Coming When Called

As humans, we tend to think and expect our puppies should automatically want to come to us from our first day with them until our last as senior dogs.  That said, since it is expected it unfortunately tends to be the one training exercise owners tend to work on the least.  Confusing isn't it:  something that is so very important and expected is not made to be the most important and fun training exercise you focus on daily?

Unfortunately, puppies and dogs do not come us speaking English any better than we as humans come speaking and understanding dogs and their language.  We need to take the time and make a conscience and patient effort to learn about the puppies we plan to teach and in turn it allows us to help them learn English and us.

Why is come so very important?  It is the one cue that simply said can save your puppy's life!  What if your puppy rushes out the front door and towards busy traffic?  Your leash or collar breaks on a walk and your puppy rushes off to chase a squirrel or cat and is running towards traffic or a person in the distance with a dog aggressive dog?  In these instances how confident are you, realistically, that when you say "come" your puppy will stop dead in his tracks, turn, come back to you, and allow you to take a hold of their collar and leash him up?  If the answer anything other than a "honest" yes, you need to start working on fun come training exercises to put your puppy on the path to a safer future. 

Please keep in mind, unless you are in a totally 100% safe fenced in area, do not have your puppy off leash, ever!  To a puppy that does not have a good recall on it, dangerous situations are very real and very high when they are off leash.  Think first before you loose your pup or dog, keep it safe and fun.

Think first about how you can set your puppy up to succeed and have lots of repetitions of coming and winning!  A leash and a long line leash here are your friends.  Have some really yummy treats and fun toys ready, to reward your puppy after they come.  Vary your rewards for your puppy coming from yummy treats, to toys, a fun game of tug, a walk, petted/loved on, ear rubs, to simply being release back out to play/loose again.  Have a special treat and favorite toy just for coming, something they normally do not get, but absolutely love!

There is a big difference between a puppy coming at home when it is it's normal environment and distractions are low, compared to out in the real world where everything is exciting and new and competing for our attention constantly.  Yes we need to work on come at home on a regular basis; however it is also important to take the time to expand our "come" training exercises to when we are out in the real world with our pups.

The first and most important part of "Come" is to always have it predict "good" things happen.  If you use come when you are upset (getting angry at your puppy and punishing it for coming once it finally does come, it only teaches the puppy that come predicts bad things happen, and thus in turn not to come), if the fun always stops (example: taking things away from your puppy, coming inside when puppy was having fun outside, coming to be leashed up and leave the dog park and his friends), chasing your puppy while shouting come (teaches puppy to run away from you), or when icky things happen that the puppy does not like/deem fun (examples: bath time, nap time, bed time, clip nails, clean ears, crate or pen time, etc.), you will quickly teach the puppy not to come. Never call your puppy to come to punish it (we do not want to teach the puppy to avoid you)!

Think about those times instead that you can use come, when you can set your puppy up to win/have fun with come.  Examples:  puppy is already coming your direction, go outside to play, meal time, time to leash up for a walk or a car ride, or time to play fun games with toys.

Please do not take it personally if your pup does not come.  Puppies learn to do what works for them.  To make come work for your pup and you, we need to work on the puppy wanting to come.  We want to be the best game in town, versus the real world and distractions being the best game.

Reward the puppy anytime it self checks in without you even having to ask.  Predict good things happen anytime the puppy comes and lets you get a hold of them, reward, and loose back to play.

Make yourself more inviting to your puppy: bend down, bend over, playfully back up away from your puppy as they are coming towards you to intrigue them to follow/trot off the opposite direction, use a happy/peppy fun voice.

Start off with low distractions and increase distractions with your training exercises as you puppy can handle them.  Keep setting them up to succeed.  Think ahead, if you know your puppy will not come, do not use your come word instead simply go get your puppy.  Be patient.  Start off your exercises on a regular leash (4 to 6 feet), then add a long line into your training program (with long lines be careful not to get yourself or your puppy hurt by getting tangled up in the long line, keep it safe). The leashes are not to be used to correct or pop on your puppy, they are simply there for safety and to enable you to real you puppy back in to you nicely if they do not come (no popping, just slow steady pressure as you real them in or back up).

Taking a hold of your puppy's collar is an important piece of the come exercise. You ask why?  Because in an emergency, what is your goal?  To get a hold of your puppy.  We want them to be comfortable with you reaching and taking a hold of their collar. Puppies that are collar sensitive, especially in a situation charged with fear (owner's afraid because puppy got loose in dangerous area/situation), can shy away, run away, not let you get a hold of them, or bite due to restraint.  We want your pup to think handling the collar during come is just a normal every day thing, good things happen, all is okay.

The "Come Game" is a fun family activity.  Do 3 to 4 times maximum and stop, or the puppy will soon get bored and stop playing.  Remember to stop the game while the pup is still having fun and winning the game.  Try and not get into the euphoric feeling and excitement and keep going with the game until the pup gives up and stops playing.  Hide at least 2 people in 2 different rooms, one person hold the puppy, while the other calls the puppy.  When the puppy arrives, treat it, and the release it as the other person calls it back.  Use fun/happy voices.

We want all family members working on the "Come".  Pick a word your entire family will be constant about using (examples: Come or Here).

While your puppy is just hanging out close to you, say "come", gently reach down and take a hold of your puppy's collar, and give a yummy treat.  Just start to predict really good things happen and you can take a hold of their collar.

Use your leash to help you.  With your puppy on leash close to you, toss out a favorite toy or treat just out of reach of where the end of the leash will be.  Let you puppy slowly out, so it can go towards the treat or toy, but not quite be able to reach it.  As you puppy is distracted with it, say your puppy's name and come word (example: "Fido Come" or "Fido Here").  If your puppy glances your way say "yes" in happy voice and entice your puppy to come to you (bend down, back up, get happy), take a hold of it's collar, then reward for coming, last give it a release word to go back out and get the toy or treat.  If your puppy does not acknowledge you or come, do not repeat any verbal cues or their name, simply start backing up (no jerking/no popping) with the same pressure they have on you or real them in. Once the come, follow through with collar hold, treat, and release word to let them go back out for their treat or toy.  Work on the exercise 6 to 7 times.  You can also play with this exercise, when out for a walk, let them get distracted at the end of the leash, and then repeat the process above.

Always work on the come now and long into the future.  Like us, the less they play a game, the more rusty and slow the response time becomes.  The more often the game is played and they win, the faster the response time.

Your goal is reliability.  Please keep in mind to be realistic, a question that always seems to be thrown our there is when will I be able to expect my puppy or dog to come off leash while out in the real world?  Reality says no dog will ever be 100% safe off leash, the variables and the unexpected out in the real world can easily set your dog up to fail.  Remember they are animals, not humans.  Our goal should always be to continue to work on the come and give your puppy the opportunity to have lots of successes under their belt of coming and winning the game.  Slowly increase the distraction levels and re-evaluate your goals.  Most of all keep working on it and keep your puppy winning the game.  The more you work on it while you are actually in control (example leash, long line, or simply thinking before you ask how to insure they will want to come), the higher the likely hood your puppy will come to you.

Keep working on the come. Like cars having emergency brakes for back up/safety always in working order, we want our puppies to have "Come" programmed so they can come and you can get a hold of them in an emergency.

Cindy C. Smith, The Right Steps, 916-966-6883,

www.therightsteps.com

© 2007 The Right Steps & Cindy C. Smith. All rights reserved.

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