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"So what's the big deal with the Come command? How do I get my dog to come when I call him?" (New! 3/8/04) It sounds pretty simple, but the "come" command is one of the hardest commands to teach your dog! The "come" command should never be used if you can't reach the dog and make him come if he doesn't come to you willingly. If he's not within a few feet of you, or if you don't have a leash or a stepline on the dog, or if you're far away from the dog that you can't enforce it, do NOT tell the dog to come! The worst thing to do is to stand at the back door and yell, "Fluffy, COME... Come on Fluffy... Fluffy, Come here...!!!" All that does is reinforce to Fluffy that she can get away with not coming when you call. It makes your commands optional, not mandatory. If your dog is loose in the back yard and he's running around with your prize winning petunias in his mouth and you call him to "come!" and he does... don't even think about chastising him for the flowers. Praise him for coming when you called him! If you want to correct him for stealing the petunias, go up to him and take the flowers from him, don't call him to you and then yell at him. All that will do is reinforce that coming to you is a bad thing, and he'll think that it's better to run away from you. The "come" command is a continuation of the work you did with your puppy in the Imprinting and Bonding exercises. It should always be fun and the dog must always be praised for coming! Introduce the stepline and work with the dog on the stepline when you teach the come command. Leave the stepline on the dog at all times that you go outside and let it drag behind the dog - do not hold the stepline like a leash! Allow the dog to walk a distance away and then call the dog’s name and give him the "Here" command, then when he comes to within about 3 feet of you, tell him to come to you by saying "Hunter, Come!". If he doesn’t come and sit in front of you immediately, pick up the stepline and ‘reel’ the dog in to you. Have the dog sit in front of you, and praise the dog conservatively. Remember to praise lavishly for a really good performance. Make him earn the good stuff. :-) Take your dog outside to the same location every day and practice the come command in your backyard, or a very familiar location without any distractions. Do not practice if the kids are outside playing ball, if there are birds are flocking around your birdfeeder, if the neighbor and his dog are within sight and are playing fetch, or if your spouse is mowing the lawn. Make sure you have your dog’s undivided attention without other things to focus on, and work at these exercises for approximately 10 to 15 minutes for each session. You need to keep it fun and make sure that coming when you call is not optional. - Debbie Knatz
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