Come! Often one of the most important skills your puppy can learn - it can become a life-saving trick that can protect the both of you. Teaching your puppy how to recall can be extremely challenging, as dogs can always have so many distractions around them (smells, noises, people, and other animals). When you ask your puppy to come to you, you’re asking them to drop whatever they’re doing, no matter how fun or interesting.

Our goal when teaching them to come or recall is to teach them that being near us is ALWAYS the most fun thing they can do. It helps if you already have a strong bond with your puppy but if not, don’t worry. We have a bunch of games, tips & tricks here that can help teach both of you how to have fun.

What is a reliable come? What should I expect?

We should understand that a good “come” is never a 100% guarantee. Our goal is to be consistent over a prolonged period so that you can confidently anticipate that they will respond positively to your command.

Our expectation is that a building towards a good recall or “come” can create a life-saving skill. If your puppy is playing in the backyard or within a fenced area but happens to get out, we want them to come back and avoid finding any dangers. Dangers can include hiking trails with wildlife, roads with moving vehicles, or even other unfamiliar dogs.

Training

• Make training a game for your puppy - coming anywhere near you is the best thing imaginable. Being near you is associated with lots of treats, rewards, and praise.
• Try starting in a low stimulation environment; somewhere familiar that they already know is a good start. Find a quiet place (ie: your living room) with little smells or potential distractions.
• Start by showing them one of their favorite toys and praise them once they start coming towards you.
• After a few repetitions, once they make eye contact and start to move towards you, add in your command (ie: “come”).
• Only say your command once you’re confident that they’re coming towards you.
• You can now start upping the reward! Start to incorporate higher value treats.
• Slowly but surely, you can also start to increase the distance between the two of you.
• After a few weeks of practice, you can try adding in distractions, such as other toys and balls, as well as heading to the park and trying games (see below!)

Note: The key to this trick is to build consistency over time with your puppy. It’ll take months, maybe even longer, to get it down pat! It’s also important to understand and know leash laws in your areas so you don’t get in trouble while training - google them if you’re ever unsure!

Games

Games! Whether it be playing tag, hide and seek or playing with a friend - these are all great activities to train your puppy how to come but also a great opportunity to strengthen your bond together!

Playing Tag

• While on a leash (preferably a long leash) try getting their attention and then running a few steps away from them! As your puppy naturally starts to chase you, you can say your recall or “Come!” command and then reward them after a few steps. Try to make sure you have their attention before you run, we don’t want any yanking on their leash.

Hiding

• Whether you’re at home or at the park, you can play this game. Try hiding in another room and then asking your puppy to come and find you. Once your puppy sniffs you out, offer them lots of praise & rewards. Similarly, you can also play this game at the park by hiding behind a tree and asking them to come over.

Playing with friend

• Get a friend or two and have them load up on your puppy’s favorite treats. Inside or out, stand a few feet apart and then have one of you ask your puppy to come! Reward them each time they go to the right person who called.

The Tips

• If you ever find yourself at the dog park and want to practice your puppy’s recall ability, you can occasionally ask them to come as they’re playing. This isn’t just beneficial for training – it’s also a great chance to keep them hydrated and build a habit of checking in with you.
• Training for 15 minutes as you walk through the park or neighborhood in the morning can help you exponentially in the evening and in the long run. Puppies forget things very quickly if they’re not constantly reinforced - missing one day of training is like missing a week for them. Don’t be surprised if you spend time training only for them to not recall commands like they did a few days ago - that was nearly a month in dog years!
• Don’t over-vocalise. If your come sounds like “come! *insert cute puppy name* COME!! Please come!!”, your command becomes unclear. They might make a negative association with the command and start ignoring you. Try taking a step back, letting them be for the time being, and then introduce the word again later.
• Training can get frustrating at times but remember to never punish your puppy for coming to you, even if you are frustrated or mad at them. That can start to create a negative association with you and make your training together more difficult. Do your best to let it go, take a deep breath, and try again later.
• Sometimes you might have to recall your puppy in an emergency. Often, the worst thing you can do in this scenario is to try to chase them and make them think you’re playing a game. Instead, try running away from them and saying “bye!”. This will likely inspire them to chase after you, playing on their natural instincts. This is usually your best option; you can try to practice this game occasionally and reward heavily to keep it in your back pocket for emergency situations.

"I can’t let my dog off leash - what should I do?"

If you’re not comfortable with letting your dog off leash for whatever reason, that’s perfectly fine and there’s no shame in keeping them on leash. Not all dogs have a safe or reliable recall in every situation but that doesn’t mean that they can’t have fun. You can let them play in large, fenced areas or keep them on a long 30-foot leash, giving them the opportunity to stimulate their senses and be a happy dog, while also keeping them safe.

 

Disclaimer

The video and/or my content cannot guarantee that the learning method is right for your dog. The information I give is based on my knowledge and opinion of different learning types and is not directly endorsed by professionals. The methods shown within the video are meant to be used for demonstration purposes and do not guarantee success with all dogs. If you have any specific questions or concerns regarding the information, please reach to us through our Contact Page and we can get in touch.