"Come" is a difficult command to teach a dog. It almost inevitably involves asking the dog to leave something it enjoys and come do something it likes less. From your dog's perspective this does not make it a fun command. Your job is to make it as enjoyable as possible so your dog is willing to do it. "Come" is also the command people seem to get the most creative with. Go to any park and you'll hear all the renditions. There's the Bribery Recall: "Cookie, girl, cookie. Come to Mommy, sweetie. Do you want a cookie?" Next is the Multiple Call Recall: "Daisy, come. Come, Daisy, come here, girl, come. Come. Come!" The dog eventually wanders over. The Or Else Recall is a common one: "Come here right now!" must be bellowed in a threatening tone for the dog to respond. My favorite is the No Call Recall, which involves chanting the dog's name without ever telling it what you want it to do. "Deacon, Deacon, Deacon..." The funny thing is that all these dogs could come immediately, on the first call, if the owners understood a few basic principles. The most important thing to remember is that the dogs learn to respond at the point where you make them respond. If you call him 10 times, then go get him, he'll respond on the 10th command or stand there waiting for you to come to him. If you call him repeatedly, get annoyed, and then go get him, he'll learn to respond when you sound annoyed. If you only get enthusiastic when you have a cookie in your hand, then your dog will learn to come only to a cookie. It is up to you.
As with all training, start in a situation where you have physical control or can teach easily, then progress to more freedom. So many people call complaining that their dog will not come to them outside, and when questioned they admit that the dog won't come inside either. If you don't have a strong first step, then don't move on to the second.
The first step is done on lead either inside or outside. While walking the dog, walk backward and call the dog. As the dog turns to follow you, continue to walk backward while you praise her every step toward you. After she has walked 10 feet or so toward you while you retreat happily, stop, continue to praise. As she approaches, slide your hand down the lead so that when she arrives you have her on short lead, making it easy to control her and to prevent her from running past, which I call Coming and Going. It is a typical happy dog thing to do. You call them, they bolt to you; your heart soars, then plummets as they bolt right on past, running huge circles as you call them over and over. Prevent this game from even beginning by keeping control of the dog throughout the training process. Doing this 5 to 10 times a day will soon have your dog turning and coming to you happily on the first command.
Meanwhile, you and your assistant can begin recall games in the house. The most fun and effective is the Run Away game. Have your assistant hold the dog silently. You play with the dog, get him real worked up, then run out of the room. As you disappear, call happily "Dog, come!" and praise him to the heavens. The assistant releases your dog, who 9 times out of 10 stampedes to find you. When he arrives, command "Sit," praise him merrily, and repeat. Only do this 2 or 3 times a session, as you want to keep him interested. If he seems to be slowing down, quit while you're ahead. Also, try ignoring him for an hour before playing this game. That usually gets their attention.
An occasional surprise, a toy, or a treat given unexpectedly every seventh or eighth time he arrives will pique his interest. As he learns to enjoy this game, hide. Make it increasingly difficult for him to find you. This added challenge builds some dogs into a recall frenzy.
Next you move outside with the long line. A long line is any 20- to 30-foot lead that can hold your dog at a full run. The goal of this training tool is surprise. Put it on at the same time you take off his 4-foot lead. Keep it loose as he begins to sniff around and play. Do not allow it to tighten until you give a well-timed correction. When he is distracted, call him with a clear "Dog, come." If he comes, praise him happily. If he pays no attention, give a quick, sharp snap on the long line. Be sure to make the snap horizontal to the ground. Then follow immediately by praise to draw him to you. Always be sure that the lead is not wrapped around a leg before you snap. After that first correction, put him back on his 4-foot lead and take him home. Once he knows he's on a line, no further training can be done that session. Always quit after that first, initial surprise correction.
