Come Command

Question
I have a four month old female yorkie.  She is doing well with most all the commands I give her and potty training.  I use treats to reward her and take her for walks and to the park.  My problem is getting her to "COME" when I call her.  No matter where we are so refuses to come.  I have tried carrying treats and then saying come.  She will only come when she knows I have treats.  Please help me with a suggestion.

Thank You Laurie

Answer
Laurie, it is very, very important that you NEVER call your dog if there is a chance that your dog is not going to listen. Every time the dog is allowed to 'get away with' ignoring you when you tell it to come to you, it learns that following that command is optional. With such an important command, that can be disastrous.

The first thing I would recommend is that you never allow your dog to be off the leash whenever you take it outside. Period. Of course, if your yard is fenced, it's okay to let her be off the leash there, but do not try to call her to you if she is not on a leash - for now.

The second thing I would recommend is that you praise her every time she comes to you when you call her. No matter WHAT she may have been doing at the time that you call her, you absolutely MUST praise her if she comes when you call her. You cannot call her to you and then scold her for digging up the flower beds, for example. If you're going to scold her, DON'T call her to you - go to her and do it.

I would like to share with you a video I made that should help you teach your dog to come to you when you call her. The link is below:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySD6dfI7vcI


When you are practicing, it's good to vary the rewards. For example, you will want to praise her verbally every time she comes when called, but you should not give her a treat every time. Find a treat that she absolutely goes bonkers for, and use that for practicing this command, and this command only. Do not give her these special treats at any other time. When you are practicing, give her a treat the 1st and 2nd time you call her, along with the verbal praise, but do not give a treat the 3rd time. Give her one the 4th time, then withhold the treat the 5th and 6th times, and give her a treat the 7th time. Then quit. This is, of course, just an example. Mix it up. Studies have proven that a variable reward schedule works much better than rewarding with a treat every time the dog is asked to do something. We like to refer to it as the 'slot machine effect.'