ACome@

                                                                           Command Training Tip

If you are having problems with your dog coming to you, you may want to do the following exercise:

Make a list of all the times and reasons you call your dog to you. Keep the list with you for the next week. Add to the list as new situations arise. At the end of the week, take your list and put a plus next to the recalls where the outcome was positive for the dog (IE: come, and put down food dish), and a minus sign next to the recalls where the outcome was negative for your dog (IE: call your dog after free run, and put the leash back on, ending dog=s freedom). Also consider those recall situations where the dog did not respond ( IE: dog is chasing neighbor=s cat and does not come ) and see how many times during the week you try to call your dog to you without your dog even responding.

Now count up your plus and minus situations, and your non-response situations. How many plus situations do you have? The average is about 40% positive, 60% negative. Now, if you were your dog, with those odds, would you want to response to that recall? Work on making your recalls positive experiences for your dog and you could see a turn around in his response rate.