Teaching Your Dog How To Come To You Is Easy!

In yesterdays post I explained why your dog runs away from you. In case you missed it, you can find it here: http://dog-whispering.blogspot.nl/2013/11/why-your-dog-runs-away-from-you.html 

It is great to know why your dog does this of course, but even more important is how to fix this behavior. Before I do that please realize that every dog can learn new things. Age doesn't matter. I have had dogs of old age who were my best students! It also doesn't matter how long your dog has been running away from you. Dogs live in the present moment. They don’t think: “Hey boss, I have been doing this for years so leave me alone”. And last but not least: there is no such thing as a bad dog! Some dogs are quick learners, others need more time, but in the end you will succeed. Guaranteed!

A few important things you should never do:

1.       Get angry with your dog

2.       Yell or scream at your dog

3.       Run after your dog when he runs away

4.       Give up after a few attempts

5.       Be impatient

6.       Be nervous

7.       Get frustrated

Before you start teaching your dog to come to you when you call him, it is important you feel calm and that you trust you and your dog can do it. Take a deep breathe and visualize the perfect situation (your dog running to you, the both of you happy!) and imagine how you would feel. This is really important to get into the right state of mind. Dogs read your energy and body language. They are really sensitive to this. So make sure you feel positive and calm before starting the training session with your dog. If you feel nervous or still spot frustration then please wait till you feel better. You want success, no failure.

It takes baby steps to teach your dog to come to you. So you start inside your house. Pick a quiet environment, for example the living room. Make sure nobody else is around. Distraction won’t work. Make your dog sit (if you don’t know how to do this, don’t worry, I will post about these things later on). You can also make your dog stand and wait. Now take a few steps back, not too much. About 2 or 3 steps are enough for the first time. Stand still and wait for about 5 seconds, ignore your dog while you wait, so don’t look him in the eyes, don’t say anything and of course don’t pet him etc.

Now call his (or her) name, use a friendly tone of voice. The tone of your voice is really important. A low tone of voice isn't working, so make a funny, high voice when calling your dog. Don’t be excited. You can be friendly and calm at the same time. Of course your dog responds to you and most of the times your dog will walk (or run) towards you. To make it even more attractive, you can heel so you’re not so big to him. Some dogs get scared of by our length. When we heel and come closer to their level it feels much more safe to him.

If your dog comes to you it’s time for a reward. Say in the same friendly tone of voice: “Good boy (girl)”, pet him, and give a small treat. If your dog still doesn't understand you don’t worry! Don’t start yelling and don’t show frustration. Patience is the key here! Simply ignore the fact your dog didn't listen to you. Walk back towards him and take less steps back. If you first took 3, make it 2, if you took 2, take one. And try again. You might want to try to get his attention with a snack (which he only gets when he walks towards you), Be patient! You will succeed. Most dogs will get the message really fast, other dogs need more time. It’s worth it. Once your dog understands you, it will become an easy exercise! Don’t practice too long. Start with sessions of 5 minutes max.

If all goes well you go make it more difficult for your dog. You go outside together, not on the street, but in your garden or on your balcony. If both are not available pick a very quiet place, where there are no other dogs and preferably no other people. Of course make sure you have your dog on the leash if you practice together in your garden or on a quiet place outside. On your balcony you don’t need it. You follow the same procedure as inside your house.

If this goes great you go outside together for a walk, still with the leash on. You need a long training leash, a good leash for training purposes can be found here (click). Personally I prefer a leather leash, less long, but it gives you a better grip. Click here for a great heavy leather leash. Again you follow the same procedure as you did inside. Start with the few steps and when it goes right, then make the distance bigger, but remember to keep your dog on the leash. Don’t use those flex leashes, they are a pain when you’re teaching your dog discipline, because they are too light and give your dog the feeling they can still run away.

When you walk together (leash on!) You can call your dog too. Not all the time, but every now and then. Remember to reward your dog when he does what you want and to ignore bad behavior! If your dog doesn't get the message while you’re walking, don’t panic, simply stop it and continue the exercises on a quiet place and inside the house. You are not in a hurry. It is important your dog fully understands what you mean, no matter how long it takes. Only when he really gets the message you can continue to more difficult and challenging situations!

Is all going perfect, does your dog listen to you on leash from longer distances? Wonderful! Now it’s time to put the leash of and see if your dog still listens to you. If this isn't working yet, take a step back and continue to practice with the leash on. Reward your dog every time he comes to you. It should be party time. Most dog owners forget to do this. Your dog then gets the message that coming to you means that the party is over and this is not the message you want to give him!

You need a lot of patience and dedication sometimes, especially with the “slow students”. As long as you have a positive attitude your dog will learn that it is a party to come to you. Enjoy the learning process!

Does you dog already know how to come to you?


Photo Credits belong to the Author: All rights reserved
© Anja Toetenel