"come" command

[fj45lvr]

I guess I should do a google search but wanted to ask here what method people use to teach dog to "come" on command....I need to do some training everyday ....dog is now 1yr old and will "sit" but doesn't want to but I know I have to get the "come" down pat or I will have problems. Had a little scare yesterday when the neighbor who lives half a mile away unexpectedly decided to walk up to our country home and she went out barking to him and was biting but luckily did not actually bite down on him (standing still praying). I was able to get her to come to me after she had confronted him but not while she was on the way out to "get him".

don't want to get somebody injured and have dogs that keep going even when you are calling "come" (frustrating). I think I heard that you are not supposed to call their name? especially in a stern voice that conveys they are in trouble??

thanks for any tips in this regard. I have 2 other dogs over 7 yrs (dachsund and lab) and not trained in this regard either but they are not potentially dangerous to bite someone instinctively. the Fila did this independent of them (not as a "pack" reaction), she spends much more time in being "alert" and scanning for "intruders" and does want to go out and confront cars driving by or any pedestrian (road is 50 yards away from house). We have nearly no activity though.

[de la Luna]

fj45lvr,

I can share what my school teaches. It has worked well for us.

5-10 min. a day, twice a day preferred, but every day begin running through commands. CONSISTENT/INSISTENT/PERSISTENT. Each week is a building block adding new commands. Always on leash until perfected. No anger, just a quick 'check' on the slip lead. We learn that a dog's name IS only for the come, and always 'Mickey Mouse' happy no matter how you are feeling.

In order of progression on a weekly basis:

Heel (with multiple directional turns) patting your left leg to coax on...not yanking the leash and chain
Sit with a goose to the but and a single upward motion with the leash (NO CHOKING OR HANGING)
Sit-Stay with a palm flat in front of the face
Sit-Stay, same hand signal, pivot to face the sitting dog, repeat the command and move quickly around the left side of the dog all the way around back to the right
Stand (this is a toughee sometimes) with your right hand holding the leash, left hand caressing along the bottom of the ribs to the belly of the back two legs
Stand-Stay
Stand-Stay, hand signal, pivot to face the sitting dog, repeat the command and move quickly around the left side of the dog all the way around back to the right
Sit-Stay, hand signal, back away to end of 6' leash, pause return to in front face to face, repeat the command and move quickly around the left side of the dog all the way around back to the right
Stand-Stay, hand signal, back away to end of 6' leash, pause return to in front face to face, repeat the command and move quickly around the left side of the dog all the way around back to the right
Sit-Stay-Pivot, Dog's Name-Come
Stand-Stay-Pivot, Dog's Name-Come
Sit-Stay, drop leash back away a number of extra steps, Dog's Name-Come
Stand-Stay, drop leash back away a number of extra steps, Dog's Name-Come

ALWAYS PRAISE when he comes to you!! Even if he has a break in the command before you want him to. You're safely in your fenced yard, or a fenced baseball diamond somewhere. If he goes the opposite direction, back away, happily calling his name and COME.

Week to week, don't progress to the next step until you have the current one in hand.

Hard to add all the little bits and pieces in writing, hope this gives you some ideas.

Best,

[fj45lvr]

thanks for detailed response. Wonder if it is acceptable to really only instill "sit" , stay and come as primary ones and work out from those if interested? Happy tone with name always for come (thanks for that) .....I suppose it would be very helpful if they would lay down on command as well as a "dead stop" in a situation where they see a threat and want to attack it or would it be better to have them just come? (difficult to say since you never know where you would be in relation to this event happening).

I can't remember if it was posted here but I saw a video where they used small little bits of some meaty snack as positive reward whenever they did something that the owner wanted. Is this a popular and effective method in contrast to slip choke with leash as a negative? this seems like a daunting task but maybe it is fun to see progression to what seems impossible from the beginning. I never spent much time on training dogs before. My non-filas (one just passed away) would sit and would also come when I said the word "cookies" (usually gave them some piece of a biscuit as a reward which was a huge motivation).

thanks for sharing.

[John Newton]

If you want your dog to come to you when commanded, the best way to get him to do so is to use the treat method with praise.

- Always have a treat in your hand when calling him
- Start from the sit position plut the treat in front of the dog's nose so he knows it is in your hand, but do not open the hand
- move away from the dog and he should follow you to get the treat
- Always back away from him as it allows him to use the natural tendency to close the distance between the two of you (this reinforces just about everything you want him to do for you)
- continue to do this for about 5-10 minutes to get him excited and attentive
- When giving the treat to the pooch use a word to let him know what he is doing is correct, we use "yes"...then open the palm and give the treat
- After the 5-10 minutes work the dog in some of the things you already have him trained on
- Then take a short break and let him meander, call his name and show him that you have food in the hand from a distance...he should come running
- give the treat (with "yes") and praise praise praise

Using the treats and praise drives the dog's desire to be with you at all times and he will come running if you use this technique, but it has to be practiced over and over and over to become a permanent reflex.

Take too many days without practicing and it starts all over again, so you have to be consistent. My pup is almost 4 months and this is how we train him and it works! Also, it really excites him and puts him in a really good problem solving state of mind, ready to train!