Help…My Dog Won’t “Come!”

Note from Con Slobodchikoff: This is a post by guest author Nancy Frensley, CPDT, CAP2, who is Manager of Behavior and Training at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society in Berkeley, California. She will write periodic posts about the behavioral challenges and joys of shelter dogs.

The advice line rings many times during the day at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society. At least once a day I hear the dreaded lament, “I have a great dog and we love him. But, he does not “come” when he is called and today he really scared us.” Usually the dog has run into the street or taken off after another dog or a squirrel, disappeared for a couple of hours and generally frightened or outright humiliated the person who loves him the most. That mad chase across the beach might have been funny in the movie “Marley and Me”, but it is not a laughing matter when it happens in reality.  

Often, the root of the problem is that the dog’s person has not laid enough of a foundation on the dog’s obedience. The foundation of the dog’s learning is made up of many successful and rewarded repetitions of a behavior that cause the dog to integrate the behavior into his training. However, it is only human to want things to happen right away. So what does the person do?

A lot of words and gestures are usually thrown at dogs, rewarded sporadically, and produce some correct responses. When people do not get a response often a change in tone occurs and sometimes the dog is willing to try again. This hit-or-miss approach does not allow the dog’s training to become strong enough to hold up under distractions or stress.

Training one’s dog to have a solid, reliable “come” under distraction requires the person to start small, work in a way that ensures success for every single drill and reward generously for every successful performance. Rewards can include food, play with a toy, “tug” games and being released to experience freedom. One of the best rewards to give a dog is a period of free play at the end of the training session.

 The first priority in teaching a solid “come” is to obtain a successful response to build upon. There are several ways to start the process. One of my favorites is to teach a dog to play hide-and-seek…first indoors, then outdoors. Dogs are always delighted to find their people. Delicious food rewards can make it even more fun. Start inside by slipping around a corner or ducking behind a piece of furniture and calling him to “come” and then giving him a treat. Be sure to hide when the dog is not paying attention. As the dog catches on to the game, hide in progressively difficult locations (always loaded with good food). When the dog gets to the point where he finds his people every time or just will not leave them alone, move to a safe outdoor location and start the hide-and-seek process again. People find that the dog starts keeping an ear cocked in their direction because he figures they might just disappear at any time. This is a game for the entire family to play throughout the dog’s life. It never gets old!

Bring a long line and flat collar or harness to the park or on a walk. A long line is a leash about 20 to 30 feet in length. The leash can be homemade from a rope or purchased and should not be a retractable leash which has tension on it at all times. The long line gives the dog an opportunity to start hearing voice commands from a distance and gives the person more control over the result. The person should go to the chosen location loaded with food and toys. Spend a few minutes at the beginning of the outing and allow the dog to sniff around at the end of the line and be sure to call him about every 10 to 15 seconds. Most dogs can tolerate up to about 10 repetitions but some will quit responding to even less, so be careful to quit while the dog is still having a good time.

And what if the dog does not respond? The power is found within holding the long line. Walk quickly away from the dog without jerking the line. When the line gets tight the dog will come along. The moment that happens, begin to praise the dog in a happy voice and keep praising until the dog arrives. As soon as he arrives, reward him with nice treats or a fun game with a toy. To do another repetition, just give the dog the “OK” and let the leash out again. If he starts hanging around too closely, consider the session a success and let him run around and play.

There are a couple of important items to remember when teaching a dog to come. Vocalization should be big and clear, not quiet or vague. The voice should sound the same way every time. Always precede “come!” with the dog’s name. Moreover, do not use the dog’s name or the word “come” when the response cannot be controlled by the long line. In those cases, just go and get the dog instead of trying to call him unsuccessfully. When the dog is responding without having to bring him in, he is close to having a reliable recall. At that point, practice everywhere, but always with the control line.

Often, students at the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society’s K-9 College ask me how long it takes to teach a dog to “come” and to feel as though the dog can be relied upon. It depends upon how frequently the person practices with the dog and whether or not the person allows for failures to happen during the training period. To “come” is one of those behaviors that will take life-long reinforcement. The world is a fascinating place to a dog and the person needs to test and train him in each new location until everyone involved is truly in tune with the word, “COME!”.