Teach your dog to ‘Come’ when called
Before you start! Train your dog to perform the ‘come’ command in an area with minimal distraction like a void deck or the top of a multi-story car park. Starting off the session in a crowded dog park will not only serve to distract your dog endlessly from what you are trying to achieve, but it also sets her up for failure. Remember to always set your dog up to succeed, in order to build up her confidence. This one can be done at a void deck or the top of a multi-story carpark.
1. Train your dog to focus on you.
Start off in an area without distractions and get your dog to focus on you and see you as fun. Use your delicious home-made treats (read: www.upforpaws.com/ufp-dog-treat-recipe-peanut-butter-and-sweet-potato/) to reward her for sitting and looking up at you. Make sure to give her the treat from the front and centre, so that she continues to look up at you (as this is the behaviour you are rewarding). Quickly straighten your arm out to keep the pace fun and give the treat directly to your dog’s mouth, so that you don’t encourage her to jump for the treat.
2. Add more speed and distance.
Tether your dog to you by wearing a training leash around your waist with your dog leashed on the other end, and move backwards away from your dog, rewarding her for staying focussed on you. Gradually move faster and get her more excited, making sure that she stays focussed on you.
3. Add a distraction.
Drop a treat just out of reach of your dog. She will be distracted by this but get her to focus on you using another treat. Then, once she has focussed on you, reward her by walking her over to the initial treat and letting her eat it.
4. Repeat this over and over again.
Repeat this many times with different distractions, as it may take some time for your dog to understand that it is fun to focus on you and that it actually results in praise and treats! You’ll be able to convert this into a ‘come’ verbal cue.
5. Start using the ‘come’ command.
Keeping your dog on a long leash, start using the ‘come’ command to teach her to return to you. Be sure to say, ‘come’ only once and that the command sounds like an invitation to play, so that your dog associates you with fun. Reward her with a high value treat when she reaches you.
6. Test the ‘come’ command on a retractable leash.
Put your dog on a retractable leash and let her sniff and wander around. Then, randomly call her and at the same time turn and run the other way, giving a clear directional tug on the leash so she knows you want her to follow. Make sure to run fast and far enough that it’s fun for her to chase you at full speed. Don’t forget to turn to face her so that she does not run right past you and let the leash retract so that there’s no slack as she gets close to you. When she catches up to you she must perform a sit before getting a treat. Give her a treat for coming, a treat for sitting and a treat for staying and lots of praise!
Repeat this over and over again. It’s important to repeat all of the exercises on a long leash until immediately ‘coming’ when called is second nature even when there are tempting distractions (a game of fetch, an interesting smell, a pile of poop). It may take a little time but it’s through repetition that your dog will learn to reliably come when called, even off leash.
7. Wean your dog off the treats. Gradually wean your dog off the treats, replacing them with love and praise!
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Up For Paws is a dog daycare that believes in force-free and positive reinforcement dog communication, responsible dog ownership, and a dog-friendly Singapore city for the win! Contact us for doggy daycare at woof@upforpaws.com, or call us at +65 9168 2600.