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Dog Training Best Practices For Teaching Your Puppy To Come
Dog Training Best Practices For Teaching Your Puppy To Come | Best Practices For Teaching Your Puppy To Come |
| Written by Corson Strand | ||||||||
| Tuesday, 10 August 2010 | ||||||||
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One essential key to teaching your dog to come, or doing any basic puppy training routine, is to allow the puppy no alternative but to obey the command. Non-compliance can never be an option. What this means for you is that you must set your dog up for success and when training, give it the opportunities it needs to succeed. A common error when teaching "come" or any other command is to use it when you do not really want the dog to perform the action. In the case of "come," you want to use the word only when you really want to dog to cease any other action and come to you. This also means that you have to learn how to monitor yourself a bit when your puppy is within hearing range.
One essential key to teaching your dog to come, or doing any basic puppy training routine, is to allow the puppy no alternative but to obey the command. Non-compliance can never be an option. What this means for you is that you must set your dog up for success and when training, give it the opportunities it needs to succeed. A common error when teaching "come" or any other command is to use it when you do not really want the dog to perform the action. In the case of "come," you want to use the word only when you really want to dog to cease any other action and come to you. This also means that you have to learn how to monitor yourself a bit when your puppy is within hearing range. To offer a somewhat humorous example of why this is important, I often take my dogs along for rides when I go out in the car. I Have a Forrester, so there is plenty of room in the back. The dogs have come to enjoy car rides and are always on the lookout for an occasion to hop in the car. Well, I accidentally got into the habit of saying "all right" before putting them into the car. Now, as a result, if I should say, "all right" in some other context, they immediately jump up and run to the door expecting a car ride. This is hardly a serious situation, but I have had to unteach them that "all right" means a ride in the car. With particular respect to the "come" command, it is important to not give your dog the choice of not coming. Thus, a very basic way of starting out is to always have your dog on a leash. I recommend a leash of at least 3 or 4 feet. Attach the leash to the dog's collar and position him (or her) at one end and you at the other. I also advise that you do not use a choke or pinch collar for this. Say the command, "come" in a firm, civil voice and then very gently tug the leash so as to encourage the dog to approach you. It is important to use only the minimum force necessary. After the dog comes to you, give it lots of praise and a small, tasty treat. The next caution we want to suggest is that you never use the "come" command and then scold or rebuke your dog. You do not want your puppy to associate the command, "come" with negative experience. And that's true even if you need to isolate your dog for something necessary such as bathing. If your dog does not enjoy it, and you train that command, it will suspect something bad as a result of compliance. 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. Again, when training the command to come, use a happy, upbeat tone of voice. Say the command when the puppy is moving toward you, or when it is on the leash. One fun trick to use is to get your puppy's attention and then turn and start to run in the opposite direction. Your puppy will start to chase you. As it does, turn around, crouch, open your arms and say, "come." This will almost always work as puppies find a good game of chase irresistible! About the Author: Training your puppy to come and making your dog love you for it. Get more free tips on key puppy training techniques and get start right now! Views: 67
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