Question
yeso
Yeso Is a 3 year old male. I've had him since he was 10 weeks old. He's very laid back at a lot of fun Love kids loves to play love other dogs and cats even. Infact breeders love him for his disposition and His ability to calm other dogs. Jill play with anyone And is hilarious with his hijinx playing But on 2 issues He seems to struggle with... She won't play with me the way jill play with even a stranger, And he won't come when called. The first just hurts my feelings But the second I am a truck driver And it's an issue of his life to get him to come when called. On every other point of training he's done well I've worked with him since he was a pup but when I call him to come to just turns and looks at me sometimes... others he pretends he doesn't hear me at all, but then he just continues on without. care. What can I do at this stage of the game?
AnswerHi Wayne,
Don't feel bad. My Akita would rather play with other dogs and 'strange' people because they're more exciting than I am! It's not that he finds you boring. I can guess he's a very inquisitive dog.
Think of it more like a child with a new Xbox game. It's almost like a choice between playing the new Call Of Duty against playing Catch with Dad.
To get him to come to you, you have to really make him want to. You can do this with treats or with a fun new toy. I find the best way to have a dog come to you isn't just by saying "Yeso, come on! Come here". Try being very excited about it. Say it in a very exciting way. Clap your hands, throw a toy around in your hand, pretend to play chasey with him. Get him all hyped up, but make sure you act all hyped up as well!
But when he comes to you, reward him. Play with him for a bit and give him a pat.
If this does not work, entice him with a tasty treat. Dogs never say no to something tasty.
Does he know the word "treat"? My dogs do and they go absolutely crazy when they hear me say it! Nothing and no one will deter them until they have the treat in my hand!
If he does not know it, just make sure you say it before you give a treat to him. He'll eventually associate the word with food, and food is very important to a dog.
So keep doing it. Make him excited and make him want to come to you. And then, I can almost guarantee that if Yeso is playing with another dog and you say "Yeso, Treat! Treat!" he'll come-a-running. Make him sit before you hand it over and then put on his leash. Doing so is rewarding him for coming to you.
Try that anyway and let me know how it goes. If you need more help, feel free to ask a followup question - I'm more than happy to help.
Kindest regards,
Maliya
P.S Yeso is one very good looking Akita. I'm loving his markings!
