dog that I need to get a really reliable recall off leash FAST so I have the dog do recalls in the house for all their food ie they get none of their food in a bowl. I put their daily ration in a container along with some human food treats and try to get in 25-50 recalls per day. Mixing in some high value food with regular kibble builds drive and anticipation.

-I have the dog come, I wait for a sit and as I feed the treat, I reach in and touch the dog's collar so they don't learn that me grabbing the collar is a reason to jump away or avoid being caught.

- when the dog has come and had their treat I make sure I release the dog with their release word mine is "ok! go play!" because like all my other cues, come means come and stay seated in fromt of me until I release you-- you can step on the leash if you need to while they are still learning this part.
Using Premack has been more powerful for me than food because the dogs learn they can have their cake and eat it too because they'll be sent back to do whatever they were doing-- usually playing with other dogs. If you call them away from what they wanted to do then they have to make a choice between coming for a treat and playing and for some dogs they would much rather play.

-don't use your recall cue for the end of the fun or to come for something the dog doesn't like ie to leave the park or for a bath-- just go get the dog instead or use a different phrase

- cater the level of treat to the quality or difficulty of the recall. ie if I call my dog away from a dog they are chasing they'd get a much bigger reward then some easy recall in the yard. Recalls at the park get HUGE rewards initially

[Rivsky]

Fantastic posts guys - I think between you you've covered training a recall brilliantly!

[Dogsareme]

Originally Posted by sammy

-when I teach recalls it's usally on an adult rescue dog that I need to get a really reliable recall off leash FAST so I have the dog do recalls in the house for all their food ie they get none of their food in a bowl. I put their daily ration in a container along with some human food treats and try to get in 25-50 recalls per day. Mixing in some high value food with regular kibble builds drive and anticipation.

I LOVE that idea

[sammy]

Originally Posted by Dogsareme

I LOVE that idea

only die hards LOVE that idea LOL

most people I tell to do that whine and can't IMAGINE not just shlepping their dog's food in a bowl. But if they do actually do it, they are totally amazed by the results they get. I always tell people commit to it for just ONE WEEK and then wean down to giving most of your dog's food in a bowl. Once they get in the habit, it takes only a few minutes a day - small price to pay for a well trained dog with a great recall.

[Dogsareme]

Originally Posted by sammy

small price to pay for a well trained dog with a great recall.

Absolutly
Tomorrow first thing this is what I am going to be doing with my dogs, the boarding dog Ruff, and Baron the pup as well. This will be intresting. lol

[kiska]

i`m sorry if i sound dumb, but what is recall? i`m trying to train my puppy and we`re making progress on comand come with tips from people here. the idea of giving the food as a treat sounds good, but my pup isnt completely house broken and i just started to see the results of the schedlue this week. Misty is an inside dog and she hasnt learned yet to cry by the door to go out, so to avoid accidents in the house i feed her at the same times every day and that way i know when she has to be let out back to pee or poop. if i start to feed her food throughout the day now wouldn`t it confuse her and mess up her system? should i wait until she`s older to try this method you posted?

[TribalRats]

You dont sounds dumb. That is what Global paw is here for!

Recall is basically come. You are recalling the dog to you.

[sammy]

Originally Posted by kiska

i`m sorry if i sound dumb, but what is recall? i`m trying to train my puppy and we`re making progress on comand come with tips from people here. the idea of giving the food as a treat sounds good, but my pup isnt completely house broken and i just started to see the results of the schedlue this week. Misty is an inside dog and she hasnt learned yet to cry by the door to go out, so to avoid accidents in the house i feed her at the same times every day and that way i know when she has to be let out back to pee or poop. if i start to feed her food throughout the day now wouldn`t it confuse her and mess up her system? should i wait until she`s older to try this method you posted?

Good question.
Eating routines are important for potty training- that's for sure. Most people also work and aren't around feeding the dog all day.
What I did was put the morning ration in one container, the evening in another and kept some yummy treats handy. I would have the dog come (call them when they aren't expecting it- NOT always when you are standing in the kitchen by their food) and give them a handful of food-- or whatever amount works for you. I used to get in maybe 4-5 recalls in before I left for work and so the dog would still get the mornings/evenings food in a short enough time frame that they still had a predictable potty scheduel. Doing some recalls for smaller amounts or treats in between will not screw up your scheduel.

[kiska]

guys! after reading your posts and my earlier ones, i think i`ve found the cause of my problem. i repeat myself! too much! ok, let me get this staight, please be free to correst me!
call once
inforce the command (now here i get confused, do i come over closer to the pup if she doesnt come and intice her in some way, f.e. pretend to look for something, offer a treat,or just come and get her?)

be patient and dont use the command to end play time or fun time.

i`ve also taken to carry treats on me all the time and call my pup throughtout the day from different rooms. i stay few feet away from her where she can see me and show her a treat when i say come.

you know, sometimes i get a feeling i`m the one who`s being trained here

[Spiritus]

Here's one more thing. Never, ever, ever, ever get angry when your dog comes to you. If a situation arises that you are calling your dog multiple times and the dog is ignoring you and you are getting upset, put your anger and frustration aside. Take a break if you can (ie. if the dog is in a secured area). Come back and try again, and when your dog does come to you, praise it, praise it, and praise some more - even if you've been calling for an hour and the dog hasn't been listening for an hour. If you've said COME 500 times, and that last time the dog does come, you MUST praise him. It's a big deal.

Working on a long line is one of the best things to do because you can always grab the line dragging behind the dog and say come and reel him in.

Playing the Come Game is a good way to teach a recall. You need two people and great treats. One person calls the dog, praise/treats, then the next person calls the dog praise/treats. Back and forth and back and forth. Make it a game.

Another way to build a recall, again with two people, is have someone hold your dog by the leash, and you take of running calling the dog. The person holding the dog lets go, and the dog chases you. When he gets to you, you stop, praise/treat, repeat. This uses the dog's prey drive to teach a recall.

[Sugardog]

I've actually come up with some pretty bizarre (well one of them is) ways of getting a dogs attention when he gets out and will not respond to a recall and is basically ignoring you.

Run the other way. If your chasing after the dog, that can be a game of tag to him and you will actually be teaching him to run away when you call him. So instead, run the other way and be dramatic like there's something your after or excited about. Your hoping that he will become more interested in what your chasing than what he was originally after.

Open the car door. This will deffinitly work if your dog likes to go "bye bye". Just yell out all excited and enthusiasically "Lets go bye bye!!!!" or whatever phrase you use and then open the car door. This also sometimes works with dogs you are trying to rescue but don't want to be caught and won't come.

Act weird. Just start acting strange. Pretend there is something really interesting on the ground. Start a conversation with a plant or stick or some other random object. Jump around while yodeling, do a cart wheel or summersault, make funny noises, roll around on the ground. This will deffinitly work if your dog has a sense of humor. It may not work for a shy dog though and it may cause your neighbors to think your nuts.

Open up a can of food. This will especially work if you share your home with cats. Get one of those pull tab cans of cat food or anything else you got and then take it out and pull it. The noise is usually enough to get a dog's attention and because the dog rarely gets the cat food, it might be worth it to come over and check it out.

[kiska]

Never, ever, ever, ever get angry when your dog comes to you.........well, thats one thing i definetly will never do again! should`ve read that one yesterday. i messed up big time yesterday! i had a very bad day, and Misty wasn`t listening at all to make things worse. i yelled at her as she was coming in from outside, and let me tell you! not only she wouldn`t come when i called her for the rest of the day, but she also peed on the floor, which hasn`t happened in over a week. now i have to start all over again! good thing i bought that extra big box of treats

[Sugardog]

Yes, you must have patience with your dog. When you get tense or frusterated, they know it and it will make them disobey even more.

Thats actually one of the big reasons I don't like using punishments. If you make a mistake, you have to start all over again and it can take you anywhere from a day to months to get back where you left off and it can take just as long to gain the dogs trust back. But if you make a mistake with positive reinforcement, you can fix it just as easily as you made it and your trust relationship with your dog hasn't been hurt at all.