“Come” is probably one of the most important commands but often, the hardest. Dogs vary in their overall response to a come command. Dogs that are more socially oriented seem to come when called quite easily. Dogs that are more environmentally motivated are more likely to tune you out when you command them to come to you. Let’s break this down into five key steps to help improve your dog’s rate of compliance with the come command. (It is better to work these steps more frequently and for a shorter duration. Consider maybe five minutes two to three times daily. You can do more sessions if you have time but it is best to keep them short).
First, watch for negative associations. Dogs are a bundle of impulses and they follow their nose, eyes and ears in conjunction with many motivations. Some of these include curiosity, predation, hazard avoidance through fear, and not wanting their fun to end. Consider this: each time you call your dog to you he is ALWAYS doing something he wants to be doing. That means that come can be a difficult choice to make because the dog has to STOP doing what he is doing and return to you post haste. Basically, "Come" just about always ends their fun.
Coming when called from something the dog wants to be doing creates conflict for the dog. Dogs then will engage in a quick cost benefit analysis. Is it worth it? How much better is the trade to return to you from what he is currently doing? Many times, the observed response from the dog is akin to, “Hang on – just a minute. I’m a little busy now but I hear you.” We then continue to call them and frequently become more authoritative with each command. If the dog finally does return to you after several minutes of calling and insisting, the last thing you want to do is reward him.
From the dog’s perspective, the "Come" command is a big disappointment because it is used to sabotage his happiness, exploration and curiosity. Therefore, coming when called becomes a low-likelihood behavior and ignoring you becomes a high-likelihood behavior. The more you call, the more irrelevant the command becomes. This is called learned irrelevance. To help minimize this sequence, you should not call your dog to you to end his fun or to make him do something he dislikes. So expecting your dog to come while doing a threat assessment of the sounds coming from the neighbor’s yard isn’t highly likely to happen. If you are calling your dog to crate him so you can leave for work we have a double whammy. Not only are we calling to end his fun, but also to make something HE considers bad likely to happen if he complies. In these situations, it is better to either simply go get your dog with gentle collar guidance, a toy or treat lure, or with a quick leash hook up to get him inside. You can also try working on WHY he doesn’t want to come to be crated in our example. You should crate him at random times and random intervals. This will help dilute the prediction of your departure when he goes into the crate.
Second, turn your dog into an opportunist. Enlist the help of a friend or your housemate and put maybe 10 tiny treats that your dog loves in your pockets. Then you both split up across a room or two and call your dog back and forth. Be excited and use a repetitive, staccato, higher pitched command. Like, “Come, come, come, come, etc.” It has been proven that animals tune in and then hurry along with higher pitched, staccato sounds. Conversely, they slow down and stop for long drawn out sounds in a deeper voice. Think how you would say, “Stay” to a dog. It’s no wonder that an authoritative, deep voiced come decreases compliance. As soon as your dog is on his way to you, switch to enthusiastic praising. Continue the praising with the higher pitched, excited voice. This serves to motivate him to continue on his way to you and he’ll be more likely to tune out distractions on the way. When he does arrive, insure he is close enough for you to touch him and pet him before you fish the treat out of your pocket to give to him. Touching and/or petting your dog is critical at this step because you need him to be conditioned to come close enough to you to be touched in the event you need to secure him by his collar or put a leash on due to safety reasons. It is very frustrating when your dog comes just close enough to snatch the treat out of your hand and then takes off again on his adventure, making you unable to get ahold of him.
Treats need to be a true reward for doing something and not an offer made in exchange for something. (i.e., Look what I’ve got. If you come, I’ll give you this tasty treat). Don’t bargain with your dog or you are more likely to teach him to hold out for something better or elect not to "Come" at all if your offer doesn’t have a higher value than what he is currently doing. Remember, you don’t want your dog learning to do a cost benefit analysis. In this step, your goal is your turn your dog into an opportunist.
Sam Freeman, CPDT-KSA, is the president and owner of Pet Behavior Solutions and Edu-Care for Dogs. She is the creator of the Core Behavior Assessment, which is the behavior evaluation program used by many animal shelters and animal control agencies in Arizona. Freeman is certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and has completed specialized education and training in psychology, learning theory, ethology, family counseling, behavior modification techniques, aggression, canine and feline behavior issues, and grief counseling.
