Jazztoon

Our six month old spoo is doing great. BUT we are having a lot of trouble with "come". He won't. Or he'll come a little bit close and as soon as I reach my hand out to him, he jumps back playfully. He wants to play "catch me if you can" instead. It's getting old. I find myself trying to figure out ways to sneak up on him to get him without making it a game.

My husband seems to be getting some results by making him "sit" first and say "stay" and then he goes and gets him. He won't do that for me. He'll sit but as soon as I'm approaching, the game begins. And his "stay" is not stable anyway.

He does great on leash for me, but pulls on my husband, so we each have our issues with him.

Anyway, would LOVE any advice that you can offer on "come". I tried luring with treats, but that's backfired. He doesn't seem to care about the treat anymore ... plus, I don't want to "lure". I want to reward him for doing it and eventually have him just do it.

(p.s. we are signed up in obedience class, so I know that we'll get help there ... but I don't want to wait and let this bad habit fester)

 

Fluffyspoos

Ask him to come, and when he looks, run away from him. He'll chase you, and when he gets to you then PRAISE PRAISE and TREAT

bigpoodleperson

ALWAYS keep him on a long line outside!!! Every time he gets the chance to "blow you off" it just reinforces the game. Does he actually know the come command? Dogs are not hard wired to respond to it if not taught. A class will help with that.
Let him drag the line outside and when you are ready to be done call him to you. If he doesnt respond then reel him in. Never let a command be ignored! Tell him once and reel. Hold on to the line so he cant jump away from you at the end. Praise him for coming in.

bluespoomommy

our spoo is 10 months old and we still don't have success every time with the 'come' command. she's a lot better about it now, but you can see in her eyes that she has to think about it before she decides to obey or disobey! haha. *Edit* This is also after passing TWO obedience courses already. GRR!

when the come command fails...i just have to go up to her and grab her collar and pull her to where i want her. when i have a serious look on my face like "don't mess with me now" she usually gets the point. hopefully she'll understand soon that that there is no escaping the 'come' command cause it's either my way or the highway.

fjm

Definitely agree with the long line, and that dogs don't automatically know the meaning of the words we use!
First - only use "come" when coming to you will be rewarded, and not lead to anything unpleasant (bath, leash on to go home, etc). When you call, turn your body away, or run away a few paces. Be happy and upbeat.
Second - make it more fun and more rewarding to come to you than to play keep away - really good treats, a fun game with a tuggy toy - but the reward only comes when you have your hand on the collar. Try putting the keep away game on cue too, and don't join in that lovely game of chase when it follows "come!". Never, ever scold or punish him when she does come, or you catch him!
Make it a game - call him to you, play, then release him again.
Be consistent, and remember the three Ds - distance, duration and distraction. Start calling him to you over short distances in a quiet place - and be aware that you will need to build up both distance and distraction level in small, easy steps. Meanwhile, use the long line for safety.

I have found the "wait" command invaluable - we use it in doorways, getting out of the car, putting on and taking off the lead, whenever the dogs get a bit too far ahead, etc. It was very easy to teach - they learned that it was the quickest way to get what they wanted!

cbrand

Long line, long line, long line! This dog should NEVER be off leash, even in the yard. Then practice every day, multiple times a day.

Does this dog like toys? When I teach the "Come" command, I give the command and if the dog does not respond immediately, I give a collar pop and reel them in. Running backwards as the dog comes in will help increase the dog's recall speed. If the dog is not getting close enough to you, I would teach the dog come to you and pass between your legs. To do this, as the dog is coming in, spread your legs into a V and toss the toy through them.

Jazztoon

Thank you for so many responses. Really dumb question I'm sure, but what is a "long line"? Is that just his leash? He's definitely always on leash whenever we are outside. Inside the house or in our fenced in yard, he doesn't have it on. Should I be leaving it on him? Do I just let him drag it around all the time and then grab it when I want him?

Raena

A long line is a really long leash. You can buy them at most stores, horse longe lines work well too.

BobD

This is what I do with my 7 month old (Corbin). It never fails. This also works well when he gets a hold of something and wants to play keep-away. If I chase, I'll never catch him. If I run away, he drops whatever it is he has and chases me. Once I have his attention, I turn (continuing to jog backwards) and give the "come" command, praise and treat (if I have one).

JE-UK

I use a couple of games, both with really really good treats (hot dogs, cheese, chicken) to help make the recall a really positive thing, and fun.

If you can shanghai another family member, you can play yo-yo. One person holds the dog and the other moves 10 feet away and recalls the dog. Treat, treat, treat, happy dance, what a good boy. First person then calls the dog back. Treat, treat, treat, happy dance, what a good boy. Repeat, getting further and further apart. Stop when you are still getting good recalls.

The other is the home-and-away game. You need visible chunks of something yummy. Call the dog to you, when he comes tell him good boy and then throw the treat, with the command 'away', in a sweeping arm motion so he can see where it lands. Then run away, and repeat. I do come, away right, come away left (also good for teaching right and left if you plan to do agility), come and sit in front of me for a treat. It's a game, the dog should enjoy it, making the come command part of the game.