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

Why Your Dog Runs Away From You!

A lot of dog owners face a common problem: the dog is free of his leash and sniffing and running around, but when you call him he refuses to listen. It is like he is deaf and blind no matter what you do. He continues chasing the bunnies, playing with other dogs or searching for other things he considers more interesting than you are. Even the best cookies in the world won't make him come back to you. Or your cheerful voice. Or other solutions you have come up with. This can be a true nightmare. On one hand you want your dog to have freedom (which he needs), but on the other hand it is important he listens to you. Think of stuff like safety, a good relationship together, timing (you haven't got the entire day), etc. Especially younger dogs don't understand they have to come to you, when you call them. But it happens with dogs of all ages.

When your dog runs away all the time, this can be very frustrating. It can make you really angry, worried, afraid something will happen to him, etc. Maybe you think you have tried everything. But you haven't if your dog still doesn't listen. He is actually telling you, he doesn't understand you! It is up to you to be a good teacher to your dog. So you need to learn about the way a dog experiences the world around him. Dog psychology is totally different than human psychology. The way your dog learns is not the same way your child learns, for example. Children might refuse to listen because they are being naughty. A dog doesn't know what being naughty is all about. If you think he does you’re wrong! Dogs are much less complicated than humans are. They don’t think the way we do. And that can be a blessing! It is what I love so much about them!

It is important to understand that dogs will only respect calm leaders. Being an angry and/or frustrated dog owner, yelling for him to come, will scare him away instead of following your rules and guidelines. The same for being over enthusiastic. If you are acting up too cheerful your dog won't like your energy at all. All a dog wants is balance in his pack. Your dog(s) considers you and your family as his pack. And if all is perfect, he will see you as the calm and stable pack leader, he can trust and he loves work for. So train yourself to be calm and assertive at all times. Dogs only will follow your positive and calm energy.

However, this doesn't mean that it is enough to be calm and assertive, to make your dog come to you after he has been running free outside. It is also important that your dog understands your message. If your dog doesn't come to you, no matter how often you have called him, this means he doesn't know what you want from him. You need to teach him better and I will teach you how to accomplish this. It is not so difficult, but it takes time, a positive, calm attitude and patience from your side. Your dog is more than willing to listen to you once he gets the message. And even better than that: he will absolutely love it!

Tomorrow I will explain to you how to make your dog come to you, when you call him after he had his free playing time outside. Don't feel desperate, as there is hope for you and your fluffy friend. Every dog wants to obey his owner, there is no such thing as a bad dog! He is simply confused about what you are trying to tell him.

Remember that dogs are not humans! So learn to think like a dog!

Photo Credits belong to the author: All rights reserved!