Training your dog to come on command can be tricky, but it is a very important command as it will allow you to call your dog back to you should he be heading into a dangerous situation. In fact, the “Come” command is probably the most important command that you can master when it comes to the safety of your pet.
The problem is that, in order to Hunde richtig erziehen to obey any command, you have to first get him to perform the desired action. This can be problematic with the “come” command since it is in your dogs nature to explore his surroundings. You’ve probably noticed that when you bring your dog anywhere he is always running off to inspect something new, right? So how do you get him to “come” to you on his own before you train him to obey the command?
The answer is to simply work with nature. While your dog will love to explore places (even your own home and yard) he will eventually return to you – the alpha dog. So what you need to do is let him get some exploring out of his system and then when he is coming back to you, issue the “come” command. When he gets to you lavish him with praise and a few treats.
You might also try getting him into the sit position by issuing the “Sit” command, then give the “Stay” command. Obviously, your dog must have mastered these two commands prior to this training. Then walk away a bit and encourage him to come to you while saying ‘Come” in a firm tone. Your body language and encouragement will probably do the trick and once he gets their heap on the praise.
Now, there are two problems that might crop up – one is that your dog will not come to you at all and the other is that he will come too soon – even before you have issued the command. Here’s some tricks you might try to remedy these behaviors:
- If your dog does not come, it could be that he is a little bit confused from his prior training with the “Stay” command and he is just trying to be a good dog. Or, it could be that he is just stubborn! Either way, you might tray putting a leash and collar on and pulling him (gently) towards you when you issue the “Come” command.
- If your dog has the opposite problem and runs after you as soon as you walk away, then you might want to revisit the “Stay” command. You can use a leash and collar for this as well and wrap the leash around a tree then pull back on it when he tries to “come” too soon and release it after you issue the command.
As with any training, teaching your dog to come takes patience and persistence. Think of it as a fun exercise that you can do with your pet and always remember to use positive reinforcement, rewarding the good behavior and ignoring the bad.
