come command

luke4275 · 01-14-2012, 01:26 AM

My pup is 5.5 months old. When off leash in a field area he usually comes to me.. Today he didnt and ran into the street with cars..etc.// Eventually another dog owner was able to get his collar. Of course he will NEVER be off leash unless it is a dog park, or fenced in area. Before today. he'd always come when called. He is being trained.. I believe I over estimate his ability bec I forget what a puppy is like. when would one expect a pup to come..? I;ve been told by 3 different trainers that he is a bit on the difficult side to train. , a bit of a will of his own... When in the house.. he does sit down and stay quite well.

KZoppa · 01-14-2012, 02:06 AM

he's only 5.5 months old. He's still not mentally mature and he's still a baby. Throw in the breed and their ability to think on their own at times and you need to step up training and enforcing it positively. Obeying commands at all times should be rewarding in some way to the dog. Even a simple "YES! Good boy!" can be rewarding. Start small from training with no distractions to gradually adding distractions in so he learns to focus on the commands in all situations. Obviously dont allow him offleash again unless he's fenced in. Set him up to succeed. He should get and perform a command perfectly 9 times out a 10 before you should move on to adding a new distraction. If he misses a command, you want to take 1-2 steps back in training. You want the dog to think the ONE time he got away with not listening was a fluke and it wont happen again. Sometimes you have to go back to basics. Remember, making yourself more interesting than the distractions is difficult but necessary as it could save your dogs life.

Also look up teaching him the touch command. It may help because touch is a positive association technique. I've heard of dogs who when told to come, would completely ignore the command because come usually signals the fun has ended and its time to go. One of my mentor trainers clients' dogs got loose from their yard one afternoon and she yelled for them to come. Nothing. they kept running. She then stuck her fingers out and yelled "TOUCH!" and they whipped around and booked it back because they had learned that touch meant a fabulous treat. Positive association. Works wonders in some cases. Its also a great command for teaching other tricks as well.

Start at the basics again for teaching him come. Run backwards as you tell him to come. Praise when he does. Gradually work up the distance (still in a fenced area!) and go from there.

**MaggieRoseLee** · 01-14-2012, 09:45 AM

I've found that all my pups are practically perfect with the recall when young. Why I promote all the OFF leash hiking in the woods for the young pups.

Glory B (11 wks) and Bretta Lee (5 yrs) Wildhaus Hiking at Toms Ck (PA) - YouTube

I've ALSO found that if I've done a great job socializing and getting a confident puppy that all of them start also getting independent and NOT 'coming' all the time at around 6 months old! Sound familiar?

Fortunately, this is also the time I know to be enrolled in those formal obedience classes! A great instructor and class situation is a perfect place to start training ME to train my pup with distractions and other people/dogs/ in a new place!

muddypaw · 01-14-2012, 10:08 AM

My trainer had a thing she called "baby bird, come" . You sit in a small room with your puppy with little distraction, like a bathroom. Get 50 small value treats. every 30 seconds say "COME" and give a treat. You are feeding them like the momma bird to a baby...The next day, do the same thing, 50 treats, but add a few high value treats in there. do it every day for a week, adding distractions and a different room by the end of the week. They do the association that Come=treat. Then you start adding distance the next week.( I did it in conjunction with a sit/stay command.) I found this worked very well, now Shadow comes almost every single time.

Once her collar broke on a walk (she was having a "zoomie") and she ran into a busy street. A car had just passed by and another car was coming. I called COME! and she came right away. This was at about 6 months. It probably saved her life!

brandeeno · 01-25-2012, 07:03 PM

Great story. Goodvadvice. I sm going to try this with my puppy

Emoore · 01-25-2012, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by muddypaw

now Shadow comes almost every single time.

Yeah, it's that "almost" that gives you a dead dog. Muddypaw's method of training "come" is great, but a dog shouldn't be trusted off-leash in a non-fenced area until they have a rock-solid come every single time. Not almost.

SophieGSD · 02-06-2012, 02:43 PM

My 11-month-old Sophie still has problems with "come". I have a 20x20 pen that we work in, but I think my mother has spoiled her in it, so now she thinks it's play time when we go into the pen, instead of work time. I'm going to try using a long line on her instead of the pen, since that area has been "ruined" for her, in a sense.

The problem with her lack of response to "come" is that I want to take her on hikes and walks in the local battlefield (Chickamauga Battlefield, for anyone interested. Was a civil war battlefield, now turned tourist attraction and wildlife sanctuary.) but I'd like to let her go off-leash so she has freedom to explore, and I don't feel like I'm dragging her along on the trail.

Any suggestions?

Eagle · 02-12-2012, 02:21 PM

I also have a big problem with the "come" command. My dog is a male 9months old. When he was younger i used to let him offleash for some time,he was playing in the field but always he was looking if i was near him..If i was a bit far he used to come near me..One day though another dog was passing from the nearby street and he run near that dog,he was in the middle of the road running, lucky for him there were not any cars coming. No matter how loud i shouted come he just ignored me. From that day i never let him offleash again.

I am using a big training leash, its about 7meters long and i call him to come,when he comes i have a tasty treat ready for him. 9 out of 10 times he is comng. The problem is though when he is offleash (in a fenced secure area) he never comes,even if i go near him and show him the treat,he would rather just play and run around rather than come

01-14-2012, 01:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
luke4275 Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 96	come command My pup is 5.5 months old. When off leash in a field area he usually comes to me.. Today he didnt and ran into the street with cars..etc.// Eventually another dog owner was able to get his collar. Of course he will NEVER be off leash unless it is a dog park, or fenced in area. Before today. he'd always come when called. He is being trained.. I believe I over estimate his ability bec I forget what a puppy is like. when would one expect a pup to come..? I;ve been told by 3 different trainers that he is a bit on the difficult side to train. , a bit of a will of his own... When in the house.. he does sit down and stay quite well.

01-14-2012, 02:06 AM	#2 (permalink)
KZoppa Crowned Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Maryland kinda missing CO Posts: 13,832	he's only 5.5 months old. He's still not mentally mature and he's still a baby. Throw in the breed and their ability to think on their own at times and you need to step up training and enforcing it positively. Obeying commands at all times should be rewarding in some way to the dog. Even a simple "YES! Good boy!" can be rewarding. Start small from training with no distractions to gradually adding distractions in so he learns to focus on the commands in all situations. Obviously dont allow him offleash again unless he's fenced in. Set him up to succeed. He should get and perform a command perfectly 9 times out a 10 before you should move on to adding a new distraction. If he misses a command, you want to take 1-2 steps back in training. You want the dog to think the ONE time he got away with not listening was a fluke and it wont happen again. Sometimes you have to go back to basics. Remember, making yourself more interesting than the distractions is difficult but necessary as it could save your dogs life. Also look up teaching him the touch command. It may help because touch is a positive association technique. I've heard of dogs who when told to come, would completely ignore the command because come usually signals the fun has ended and its time to go. One of my mentor trainers clients' dogs got loose from their yard one afternoon and she yelled for them to come. Nothing. they kept running. She then stuck her fingers out and yelled "TOUCH!" and they whipped around and booked it back because they had learned that touch meant a fabulous treat. Positive association. Works wonders in some cases. Its also a great command for teaching other tricks as well. Start at the basics again for teaching him come. Run backwards as you tell him to come. Praise when he does. Gradually work up the distance (still in a fenced area!) and go from there. __________________ The more people I meet and talk to,the more I love my dogs and their intelligence. www.krystalscollarcreations.weebly.com Riley GSD/BC 1/10/05 Zena GSD 6/1/03 Shasta GSD 5/5/10

01-14-2012, 10:08 AM	#4 (permalink)
muddypaw Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Deep in the Heart of Texas Posts: 31	My trainer had a thing she called "baby bird, come" . You sit in a small room with your puppy with little distraction, like a bathroom. Get 50 small value treats. every 30 seconds say "COME" and give a treat. You are feeding them like the momma bird to a baby...The next day, do the same thing, 50 treats, but add a few high value treats in there. do it every day for a week, adding distractions and a different room by the end of the week. They do the association that Come=treat. Then you start adding distance the next week.( I did it in conjunction with a sit/stay command.) I found this worked very well, now Shadow comes almost every single time. Once her collar broke on a walk (she was having a "zoomie") and she ran into a busy street. A car had just passed by and another car was coming. I called COME! and she came right away. This was at about 6 months. It probably saved her life! __________________ *Knight's Gambit Kalin "Shadow" GSD 4.22.11* Two fat furball cats Two Teenagers....

01-25-2012, 07:03 PM	#5 (permalink)
brandeeno Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: New York, NY Posts: 57	Great story. Goodvadvice. I sm going to try this with my puppy

02-06-2012, 02:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
SophieGSD Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Pensacola, FL Posts: 139	My 11-month-old Sophie still has problems with "come". I have a 20x20 pen that we work in, but I think my mother has spoiled her in it, so now she thinks it's play time when we go into the pen, instead of work time. I'm going to try using a long line on her instead of the pen, since that area has been "ruined" for her, in a sense. The problem with her lack of response to "come" is that I want to take her on hikes and walks in the local battlefield (Chickamauga Battlefield, for anyone interested. Was a civil war battlefield, now turned tourist attraction and wildlife sanctuary.) but I'd like to let her go off-leash so she has freedom to explore, and I don't feel like I'm dragging her along on the trail. Any suggestions?

02-12-2012, 02:21 PM	#8 (permalink)
Eagle New Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Cyprus Posts: 12	I also have a big problem with the "come" command. My dog is a male 9months old. When he was younger i used to let him offleash for some time,he was playing in the field but always he was looking if i was near him..If i was a bit far he used to come near me..One day though another dog was passing from the nearby street and he run near that dog,he was in the middle of the road running, lucky for him there were not any cars coming. No matter how loud i shouted come he just ignored me. From that day i never let him offleash again. I am using a big training leash, its about 7meters long and i call him to come,when he comes i have a tasty treat ready for him. 9 out of 10 times he is comng. The problem is though when he is offleash (in a fenced secure area) he never comes,even if i go near him and show him the treat,he would rather just play and run around rather than come

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