Dog Training Issues - Refusing to come when called

Many dog owners fail to recognize the importance of having a dog that comes when called until there is a problem, such as the collar or leash breaking, or the dog tearing free to chase a person or another animal. These situations can be dangerous for the dog, the owner and other members of the community. In areas where there is a lot of vehicular traffic, the situation could even prove fatal to the dog.

Unfortunately, many well meaning owners sabotage this important part of their dog's training by allowing it to run off leash and unattended. Whether the dog is allowed to run in the park, on the beach, or just play with other dogs, this teaches the dog that there are many fun things that do not involve its owner. In fact, from the dog's perspective at least, these fun times are often ruined by the appearance of the owner.

Look at things from the dog's perspective for a moment. You - the dog - are having a ton of fun running on the beach with all your doggy friends, and suddenly here comes this human to take you away from the fun. When you see the dog's point of view it is easy to see how the appearance of the owner, and the leash can be seen as a negative. This negative perception causes many dogs to delay this outcome by refusing to come when they are called. From the dog's point of view, this makes perfect sense, since every minute of delay means another minute of romping on the beach or in the park. In other words, the dog has learned that the most rewarding thing to do is to ignore the calls of its owner. While this may seem like a good idea to the dog, it is definitely not a good thing from the owner's perspective.

For dogs who have not yet learned this type of avoidance behavior, it is best to prevent it from happening by supervising the dog at play, and making the time you spend with your dog as much, or more, fun, as the time it spends alone or with other dogs. For dogs that have already learned the value of ignoring their owner, some retraining is definitely in order. It is vital that every dog respond to the "come here" command, for the safety of both humans and dogs alike.

One thing to avoid is following the "come here" command with unpleasant activities. Calling the dog, and then immediately giving him a bath, clipping his nails, taking him to the vet, etc. will quickly teach the dog that coming to the owner has negative consequences. It is best to ask the dog to come and then play with him, feed him, walk him or engage in other fun activities. If you do need to take your dog to the vet, bathe him, etc. be sure to allow some time to pass so the dog does not associate the "come here" command with the bad experience.

It is important to remember that dogs are constantly learning, whether a formal training session is in process or not. Your dog is always learning something from you, whether good or bad. It is therefore important to make every interaction with your dog a positive one. When teaching the dog to come on command, it is vital that the dog be consistently rewarded every single time he does as the owner wants.

A reward can be as simple as a pat on the head, a "good boy" or a scratch behind the ears. Of course, treat based rewards are appreciated as well, and many dogs are highly food motivated and respond quickly to this type of training. The key is to be consistent. The dog should get some kind of reward, whether it be praise, a toy, or a treat, every time he appears at the owners side when called.

Dog training - reward training basics
Training with treats and other food based rewards is a great way to motivate your dog and speed the training process along. Most dogs are highly motivated by food rewards, and treat training using this kind of positive reinforcement is used to train all sorts of animals, including tigers, lions, elephants and even house cats.

Before you begin a treat based training session, however, it is a good idea to test the dog to make sure that food will motivate him through the session. Begin around the dog's regular meal time by taking a piece of its food and waving it in front of the dog's nose. If the dog shows an enthusiasm for the food, now is a great time to start the training. If the dog shows little interest, or none at all, it may be best to put off the training until another time. Don't be afraid to delay the start of meal time in order to pique the dog's interest in training. The advantages of proper training will far outweigh any delay in feeding.

It is generally best to get the dog used to regular feedings, instead of leaving food out all the time. Not only does free feeding encourage the dog to overeat and increase the chances of obesity, but a free fed dog may never be fully motivated in reward based training.

The come when called command
Once your dog has shown interest in the food offered to it, it is time to begin the training. Since you already got your dog's undivided attention by showing it food, now is a great time to start. Give the dog a few pieces of food right away, then back up a few steps. While holding the food in your hand, so "come here". When the dog comes to you, praise him effusively and give him a few pieces of food. After the dog is coming to you easily, add a sit command and hold the collar before you give the food.
After the sit command is mastered, other commands, and even some tricks, can be added. Food based positive reinforcement training is the best way to teach a variety of important behaviors.

One good exercise is the sit, stay, come when called exercise. This exercise can begin with the owner walking the dog, then stopping and asking the dog to sit. After the dog is sitting quietly, the owner backs away and asks the dog to stay. Ideally the dog should continue to stay until called by the owner, even if the leash is dropped. At the end of the exercise, the owner calls the dog. When the dog comes to the owner, it receives food and praise from the owner. This exercise should be repeated several times, until the dog is reliably coming when called.

It is important to keep the training sessions short, especially in the beginning, to keep the dog from becoming bored, and from consuming its entire meal in the form of treats. After the dog has been responding regularly, the treats and food rewards can be slowly reduced. It is important to still provide these food rewards, but it may no longer be necessary to provide as many. After awhile, as well, it will not be necessary to give the dog treats every single time he responds as requested. In general, it should only be necessary for the dog to receive a food treat one out of every five times he comes on demand.
The other four successes can be rewarded with praise and scratches.

Once the dog understand the basics of the "come here" exercise, the basic exercise can be expanded, and many games can be created. These type of games can be great fun for owner and dog alike, as well as a great learning experience. Some off leash work can be introduced as well, but it is always best to start with the dog in a safe environment, such as a fenced back yard. For variety, you can try taking the dog to other safe environments, such as a friend's house, a neighbor's fenced yard or a local dog park.

Try turning the dog loose in these safe places, and practice the come when called exercise. Always praise the dog extensively, scratch him behind the ears and tell him what a good dog he is. The goal should be to make coming to the owner a more pleasant experience than whatever the dog was doing before he was called.

Advanced dog training exercises
Coming when called is a vital skill that every dog must learn, both for its own safety and that of those around it. A disobedient dog that refuses to come when called could easily be hit by a car, get into a fight with another dog, or suffer a variety of other bad experiences. A well trained dog that comes when called can safely be taken out to play in the local park, at the beach, on the hiking trail, or anywhere else the owner and dog may wish to go.

Basic training to come when called is relatively easy and straightforward, and involves providing praise, treats and other perks when the dog does as his owner wants. After these basic come when called training exercises are mastered, there are a number of fun exercises that can be introduced to challenge the dog and pique its interest.

Making training into a fun game is one of the best ways to motivate dog and handler alike. It is easy for training sessions to become routine and boring, and it is important to keep them from degenerating into this state. Before beginning any food based training exercise, it is important to make sure that the dog is properly motivated and ready to respond to treat based training.

Testing the dog is simply a matter of taking a piece of his regular food and waving it in front of the dog's nose. If the dog shows great enthusiasm for the food, it is ready to start the training. If not, it is best to wait until the dog is in a more receptive mood. The treats that work best for treat based training games like hide and seek are cut up quarter inch or smaller pieces of chicken, cheese or liver. In other words, something your dog will love. It is best to use very small pieces to avoid overfeeding the dog during he training sessions.

One great game for you and another family member or friend to play with your dog is simply back and forth recall. This is a great exercise for teaching your dog to come whenever it is called by a member of the family. Dogs often learn to only respond to one person, and this can be a problem when other people are watching the dog. That is one reason why professional dog trainers always insist on working with the owner as well as the dog. A well trained dog must learn to respond to whoever is in charge, not just the owner or usual handler.

In the back and forth recall game, two or more people stand approximately ten yards apart, in a safe place like a fenced in yard. One person calls the dog and asks him to sit and say until another person asks the dog to come. When the dog responds to the command to come, it is rewarded with a treat. Most dogs respond wonderfully to this exercise and love playing this game. When playing the back and forth recall game, it is important that only the person who called the dog be allowed to give the dog a treat.

After the dog has mastered the back and forth recall game, the humans in the game can start to spread further out, thus turning the back and forth recall game into a fun game of hide and seek. The hide and seek game starts with two or more people in the center room of the house. Every time they call the dog to come, they spread out further away from where they started. As the game continues, one person will be at one end of the house, while another may be at the opposite end.

What makes the hide and seek game so much fun for the dog is that he must seek out the person to get the treat, instead of simply running up to a person in plain sight. This type of seeking behavior appeals to many of the dog's natural instincts. After all, dogs are naturally hunting animals, and seeking out food is second nature to them.

In the next post: Keeping your dog motivated.