Train your dog or puppy to come when called

by E-NewsCast Team
December 4th, 2009

Training your dog or puppy come when it is called!

Training adog to come when it is called is a vital, and potentiallylife saving, part of any successful dog training program. All properly trained dogs must learn to respond instantly tothe owner’s voice, and the sooner this lesson is learned the better.

The advantages of teaching a dog to come when called areobvious. For starters, coming when called will help you regain controlof the dog in case of collar break, snapped leash or other similar equipment failure. This is particularly important when you are out with your dog,especially in an area with lots of traffic. It is vital that the dog respond to your voice and return toyour side, even in the absence of collar and leash, and even if there arelots of other things competing for its attention.

Coming when called is also a vital skill for every working dogor puppy. Whether the dog’s job is herding sheep, guarding livestock, orsniffing out bombs and drugs at the airport, the working dog must be under totalcontrol at all times, whether on leash or off.

Even if your dog’s only job is being a loyal companion, it isstill vital that he learn this important basic dog obedience trainingexercise. After the first dog obedience training lessons, such as heeling, stopping on command,sitting on command, etc. have been learned, it is time to start incorporating the comewhen called lessons into the daily training sessions.

One note about dog training -it is all too easy for training sessions to become dull and routine for both handler and dog. A bored dog will not be receptive to learning, just as a boredhandler will not be a good teacher. It is important, therefore, to always incorporate fun thingsand play into every training session. Incorporating a few minutes of play time before the lessonbegins can do wonders for the attitude of dog and human alike. Likewise, ending each training session with a few minutes offree play time is a great way to end on a positive note and tohelp the dog associate obedience training with fun and notdrudgery.

The command to stay and the command to come when called areoften combined in dog obediencetraining lessons, and they do go naturally together. Start with the dog on a loose leash, ask the dog to sit andthen slowly back away. If the dog begins to get up and follow you, return to the dogand ask him to sit again. Continue this process until you can reach the end of the leashwithout the dog getting up.

After you can successfully reach the end of the leash on aconsistent basis, try dropping the leash altogether. Of course you will want to do this in a controlled environmentlike a fenced in yard. After the dog has mastered the stay command, it is time to addthe come when called command.

Take up the leash again, and with the dog on the end of theleash, say “come” or “come here”. It is often helpful to use a lure when teaching this behavior. The lure provides a visible item for the dog to focus on. Teaching the dog or puppy to come to the lure is a good firststep in training the dog to come when called.

Repeat this procedure many times until the dog will consistentlystay and then come when called. After the dog has mastered coming when called while attached tothe leash, slowly start introducing the concept when the leash is removed. As before, these training sessions should only take place in acontrolled, safe environment, such as a fenced in front or back yard.

A well trained, obedient dog should respond to thecall to return to its owner no matter where it is and no matter what distractions may occur. It is therefore necessary to test the dog with distractions ofyour own.

If you have a neighbor, preferably one with a dog of his own,try having him come over with the dog. Have him, and the dog, stand just outside the fenced in areaand repeat the come when called exercise with your dog off leash. If he becomes distracted by the other dog, put the leash backon and repeat the process. The goal is to have your dog consistently pay attention to yourcommands, no matter what distractions may present themselves.

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