dog training question

[Godsgrl]

We got a new dog back in November. She's a 6-7 month old pointer/terrier mix we named Sweet Pea. My problem is teaching her to "come". She won't listen! I figured, okay, I'll introduce her to the clicker, and we'll have this problem licked. Well it worked for a few minutes, then she was back to her old tricks.

One of her favorite antics is to come near us when we call her, then dash away before we can lay our hands on her. Or dance around near us, but too far to get our hands on her. If we approach her, she'll run away. We've never punished her for coming to us, so I don't understand this behavior. Even in the house she won't come to me very often, so it's hard to try training her to do this. What am I doing wrong, and how do I correct this? Thank you so much!

 

[Cindiloohoo]

For whatever reason she is associating the command 'come' with a game. At that age she still has a lot of puppy in her and should be trained by leash first. It takes 1500 times per command before they are near reliable...that's where patience comes in

Be firm and try her on a leash to help her understand WHERE she is to 'come' and when you give the command, make her get close if you have to tug the leash. She'll get it soon. Good luck!

 

[Bluemoon420]

Use one of those long leads. 16ft or so should work. Step on the lead, and when she comes to you, reward her with hotdogs, cheese, whatever her favorite treat is for at least 10 seconds. Then let her wander off on the lead again ( never take your foot off the lead.) , rinse, repeat. If that makes sense.

It's hard for me to explain, then just show it in person.

Bluemoon

 

[smileyfacecat]

What I do with my dog is, call her, "Gracie, come!", then turn around and walk away slowly. Then it doesn't seem much like a game to them and eventually will learn to follow. When she meets me at my side I give her a lot of praise! All dogs are different and will respond to different stimuli, so try a few different technics and see what sticks.

 

[Godsgrl]

Cindi-yeah Iwas thinking she has the wrong idea about "come" and was thinking of a new command. How about "venga"-the spanish translation of "come". So what if I start alllll over with her, teaching her "venga" means get your butt over here? She's never heard this word before, as I just found it online. LOL

Bluemoon, I like that idea. Thank you. I will try the longer leash, and see where that gets us. Your explanation makes sense to me. I shall take these suggestions into consideration.

Cheri

 

[Cindiloohoo]

I have to kindly disagree on the treats. It took forever for me to break mine's treat addiction after using treats to reinforce command. I'd suggest a few pats on the head and a soft spoken "good girl" as a reward system. Always speak softly to a young dog in training as well because a sharp or loud voice adds to their excitability. Be firm but at the same time be loud enough only for the dog to hear you. Don't smack their body in a hard pat, or baby talk profusely about good job. You want to maintain an atmosphere of calmness so they know this is business and play time will be afterward. ALWAYS play afterward to give them opportunity to wind down from work

I'm no expert, but I know how my experiences have played out training 2 Pit Bull dogs, and these are MAJOR mistakes I have made myself and learned from them.

 

[Godsgrl]

Quote:
I love the idea, Smiley, but it doesn't work with Sweet Pea. She will run the other way as happy as can be! Thanks though.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Quote:
I'd stick with 'come' actually because it is more natural for you. I think it would cause confusion. All commands should be simple and natural. She just hasn't gotten the right idea yet. You have to be consistent and changing it mid training may work against you.

 

[Godsgrl]

Quote:
Okay, thank you. I'll have to try these and see.

 

[Redyre Rotties]

Your first step, as recommended above, is to eliminate her ability to make a choice in the matter. People unwittingly train their dogs to ignore the come command by calling them when they are not going to come.

So, use a long line, and DO NOT call her if you cannot make a recall happen.

Next, play this game inside your house or in your yard, or with her dragging the long line outside:

http://www.redyre.com/training/recallgame.html

People teach their dog to stay just out of reach by doing several things. Stop doing all of these.

Reaching out to the dog

Leaning over towards the dog

Moving or walking towards the dog

When you reward the dog for coming to you, there is no reward unless you are holding the collar. When feeding the treat to the dog, the hand feeding the treat must have the wrist touching your body. When you use this little reminder, it stops you from reaching out to the dog, it makes the dog come all the way in to you to get the food, and you can then get the collar.

Also teach this dog to enjoy coming to you by playing fetch/tug games. Don't take her toy away, ever. Play with several toys, and play tuggy fun games, let her win, and she will learn to enjoy running to you. Once she knows that coming to you means a game or a treat, your troubles are just about over, but recall skills always needs practicing and reinforcement to stay strong.

Good luck!