Come must always, always, ALWAYS be fun. It's as simple as that.
There are three reasons your dog won't come to you.
#1. He is distracted by something that is more fun or interesting
than you. #2. He thinks he will get into trouble once he gets to you. (Would YOU go up to someone who is red in the
face and screaming obscenities at you?) #3. Or he just doesn't understand what you want.
Of course the third one will be taken care of in the next few paragraphs, but the first two are up to you.
I advise that you find your "squeaky toy voice" and animate yourself in a way that would be attractive to a curious
dog. Otherwise, you'll be wasting your breath when you call him. Below are the recommended steps for "come".
P.S. You MUST start your dog coming in a quiet distraction-free environment if you wish for him to learn it
more quickly. Distractions too soon will make your training efforts futile.
STEP 1. Say your dog's name and command "come". Hopefully he recognizes his own name and makes eye contact
with you. AS SOON AS HE LOOKS AT YOU START YOUR PRAISE!! And praise him the entire time he's approaching you. (Do NOT
repeat "come, come, come" as he approaches. He is ALREADY coming.)
STEP 2. Next grab his collar. This will prevent what's called the "come and bolt syndrome", where the
dog comes, grabs the treat and then takes off.
STEP 3. Finally, have him sit. (This way he learns that you like it when he sits after coming
to you, and it will eventually become automatic). Once his bum hits the ground, food reward and lot's of praise!
"Come" is difficult for them to do because they must leave behind what they were interested in at the time. Make it
worth your dog's while if you want him to continue to do it.
STEP 4. Call your dog at least ten times a day, giving him a reward and IMMEDIATELY letting him go
play again. The repetition will reinforce the command, and the treats/praise will teach your dog that when he
hears "come" and he goes to you, wonderful things happen that he doesn't ever want to miss out on. Also, by letting
him return to play immediately afterward, he learns that "come" doesn't mean it's the end of fun, it just means he
gets a bonus in the middle of playtime.
*** Trouble Shooting ***
Here are some problems you might have and some answers that might help...
My dog just ignores me.
First of all, like I said above, make sure you're not saying, "come, come, come, come, come, come, come". If you
have to repeat your command more than three times then something is not working. Furthermore, by then your dog is
obviously tuning you out. They have great hearing (unless your dog is medically deaf) and usually know when you've
uttered a command.
Try using an object or an action to get his attention. Rattle his treat bag. Clap your hands and squeal. Pat your thighs. Bark
like another dog. Or bring out a squeaky toy to get his attention... though I warn you now, overuse of a toy will
cause disinterest pretty quickly, so squeak then hide it. Whatever works for one dog, may not work for another. You
must find out what floats your dog's boat. How well do you know your dog? What makes his ears perk up and causes
him to investigate? Use it!
Also, if your dog is in a closed in area like a yard or a room, use your lure! Walk up to him, put the treat to his
nose until he realizes it's something great, then command "come" and walk backward to your original spot. Remember
that praise though!
My dog runs outside and I can't catch him. And he doesn't respond to "come".
Okay, if your dog is loose in the neighborhood then this is a safety issue. Of course I don't need to tell you to
try to prevent this as much as possible and also to keep your dog on leash if you can't trust him not to run.
But if he does happen to get loose on some fluke of a day and he's not responding to "come" then try this...
Get your dog to look at you some how, some way (even if it's only for a second). Then turn around and run. You
heard me. Run away from him. He will think, "Oh wow! A game! So you think you can get away, huh? We'll see about
that!" Then he will chase you. Once he catches up to you, turn around and grab him. Don't chase your dog down the
street, or he will see it as the same game, only YOU are "it" instead of him, and he will try to outrun you.
