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"Here Puppy, Come Here... No ... Over Here... Come Here Now!!! "

Teaching your puppy to come to you when he is called.

Most happy, healthy and well cared for puppies will run to greet you each time they see you even without being called. Teaching your puppy to always come to you on command in any given situation is important for his safety and the safety of others. Dogs are often injured and/or killed while the owner is screaming at his pet to come back, and watches in horror as the dog runs out into traffic on a busy street or attacks another dog. Spending the time to teach your puppy and gain his trust, that coming to you every time you call him is a good and positive experience, will help prevent a scenario of this kind from happening later.

I live out in the country where there are no leash laws. I keep my dogs inside a fence or in kennel runs at all times. Other people, however, do not keep their dogs up, and choose to let them run loose.

One afternoon my son was outside with some people that were picking up a female dog they had brought over for breeding with his male Pit Bull. They loaded the female dog in the car, and was talking there for a few minutes. My son's two young daughters were outside in the yard also, along with Soldier, the male Pit Bull. We have a long driveway, and about that time, a couple of kids were riding past on bicycles down at the main road. Their dog, a big male Labrador Retriever (not on a leash) was with them and he started down our driveway. Soldier saw the other male dog before anyone else did. The gate was opened for the people with the female dog to leave, and Soldier started to run down the driveway toward the other dog. My son yelled one time, "Soldier, come back here." Soldier stopped, turned around and came to him. He had time to get a hold of Soldier's collar and get the gate closed, as the kids on bicycles were still calling their dog that was steadily running up to our fence. The people with the female dog were very pleased and impressed with Soldier's obedience. Even with a female-in-season present and the two human children, that he instinctively wanted to protect, Soldier trusted my son's voice and command to come to him right then. Without the time spent with Soldier, on gaining trust and proper training, this could have ended with injury to one or both dogs, someone getting bitten, and the people who had just bred their female being concerned about their choice in stud dogs.

A common mistake that many people make is calling your puppy to you to reprimand him when you catch him doing something he isn't supposed to. This is usually coupled with a harsh tone of voice and angry body language, which in turn, makes coming to you not very attractive to your puppy. When he doesn't come to you, you get madder, then your puppy chooses to run the other way, or finally does come to you and receives scolding. Either way, this is not a good approach. When you see your puppy doing something bad, always try to go to where he is and scold him there. He needs to learn that coming to you when you call him will be a positive experience.

Start training your puppy in a safe area like inside the house or a small yard. Using some treats for this exercise is good, so have a few ready in your pocket. Have someone hold the puppy a little ways from you, still within sight, and call to the puppy in a gentle and happy voice. Have the person holding the puppy release him at your first call. As soon as the puppy gets to you, praise and pet him and give him a treat. Do this over and over again for about ten or fifteen minutes each day, using the same command words each time.... always saying the puppy's name first and then a simple word like "come" or "here". Keep your voice tone friendly, and continue with great praise and a treat immediately when the puppy comes to you. After a couple of days, go to a larger area and repeat the process. This time, start increasing the distance, between you and the person holding the puppy, a few feet at a time, and even around a corner where he can't see you but can still hear you calling him clearly. If your puppy is doing well, coming straight to you each time he is released, while still inside a fenced area, try letting the puppy go free for a few minutes. When the puppy starts sniffing around or looking at something else, try calling him to you. If he comes to you, give him praise and a treat. If he doesn't come on the first call, try calling him again, a little louder to get his attention, and let him know you are calling to him. If he still doesn't come to you, go and get him, but do not scold him. Just start over with a shorter distance, and someone holding him while you call, and work from there again.

As your puppy improves and is learning to trust you each time you call him, and you are comfortable with his behavior, start increasing the challenges. While always keeping in mind the safety of your puppy and others, try taking him to places where there are more distractions like other people and other dogs. The new sights, smells and noises may take him a few minutes to get used to. Start again, with having someone hold him a few yards away from you, and call him. Give him great praise and a treat each time he comes to you.

Work on your puppy's training slowly out from here until he will come to you when called regardless of any distractions.

If you do not have a second person to help you with the training of your puppy, you can improvise by calling to him from a few feet away at first, and giving him praise and a treat when he comes to you. You can also call him in from outside or from another room in the house and have his food bowl ready and waiting for him when he gets to you.

While inside a fence or other safe places that don't require a leash, let your puppy wander around for a little bit of sniffing and exploring. Call to him. If he doesn't come on the second call, go and get him. Do not scold him for not coming, just start over in a smaller area again. Then, if you still have problems getting the puppy to come to you, or when moving to a larger area, keep a long leash attached to his collar. Let him go out to the end of the leash and call him. If he doesn't come, pull him gently towards you and give him praise and a treat. Just be patient, repeat the process, keep your voice calm and pleasant, and always reward with praise and treats.

All training lessons can be much more successful if you spend time playing with your puppy, and forming a good bond of trust, but it is most important for this lesson. If your puppy doesn't know you very well, or doesn't trust you, he is not going to want to come to you when you call him.

Many people get a new puppy, and are too busy to play with him much or train him. Then they are disappointed and frustrated when the puppy grows up to be an unruly, destructive dog. I have helped in the rehabilitation and the finding of new homes for quite a few of these dogs. Animal shelters and Humane Societies are full of dogs that someone didn't want anymore, so please, spend some time with your dog today. He is waiting there for you, and hoping you will come and go for a walk or play a game of tug of war with him. He is calling you right now, and has the praise of his big adoring eyes, and a treat of loyal and unconditional love just waiting to give to you.

Thank you for your interest in this class, and stopping by at Take Care of Your Dog.com. Jeanette, our web site host, has some really neat doggie products for you to check out, and some very good information and stories for dog lovers.

Give me some feedback on your dog training progress at _easttxnurse320@aol.com_ (mailto:easttxnurse320@aol.com) . Thanks again.

Rhonda Erickson