Why Teaching Your Dog To Come Is Vital
Filed Under Quick Tip
Teaching your dog to come is arguably the most important lesson of all. It could save your dog’s life.
During our walk yesterday my dog Ellie stopped suddenly and started pulling on the lead. I immediately stopped (tip: never fight against your dog if he’s pulling on the lead, the resistance will cause him to pull harder) and saw that she had spotted a cat.
I didn’t have time to react. She wanted to investigate. She pulled a little harder and the lead snapped. However, she didn’t get very far, I called her name and gave the “come” command and she came running back to me.
Let’s take a detailed look at how I reacted:
Don’t Panic
First and foremost, you must remain calm. No matter how angry, frustrated or downright scared you are feeling you cannot show it. Even when you have regained control of your dog, lavish great praise on him, never reprimand him for he will believe he’s being punished for coming to you.
I remained calm albeit more from the shock of the lead breaking than anything else!
Don’t Run After Your Dog
Dog’s love to chase, running after your dog encourages this chasing instinct.
Another natural response would be to chase after your dog, to try and catch up with him and regain control. Dog’s love to chase, running after your dog encourages this chasing instinct. Take advantage of that instinct instead. Get his attention and then run away from him (in the direction you want him to go).
Alternatively if you are feeling somewhat lazy, take advantage of your dog’s curiosity and sit or lie on the floor! He’ll come running over to see what your doing.
Ellie is 9 months old, I could never have caught up with her even if I wasn’t a wheelchair user!
Always Reward Your Dog For Returning
Most dog experts agree, you have about one second to react to a dog’s behaviour. This is where a lot of dog training can fail; owners “punish” their dogs long after the fact (where “long” in this case can literally be more than one second!). When your dog does come when called you should reward him rather than reprimand him for running away in the first place.
Conclusion
Teach your dog to come when called. Teach it from an early age / as soon as you get your dog. It could be the difference between losing and keeping him.
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