Training Tips for Dogs That Don’t Come When Called

Also known as the “Recall”, the “Come” command is one of the most important training
activities for your dog. And it is the one that owners make mistakes with the most often.
Improper use of the “Come” command or failure to enforce it can lead to serious behavior
problems.

There is nothing more frustrating than needing or wanting your dog to come to you for kenneling,
grooming, turning in for the night, getting ready to leave, or simply for attention, only to have him
ignore you, plop down in the grass, or go the other way.

A dog that does not come when called either hasn’t learned what that means or hasn’t been taught that he has to listen to the command.

“If you say it, mean it. And if you mean it, enforce it.” This is good advice, no matter which of the
methods listed below you use to correct this problem. Don’t call your dog if you really don’t
need him to come to you, and if you do call him, make sure he comes to you EVERY time so
that he learns there are no exceptions to this rule. For a dog that loves treats, this should be a
relatively easy command to teach, as long as you are consistent.

If you have already taught your dog to NOT come, by letting it run and ignore your calls, you
will have to start over at the beginning, and will likely have to put in extra time on this exercise.
It is important that you head off this behavior before it turns into a more serious problem; that of the dog
who runs away when let off the leash.

Because many dog owners inadvertently create this recall problem themselves, we wanted to
include some things to avoid when working with your dog.

Help! My Dog Doesn’t Come When Called…

First the dont’s.

1.) DON’T FOLLOW UP THE “COME” COMMAND WITH SOMETHING UNPLEASANT
DON’T call the dog to you and then do something unpleasant like pick burrs out of his fur, clip
his toenails, scold him for chewing up your shoes, make him leave the play area, or anything else
he doesn’t like to do. This creates a negative response and teaches him to avoid coming to you.
Wait for the dog to come to you on his own or go get him. Then pet him a bit before heading in
or beginning the unpleasant activity. If you must call your dog, be sure to give him a treat and
delay for several minutes while you pet him and praise him for coming when called.

2.) DON’T PUNISH THE DOG FOR RETURNING TO YOU AFTER RUNNING OFF
If the dog runs off or doesn’t come when called, DON’T punish him when he returns, especially
if he returns in response to your calls. No matter how angry or frustrated you may feel, if you
scold the dog at this point, he will associate coming to you with punishment and will avoid it at
all costs. This issue is discussed in the section on dogs that run off, and this is where the
problem starts.

3.) DON’T CALL THE DOG AND THEN NOT FOLLOW THROUGH
The first time you call you dog and then don’t follow through by making him come to you, you
have started down the path to a behavior problem. If the dog learns he doesn’t have to comply with the command, or only has to listen sometimes (like when you are really mad), then he will have learned NOT to come when called.

It is easiest to enforce the “Come” command if you keep your dog on a leash until you are
certain he has been thoroughly trained. That way if he does not respond to your call, you can
give him a jerk on the leash or pull him to you while you praise him and give him a treat.

Now the do’s.

4.) THE PRAISE METHOD
Some pet owners do not like the idea of continually giving treats as rewards for good behavior.
There are several reasons for this line of thinking. Some worry that the dog will become
overweight. Others feel the dog should strive to please his owner, not get more food. And many
prefer not to be tied to the treat bag, dependant on it for control of their dog. There are some
valid points to these concerns, and most law enforcement dogs are trained to respond purely to
praise and a job well done. If food were too big of a motivator, criminals would be able to
distract the dog or perhaps convince it to do something in return for the treat.

However, when working with pet dogs, most trainers realize that food is a huge motivator for
the average pup and it is commonly used as a safe and effective tool. But for those who prefer
not to use treats, the Praise Method is a good tool for you in teaching your dog to come when
called.

The Praise Method is the basic recall exercise with petting and enthusiastic words as the dog’s
reward instead of a treat. You can also use a squeaky toy or other item the dog enjoys, but then
save it only for training activities. It is best if you wait until your dog is in a playful or active
mood, rather than when he has just lain down to sleep. You want him to be energetic and up for
some fun.

With your pet on a leash, sit with him in front of you a foot or so away. Pet him a few times
and then back up and issue the command, “______, come!” Fill in your dog’s name on the
blank. So for example, with Dudley, it would be “Dudley, come!” As soon as Dudley moves
toward you, back up a little bit more and encourage him to keep coming to you. When he responds,
take a hold of his collar before praising and petting him so that he learns that “come” means to be
taken into your control, not just to bound up and then jump away again. If the dog doesn’t come to you,
give a little tug on the leash, but don’t drag your dog to you or jerk him off his feet.

Practice this exercise for fifteen minutes several
times a day. If at any time the dog becomes disinterested, quit and try again later. Don’t let a
positive training session deteriorate into a power struggle or a source of frustration for you or
your dog.

As your dog begins to respond to the command, start the drill a bit further away from him and
gradually increase the distance. Eventually you will be running backwards as you call the dog to
you. The real test will come when you can have your dog outside in an enclosed area with kids,
dogs, and other distractions and still have him come to you when called. Of course if he doesn’t
comply, you will have to make sure and enforce the command.

If you like, you can add a “Sit” command at the end, so that your dog begins to learn this
action as well. The sit is usually an unspoken part of the recall exercise in obedience exercises,
along with a “finish” command, which tells your dog to move himself into the heel position and
sit down again.

5.) THE TREAT AND PRAISE METHOD
For those dog owners who are not adverse to bribing their pets with treats, the Treat With Praise
Method simply adds a treat into the mix. In this case, it is best to wait until your dog is hungry.
To test this, take a piece of food or a favorite treat and move it in front of his nose. If your dog
seems uninterested or responds half-heartedly, wait for an hour or so. But if he scrambles to try
and get a hold of the tidbit, he is ready for recall training.

This technique is performed the same way as the Praise Method, but you will need to refrain
from giving your dog treats at other times of the day. If the pup can get a snack just for nudging
you and looking cute, why should he work for a treat during training? Cathy Gustafson says she
has regular treats, like dog biscuits for when she simply wants to give the dog something good.
But she has a specially flavored meat roll, called an Oinker Roll, that she uses just for training.
“The dogs go crazy for the roll and they definitely know the difference between it and a regular
treat.” See our Product List for additional information.

Once you have your dog responding to the “Come” command every time, begin to be
selective with the treats. Only give a reward for the times that he comes quickly or sits right
away. This way you begin to perfect the exercise and wean the dog away from treats.
This method can also be very effective in teaching a dog to go into its kennel or crate. Cathy
Gustafson shared a story about her daughter who had trouble getting her dog to go into the
kennel in the morning. The daughter’s yard was not fenced and she was often in her good work
clothes when she took the dog out in the morning. Usually she would use a leash, but if things
had gone well for several days, she would try it without. Invariably, the dog would run off and
the daughter would be left to chase after it in her high heels, ending up late for work and
extremely hot under the collar.

Finally the woman decided to give the dog a piece of hot dog every time she put it in the
kennel. She did this repeatedly for a couple weeks, and when the dog was pulling on the leash in
its haste to get to the kennel, the woman decided it was time for the big test. She let the dog off
the leash and watched as it bounded to the kennel and waited to be let inside. She has never had
a problem getting the dog to kennel up since. She still uses the treat every few times as a
positive enforcer.

6.) PLAY HIDE AND SEEK WITH YOUR DOG.
After you have begun to establish recognition of the “Come” command, you can turn the training
exercise into a game. Have a friend or family member hold the dog on a leash while you go hide
around the corner or behind a bush. It doesn’t matter if the dog sees where you go. You’re not
really trying to hide. Once you’re ready, command the dog to come to you. Have the helper let the dog move
forward, holding onto the leash the entire time to begin with. When the dog finds you, praise him and give
him a treat.

Once your dog begins to show an understanding of the game, you can have the helper let go
of the leash when the dog is about five feet away from you. Eventually you can have the dog off
the leash with the helper holding the collar until you are ready. But only move to this stage when
your dog is consistently responding to the commands. If you have a fenced in yard or are
confident that your dog will not run off, you can practice this activity while working or relaxing
out in the yard. If the dog wanders where you can’t see him, give the command to come find
you. Or purposely step out of the dog’s line of vision and give the command. Be sure to praise
or treat your dog when he comes to you. Not only will your dog learn to come when called, this
activity will help encourage your dog to stay where he can see you, or at least come find you
when he realizes you are gone. This game is also effective in teaching dogs not to run off.

7.) CALL THEN RETURN TO PLAYTIME
If you have a dog that has been punished for running off or taught that coming when called
means the end of fun and games, then this exercise may help retrain the dog. Have the dog
outside on a long leash and let him wander and sniff, or have a canine friend over. Every ten or
fifteen minutes, call the dog to you, using the leash, if needed, to make him come. Once you
have the dog in your control, give him a treat, pet him for a few moments and then return him to
playtime.

Repeating this exercise will teach the dog that coming to you results in a reward and does not
mean a spanking, being put in the house, or some other negative consequence. When it IS time
to end the play activity, go to the dog and have him follow you into the house without calling
him our telling him to come.

8.) PLAY THE RATTLE GAME
Put some hard kibble or other treats in a plastic bottle and rattle them before giving one to your
dog. Do this throughout the day, eventually moving to another room before giving the bottle a
shake. Every time your dog comes to you praise him and give a treat. Your dog should eventually
associate the noise with a treat reward and will come when he hears the bottle shake. That way if he is out
in the yard, all you have to do is rattle the treat bottle and he will come running. This is another
method that works well for dogs that have been trained NOT to come with a verbal command.

9.) USE THE “COME” COMMAND FOR ANYTHING FUN
Anytime you are going to do something fun or pleasant with your dog, such as feed him, play
fetch, go for a ride in the car or a walk, etc., use the “Come” command to call him to you first.
By then offering him a pleasant activity that he likes, he begins to learn that something fun or
exciting happens when he’s called.

Some owners and trainers use a whistle in place of a voice command. The steps are basically the
same, substituting the whistle for the spoken words. If you use a training whistle instead of your mouth
to generate the sound, you will have to get in the habit of keeping the whistle on you
when you are out with your dog. Most obedience trainers use verbal commands.

When using the verbal commands, it is important to use the same tone of voice every time. The
fun, encouraging tone you use to call the dog during training does not sound the same as the
angry or exasperated one you use as your dog is running away across the neighbors yard. Dogs
are very sensitive to tone and pitch, so all members of the family also need to use not only the
same words, but also the same tone. Practice with each other to be sure everyone is on the same
page.