Samoyed wont come when called

Question
Our male dog has always been aloof. He has never come to us when called - he goes the other way. However, he seems reasonably happy, gets checkups by vet, has been fixed, is 1-1/2 years old, doesn't eat well (never has) but gets a very good quality dog food. We just fenced in a fairly large portion of the yard as we now have a 1/2 sister of the male and she is 5 months old. He likes her and she has always been a good eater, comes when called, follows commands, and is a fun playmate to her brother running outside and playing with toys inside the house.  One of us stays home with the dogs and they go outside about 4PM.  I get home at 7PM.  They play about one more hour and the girl puppy comes in.  The other dog (male)will not come in.  It takes about 2 hours to convince him to come in. I usually have to finally grab him, if he lets down his guard, and put a collar and leash on him to get him in the house. It would not be safe to leave him in the fenced yard over night as we are in a wooded rural area. He runs from me as if he has mental issues but all he has ever known is love.  He has been in dog classes for socialization as long as we have had him. We don't know what to do except keep him crated except when he is playing in the house or on a walk with a leash.  We take them for a 1 mile walk every morning.  One morning his collar broke and we almost didn't catch him (we caught him by accident due to him running into the fenced yard of a vacant house). If I have him on the leash and practice come to me, he will come but doesn't make eye contact and I have to pull the leash toward myself. (He never really makes a lot of eye contact.) I can't train with food and treats because he doesn't respond to food or praise. Sorry for such a long question.

Answer
Hi, Jane,

I think these documents may help you adjust your dog's attitude as to who is the boss and who is not and re-align the balance of power in your home.

The other documents address teaching a good recal (come).


http://www.marinhumanesociety.org/Behavior/Handouts/PEP.pdf
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/educated-dog.pdf
http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/nilif.pdf
http://www.marinhumanesociety.org/Behavior/Handouts/OffLeash.pdf
http://www.marinhumanesociety.org/Behavior/Handouts/Recall.pdf