Teaching your dog how to come when called is a fundamental piece of dog training. Dogs are instinctively keen creatures, which is why the act of “coming” or “here it is,” is such an important part of their communication skills and sense of exploration. If your dog isn’t trained on how to come when called, he may get very upset with you, and he may even bark or snap at you if you attempt to discipline him in these ways. Don’t stress yourself out trying to train this important technique to teach your dog to come; there are many easy and effective methods. Teaching him these things will make a big difference in how much fun you have together, and your dog will also love being part of a well-trained dog family.
The most important thing you need to start off is setting the correct context. You need to teach your dog to come when called from a safe distance away, using a tone of voice. When you use the words “come,” your dog should be able to hear you, either by his natural hearing ability or by your voice, both of which are fairly close to his hearing range. Once he has heard your command, gently push him forward a little and call his name again.
This technique to teach your dog to come can be useful for many different situations, such as visiting your friends or family, going for a walk, or just spending some time with you. It can be especially useful when your dog stays home alone most of the time. By teaching him to recognize and respond to your call whenever you call his name, he will get the message that whenever you call his name, you are safe and he knows that you will show up. This will help keep him from getting too frustrated when he’s left alone at home by himself.
To begin this technique to teach your dog to come, begin by sittinguate yourself, perhaps in a quiet room where you can speak softly. Have a cup of your favorite beverage nearby, and make sure it’s near you in case you want to call your dog. Then, use the command “stay” while keeping your body close to the cup. Ask him to sit, and while continuing to call his name gently in a calm voice, move back a few steps. Praise him for staying still and praise him again when he remains calm.
Try calling your dog from a longer distance, like from a few feet away. Reward him for remaining calm and calling you calmly. Continue this process for as long as you’re comfortable. You may even want to increase the distance you call your dog by slowly moving closer until you reach the same distance that he used in his sitting position.
Now that you know how to call your dog to come, practice this command with an appropriate toy as a substitute for your dog’s food or any treats. When you want your dog to come, reward him for following your command and sit quietly while you remove the toy from his mouth. Do the same thing to him when he doesn’t obey your command to sit. Praise him again for remaining calm, and then give him the toy as a reward. After several sessions, your dog will come to think of the toy as something he should eat.
If your dog isn’t very responsive to the sit-stay-fetch training technique, you might need to try a different approach. Perhaps you could offer your dog a treat bag to be carried instead of the dog’s food. Whenever you see your dog sniffing at the bag, reward him verbally. Your dog will eventually learn that the command to sit is associated with the bag, and he will try to sit on it whenever he sees it. It will take more frequent repetitions of this exercise, but eventually your dog will come to understand that whenever he hears that command he should carry the bag.
Training your dog to come may seem difficult at first. However, if you persist and stick with it, eventually you will see results. In addition to teaching your dog how to come, you can also teach him other commands such as the lay down command and the sit-stay-fetch technique. All these commands can be learned in no time.
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