Coming When Called

Coming When Called

It is very natural for our dogs to want to investigate and explore their environment. Dogs are very social animals, and the ability to meet potential playmates can be rewarding. That said, teaching a dog to come when called in a distracting environment can be challenging. The biggest mistake I see owners make is not rewarding their dogs for coming to them when the dog does it successfully.

Duke is a Golden Retriever who loves going to the dog park and meeting new friends. When Duke was a puppy, getting him to come when called was no problem. Once he approached adolescence, however, his behavior started to change. He would act as if he had never heard his name or the word "Come" before in his life! It was almost impossible to get him back on a leash when it was time to leave the dog park. Other owners would see us, Duke dodging out of the way each time I got close enough to reach him. It was really embarrassing.

It took me a while before I realized what my mistake had been. I wasn't rewarding Duke for coming to me; I was punishing him for coming to me. To Duke, "Come" meant: "Time to go home now. The fun is over." He dreaded hearing that word "Come" because the only context it had ever been used in was getting a leash put on and going home! He didn't want that to happen, so he tried avoiding me to play with his friends a little longer.

This is just one example of how we can accidentally poison a cue without realizing it. Sometimes we forget to see it from our dog's perspective. We need to remember that dogs only want more fun stuff to happen, and they want to avoid unpleasant things like putting the leash on and going home. If you are the fun thing, getting your dog to come to you should be no problem.

I say this because many people say that the dog is being stubborn when actually they just haven't been trained a good recall. After all, that leash ends their freedom. That's why it's so important to work on Recall without all the distractions first so that they have a reward history. It's about making the dog want to return to you! You cannot force compliance (especially when the dog is off leash). The dog has to make the correct choice themself.

An owner will often accidentally uses their recall word when it is time to give the dog their medication, or it's time for a bath. Again, think of it from their perspective. Don't poison your cue by pairing it with a negative experience for your dog. If you need to give your dog their meds or a bath, just go get them and don't use their name or recall word. Definitely, don't use their name or that recall word.

Suppose you accidentally gave the dog a negative association with a cue. In that case, you might be better off changing it and starting over with a new word. Save only the tastiest treats for when that word is used!

So, I went back to calling Duke to me in less distracting environments and rewarding when he got it right. At the dog park, I got smarter and started using Duke's recall word "Come" throughout playtime, giving him a snack and then sending him back to "Go play."

I would also reward him heavily anytime he checked in with me on his own. Letting your dog figure things out for themselves can be a powerful training technique. When you aren't continually asking your dog to do something, they feel more inclined to check in with you. When you give them the freedom of choice and a treat for getting it right, they will start to make the right decision more frequently.

This taught him that coming to me did not mean the "End of fun." Coming to me predicted yummy treats and then going back to having fun. Only sometimes do we put the leash on and go back home. But not without a couple rounds of "Duke, Come!", "Good boy!", "Go play!" first.

The key is not to expect too much from your dog initially and try not to make it too challenging. We are setting our dogs up for success by practicing in non-distracting environments first. Getting in as many successful rounds as possible is the goal! This will build up a positive association with coming to you, and they will be more likely to do it again in the future.

We are not programming robots here; dogs have free will, and at the end of the day, they will pick the more rewarding behavior. Whether it's coming to you or eating cat poop. Dogs need this reward history built up before being expected to come when called in any new environment. Small incremental successes are what we are going for!

Remember, this is one of the most challenging behaviors to teach a dog. Ask yourself, "Why should they stop what they're doing to come to me?" Make it worth their while! Many owners fail to get their dogs to come to them because they need to go back to the basics. You need to start with the least distracting environment and slowly work your way up to each new level of distraction. With every new environment, you might have to return to calling your dog from a few feet away before working up to farther distances.

Also, varying the rewards makes a huge difference! I would recommend this when teaching a dog any new behavior. The prize doesn't always need to be food! If your dog loves an exciting game of tug, why not reward him for getting it right with a friendly match? I know that Duke's ultimate prize is playing with the other dogs, so the reward for coming to me is just getting to go play again!

Training with your dog should always be fun for both of you! If you are getting frustrated, it's best to take a break and return to it with a level head rather than taking out any frustration on the dog. They are only trying their best, and they don't speak English. So remember to have fun with it, be patient, and don't take it too seriously.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this blog post! I will keep working on writing more posts about positive training techniques, so check back soon!

Thanks for reading!