The 7 Magical Tips
To Make Your Dog Come To You On Command
(Updated on 6 February 2007)

How many times have you seen a poor dog owner screaming his dog's name for twenty times while the dog is simply ignoring it and is busy sniffing other dogs in an early morning park or in a dog-run. By doing this, the owner is simply teaching the dog that he can respond to the command, "Come!", only when he wants to come, or that he can ignore otherwise.

All dogs must have a good recall for safety reasons. Here explains 7 magical tips to make your dog come to you, even if a huge scurry of squirrels is crossing the street or biscuits are raining from the sky, which Harry's master also tried on Harry. Dr. Stephen Covey would have named this page "The 7 Great Habits of Highly Effective Recall Training". It is easy! All you need is a little bit of patience.

Tip 1: Never feed your dog before training
The most loyal dog in the world is a hungry dog. Never feed your dog before training. The most effective time for any training is before meals. If your dog still would not come on command before a meal, let's try not to feed your dog just for a day before training. This may not be easy for most dog lovers, but it really worth trying. Remember, your dog really need to learn to come on command for his safety!

Tip 2: Reward your dog every time he comes on command
Reward all recalls no matter where you are. Do not get embarassed for cheering your dog's achievement in public. He deserves it. For example, Harry's master jumps and dances around Harry as singing the song of the victory as if she were a Broadway Musical star! Don't be shy. You can do it too. If your dog is food motivated, always have your treats handy. So you can easily reward every successful recall. If your dog likes to play with a ball, play with it as a reward.

Tip 3: Reward at least for 30 seconds everytime
Start rewarding as soon as your dog turns towards you. When your dog reaches you, praise him and treat him for 30 seconds. Then your dog clearly remembers this as a wonderful event. Every successful recall should be a big party event for your dog!

Tip 4: Never call your dog to do anything unpleasant
If your dog does not like to take a bath, do not call him for a bath. If he does not like to have his nails clipped, do not call him for nail-clipping. If you have to do something your dog does not like, you simply have to walk to your dog and grab its collar. Never punish your dog for not coming immediately.

Tip 5: Decide on only one command
Decide your recall command and use it every time. You can use "Come", "Here", or anything you like as a recall command. I have a friend who uses "Dinner" as a recall command, as her dog respond to this word better than "Come!" But once you have chosen the word "Dinner", you should be very careful to use it only for recall training. So you have to use other words like "evening meal" when you really want to mean "Dinner".

Tip 6: Call your dog only when you are 100% sure that he would come to you
This may sound stupid, but it is extremely important until your dog has a reliable recall. Never ever call your dog if he is not likely to come to you. For example, when your dog is playing with other dogs or sniffing something interesting. Try to make every recall a success!

Tip 7: Never repeat the command
Say the recall command only once. Never repeat it, because your dog always has to come to you immediately on command. Honestly, this was the most difficult tip for Harry's master. People sometimes do not realise they are repeating commands until pointed out.

Some dogs learn to come on command in a few weeks. But you should keep practicing at least for a year to make (condition) your dog to come to you on command for the rest of his life. Harry's master also practiced for over a year. In fact, Harry's master following these tips even now. After a year, she was also conditioned to praise and treat Harry every time he comes to her. Once it becomes a habit, it is hard to break - ha?

References
Dunbar, Ian. How to Teach a New Dog Old Tricks. James & Kenneth Publishers, 1996 (Revised Ed.)
Dunbar, Ian. Behaviour Booklets. James & Kenneth Publishers, 1985
Fogle, Bruce. The Dog's Mind. Howell Book House, 1992
Fujii, Satoshi. Aiken no Komatta wo Kaiketsusuru Urawaza 77. Seishun Shuppansha, 2003
Nelson, Leslie. Really Reliable Recall Booklet. Tails-U-Win, 2002

Talking Tails Home
Copyright © 2003-2005 Talking Tails. All Rights Reserved.