Any well trained dog is a joy to own and observe when visiting the local park. It does not require advanced dog training to teach your dog to come when called, except in extreme cases of disobedience when nothing else seems to work.
With a young pup, teaching the command to come is relatively easy when you combine praise and rewards along with pleasant activities. Do not chase down your dog if he refuses to obey. He will only think it is a game, and this undesirable behavior will be reinforced.
Instead, call his name and when he looks at you, walk the other way, calling his name and saying “come” He will then seek you out, not the other way around. Once he understands that you will not chase him, he will begin to respond. Give high praise when he does.
In dog training basics, use various activities to keep his interest or he will easily get bored and become unreceptive. Have different family members join in whenever possible, as some dogs will learn to obey only the person who trains him.
If you plan to have an outsider walk your dog from time to time, be sure to ask them to join his teaching sessions as well, so your pooch will learn to respond to anyone who is caring for him at the time.
One basic dog training game for the family is back and forth recalling, where two or more people, positioned ten feet apart ( in a safe area like your back yard or park) take turns calling your dog, and commanding him to stay until the next person proceeds. The person who calls the dog will give him a treat when he responds.
Once your dog is adept at this fun game, each person can move farther away and turn it into a game of hide and seek. You can play this in the house, where at least two people are positioned in the center room of the house.
Each person retreats farther away from the starting point and calls the dog. Soon each person is on a different end of the house, and your dog must seek them out to get his treat! Your dog will love this game, and it will hone his hunting skills as well. Dogs have the natural instinct to hunt food and game.
copyright by Danny Taylor
