When your dog goes through any type of basic obedience classes, regardless of whether they take place in a professional setting or if you are doing them at home, there are going to be different levels of commands. Some are going to be relatively easy, such as teaching a dog to sit or perhaps to stay on command. One of the commands that tend to be difficult for many dogs, however, is to come to you on command.
When you teach your dog to recall, which is the official word used for this command, it will benefit both you and them throughout their life. Having a dog that is strictly obedient and comes immediately every time you call them can help them to stay out of danger or could just help to save you some frustration in certain situations. It’s a critical skill that should be understood by all dogs for their own good.
One important thing to consider is that teaching a dog to come on command is something that may only be able to be done after they are intimately familiar with you. If you have a young puppy and are trying to teach them the recall, you may find that they are not apt to do it if they don’t know you and have a strong relationship with you. In addition, you should always use a positive reward program because it will help them to associate this difficult command with a high reward treat.
Some of the most important things to keep in mind when teaching a dog to recall are that any negative association is going to make it difficult for them to listen to you. In fact, if you use the recall word, and then punish the dog, you may have already have poisoned that command and you would be better off to come up with a different command for the recall. In addition, be sure not to yell at the dog frequently and use their name because they will be less likely to come to you when you use their name in a positive way.
The easiest way to teach a dog to come is to have them on the end of a lead, walk away from them while they are in a stay command and then give the command to come to you. If they don’t do so readily, use the lead to gently pull them in your direction. It is also important to ensure that they get plenty of praise and treats when they respond to the recall. Eventually, you will be able to get rid of the lead and extend the distance even further.
Once your dog has been able to master this command, it is important to continue to teach them both this and other basic obedience commands regularly. When you’re consistent with these types of efforts, you will find that your dog is listening to you and being obedient, even when they are not formally being trained.