….Training your puppy to come can be a little frustration and nerve racking, it for the most part is one of the most difficult commands to train.
Why is Training Your Puppy to Come So Difficult?
First off, you have a few things going on:
- the puppy is still in their exploratory stages
- the puppy initially left you because she found something more of interest
- Some people will call their dog to come and when the dog finally comes they are so angry they grab the dog and the dog gets scared, thus making coming to you even less desirable.
How to Train Your Puppy to Come Pointers
First, like all kids, train with play and plenty of rewards, give them a reason to want to come to you. However, you should always ensure that if your puppy decides not to come to you, you have a way to make the puppy carry out the command (leash and long leash), otherwise you inadvertantly train the puppy to think COME is discretionary.
Instead of thinking in terms of how to train your puppy to come to you, you should be thinking in terms how will I make sure that I always have come when I give the command; this is very easy, never give the command when you have no means to reinforce it.
Using a long leash gives you the ability to take the dog or puppy away from the distraction and then reward upon arrival. The puppy will soon learn that when ever she hears the COME command, she always ends up at your feet. You are forming a habit with her.
Belows video demonstrates the non discretionary COME command.