Vital Steps to train Your Puppy to Come
August 31st, 2011 by Corson Strand
In day to day basic puppy training, when teaching your puppy to come or to obey any command, only give the command when you are able to enforce it. You must always be in a situation where you get compliance. For that reason, you do not want to use the command without good cause or in any other circumstance where you do not intend to get the desired outcome. When teaching “come,” only give the command when you intend the dog to come to you. That means it should stop whatever else it is doing and come to you.
I’d like to recount one example of how my own dogs picked up a phrase and ran with it and what the consequences were. The phrase in question is, “Let’s go.” My dogs like to ride in the back of my car, and I like to take them out with me. I rather carelessly started saying “Let’s go” before putting them into the car with the result that every time they heard me utter, “Let’s go,” they would leap up and race each other to the door in expectation of a ride. Fortunately, this was not a bit problem–more humorous than anything else–and I was able teach them out of that habit.
As mentioned above, when teaching your puppy to come, it is essential to only give it opportunity for completing the command. When starting out with a young puppy or adult, always leash the dog with three or four feet of leash. Make sure the leash is attached to a collar, but not a pinch or choke collar. You want to position yourself and the dog at opposite ends of leash. Give the dog the command and then immediately enforce the command by very gently pulling the dog toward you. If the dog starts to come on its own after prompting, there is no need to continue pulling. Only pull as much as necessary so that the dog complies. After completing the command, give the dog lots of praise and a small but nice and tasty treat.
Next, create only positive associations with the word “come.” When you tell your dog to “come,” you want it to want to come. Ideally, this should be something it looks forward to doing for you. For that reason, try to avoid saying, “come,” when the consequence might be something unpleasant, such as grooming or giving the dog a bath. For some reason, my dogs have come to look upon bathing as punishment so I have to be careful with the choice of words I use. However, these days, when they see the shampoo, they put their tales between their legs voluntarily come over to be hosed off and cleaned.
If you do catch your dog in the act of something naughty, you must go to it in order to correct its behavior. If you come upon your dog after it has already finished doing what it shouldn’t have been doing, it is too late for correction. Never use “come” in this circumstance.
How you interact with your dog is very important to your pet. Voice tones, your emotional vibe, and physical touch mean a great deal. Dogs love to be touched and played with; your emotional state really does communicate to your dog and affects its own well being; and your tone of voice will speak volumes to your puppy. Keep this in mind when training and use it to your advantage. Your dog will see you as the leader of its pack and look to you for direction. How you teach the essential command, “come” will set the stage for all future training. Remember, your dog has as its number one priority pleasing you; never fail to give it the opportunity to do so.
Who else want to know the secret to training your puppy to come and see the results today? Discover more free tips on puppy training techniques that you can use right now!
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