trying to teach pup, "come"

    • Gold Top Dog

    trying to teach pup, "come"

    ahhhhhhh this is getting frustrating. my newly adopted pup is giving me a hard time teaching him the "come" command....any suggestions?
    • Gold Top Dog
    Have you tried bribing him with treats? Does he know his name?

    You can get him to learn his name by saying it in a happy, excited tone, and when he looks at you, praise him or treat him. At least, that's how I did it.

    As for "come," here's how I taught it to Shippo: We went out in the yard and I had a pocketful of treats. I called his name in a very happy, excited tone and then dropped to my knees and said "c'mere!" and held out the treat. The first time I did it he came tearing across the yard to get his reward lmfao... lather, rinse, repeat. >^_^<
    • Gold Top Dog
    What breed is your puppy?  Sometimes that DOES have a lot to do with teaching them come.  Boxers and Giant Schnauzers for example, as well as Malamutes and Sibes, are very independent, and have their own agendas. "I'll come when I damn well please, thank you."
     
    But all four of those breeds have a reasonably high prey drive.  Use th at to your advantae.  Get your dog's attention by clapping your hands and saying in a high voice "Puppy puppy pupppy!!" (or you can use his name).  When he looks at you., say "COME!" And start running backwards.
     
    Any puppy, no matter the breed, should want to chase you.  It's just their natural instinct, but dogs like the four breeds mentioned above...LOVE it!  Chasechasechasechasechase!!!  Use that drive, and teach your puppy to come :-)
    • Gold Top Dog
    Have you tried bribing him with treats?

     
    No one should ever "bribe" their dog! [;)]
    A treat is a reward - consider it a paycheck for a job well done.  The key to not making your dog food-dependent is to hide the treats so they aren't in sight, use them frequently when the dog is first learning a command, but then space them out so the dog never knows if he's getting one or not, and use praise in between.
    Even Sibes, hounds, and other difficult breeds can learn a good recall.  The key is that all recall training begins "on" leash, not off.  The dog should never think come is optional.  Here's how I get great recalls on all my dogs:
    "Really Reliable Recall" DVD by Leslie Nelson.
    Keep in mind that if your dog is not food-motivated, there are other rewards, that's just the one that most dogs respond well to.  But, my Aussie would think treats ok, but she would do *anything* to make me throw her Flippy Flopper frisbee toy. [:)]
    • Gold Top Dog
    Any puppy, no matter the breed, should want to chase you. It's just their natural instinct, but dogs like the four breeds mentioned above...LOVE it! Chasechasechasechasechase!!! Use that drive, and teach your puppy to come :-)

     
    Let's not forget the sighthounds...they will live and die for the chase.