Come!

There is nothing more frustrating than watching your dog run away in the distance, completely ignoring everything that you say. Unfortunately for us humans, running away is inherently reinforcing to the dog, and we find ourselves bashing our heads against the wall whenever we need our dogs to come back. Retraining this command is going to take a lot of time, dedication and perseverance. If you are not willing to commit to that, don't even bother beginning. Instead, keep your dog on a long line or flexi leash. During retraining, DO NOT EXPECT YOUR DOG TO COME TO YOU. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are not going to need him to come to you. We do not want to teach the dog that the recall is optional, nor at this stage do we want to have to correct any disobedience.

THE PROGRAM

To begin with I like to use a new command. Most dogs have learned that "come" means run away as fast as you can, because if mummy catches me I am in serious trouble. We now want to use a new word so that we can associate it with a positive connotation. If you used come, maybe you could use "by-me", "here" or "close" or any word that has not been previously used. Now that we have the beginning established, we can actually begin the training.

STEP ONE: This requires two people and some amazing treat. By amazing I am not talking about rollover or snossages. I mean AMAZING treats. Go to the butcher and pick up some beef heart, or salmon patties, or whatever else drives your dog insane. Some students have boiled up garlic-chicken for their dogs and this seems to have the desirable effect. This treat is only to be used with recall training, and cannot be given at any other time. Get the other person to hold your dog by the shoulders (not collar). You call "Cujo, by-me". Once "by-me" is heard, the other person should release the dog. You then take off running as fast as you can, and without looking back. Pretty soon your dog will crash into you and he is allowed the scrumptious treat. Repeat this 10 - 20 times, and be creative. As you run away you can lie on the ground, stick your head in-between your legs, or roll down a hill. Just totally surprise your dog with your stupidity and good humour. Vary the exercise so that "by-me" seems to be the coolest word that Cujo has ever heard.

We want your dog to learn that coming back is fun with only good consequences.

STEP TWO: Now we are going to take this into the house. If your dog does not "come" at home, how on earth do you expect him to leave a fleeing rabbit? It is really important to make sure your recall is 100% reliable at home before we take it outside.

Step two involves doing recalls in the same room. Cujo can be lying on his bed and you will have the sacred treat in your hand. Say "Cujo, Come" and run away from him. If he doesn't come, you moved ahead too quickly and need to go to step one. If he does come, give him his reward and let him know that he is the most special boy that there ever was. Jump up and down, clap your hands, and act like a complete idiot to let him know precisely how superb he was. Do this 10 - 20 times. Let your dog tell you when to move onto the next step. Make sure he is 100% reliable in his recall at this stage and most importantly make sure he is HAVING FUN. If he is not having fun, you need to learn how to loosen up and make your dog think you are fun. (See . . .Our dogs teach us how to be better people!!!)

STEP THREE: Continue with step two, only do it when Cujo is in a different room. Once he has mastered this skill, vary at what point your run away. Sometimes run as soon as you can hear him coming, sometimes run when he is two feet away. Once again, make sure you are fun.

STEP FOUR: Do the same as step three, only time A) stand dead straight and don't move until he is with you, and then go ballistic. Time B), as soon as he moves run away and once he is with you go ballistic. Keep alternating, and then do two without you moving and one where you run etc. But once again, make sure it is always fun.

STEP FIVE: You are now ready to utilize your skills when Cujo is in the back yard. When he is sniffling his favourite flower, call him and take off into your bedroom. When he arrives, play with him. Make sure he gets his treat.

STEP SIX: We are now ready to hit the road. Go into a location where he will be safe. Try and get a fenced location such as a off-season hockey rink or tennis court. Put a long line on your dog but do not hold it. Let Cujo drag it. Make sure you do the first couple of "comes"s when Cujo is close, and then let him wander. If you are feeling paranoid, step on the long-line once and call his name at the same time. This will give him a natural consequence for not listening, and will also remind him to behave. Don't be a military sergeant by constantly doing recalls; make sure your dog is able to enjoy his walk. I try and maximize my recalls at ten per hour-long walk.

STEP SEVEN: Now you are basically done. From now on, each two weeks (or month depending upon your dog) you will cut an additional foot off the leash. Eventually the dog will just be wearing a tab. If the dog does ever decide to ignore you, there are some motivation-type corrections that we could use to reinforce what behaviour should be happening.

We could also turn to negative reinforcement using an electric collar to reinforce the foundation that we have now built. However, e-collars, though a magnificent tool, can be quite dangerous when used incorrectly so please make sure that you go to a professional for help if you decide to go this route.

If after this program your dog does not come, then you need to come to me!

GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY TRAINING!

Never forget, a trained dog gets to run free and benefit from all the rewards of your hard training. They can play, swim, dig and do very important "dog -things".