COME ! The Importance of a Reliable Call

Every dog owner and every dog deserve a great relationship with each other. Teaching your best friend to listen to the "come" command will help ensure this relationship.

Coming when called can save your dog's life. Consider this:

Your dog has been "people watching" from your window all day long. Suddenly the kids come home from school, and he sees his chance to escape and runs out the front door. If you called, would your dog stop in his tracks and listen to you or keep running as if he never heard you?

Here are some helpful tips on teaching the "Come" command:

1. Be consistent. Make sure everyone in the family uses the same word command. "Come, Nikki!" or "Here, Nikki!" Using different commands will only confuse your dog. Also you all must agree what the command means. The dog must come all the way to where you are standing, not just halfway.

2. Start with a collar and a long leash (15 ft. at least). Train during a time when there are few distractions. Stand with your pup just a few feet away and GENTLY pull him toward you with the leash. Kneeling down will help because it will help your pup feel less intimidated. When he reaches you, praise him by petting him gently. Repeat several more times then end the session.

3. Repeat the session, making it longer next time. You may also add treats as a form of praise this time. Soon you will notice that your puppy comes easier with less of a tug on the leash. This time, as he starts moving toward you, say, "Come." Just say it once, don't repeat it, don't raise your voice. By repeating the command, it signals your dog that he can come either the first, second or third time you say the word.)

4. Repeat this process in several sessions until the leash becomes invisible during the process. Now remove the leash and try the command again.

5. If your puppy challenges you without the leash, put the leash back on immmediately. If your puppy took this ooportunity to run away, go after him quietly and calmly.

6. Most important, always make your puppy glad you asked him to "come." Never call your dog to you only to punish or scold him. Common sense tells you that if you were called to a spot and only got yelled at, why would you want to go back to that spot again?

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