- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
Have you ever noticed that your puppy sticks to you like glue until the moment you actually need them to? Then, inevitably, they’ve noticed a squirrel or found a plant to chew or simply suddenly decided that the MOST FUN THING EVER would be to run at top speed in the opposite direction.
Puppies. They’re lucky they’re cute.
If everything in the outside world is just a game waiting to be played, then the best advice I can offer on how to teach a puppy to come is to make it a game, too.
When the humans are boring or sound gruff and angry, recall isn’t fun. If you were a puppy, wouldn’t you rather do your own thing than interact with your snooze-fest, ill-tempered parents?
But when the humans are jumping up and down while tooting and whistling? Fun. When the humans are running around and playing with toys? Fun.
When your puppy knows where the party’s at, he’ll come running.
Where to start: Equipment
To teach your puppy a strong recall, you’ll need a few things at your disposal:
- High-value treats. Use something extra-special like meat-flavored baby food or bacon to communicate how fun recall is.
- Two or more toys, especially those that crinkle or squeak.
- A 30-foot leash or long-line (not a retractable leash). You won’t need this to start but once your pup graduates past the early stages of recall, a long-line is crucial for playing your “game” safely in new locations.
Where to start: Location
Not every location is equal in puppy training. Coming when called in locations where there are a lot of distractions from people, dogs, traffic, wildlife and so on is a greater challenge than coming when called in a quiet, familiar space. On a scale of one to ten, easiest to hardest, here’s how I rate some common recall spots:
- Inside your home: 1
- In your fenced yard: 2-3
- In the park you visit daily: 4-5
- In an unfamiliar park, beach or open space: 7
- In any park at peak dog-walking hours: 8-9
- In the dog park: 10
The Rules of Recall
Recall is a game and like all good games, it has rules.
- Never call your puppy in an angry, annoyed or otherwise negative tone of voice. Instead, use a happy, high-pitched call.
- Don’t forget to cue your puppy. Don’t just call your pup’s name, be sure to tell them what you want: “Fido, Come!” Now turn on the charm with weird noises, a happy dance, cartwheels, whistles, or a squeaky toy.
- Don’t repeat the word “come” over and over or your puppy may think the cue is “Fido come, come, come, come, come!” and won’t respond until after you’ve said the word half-a-dozen times.
- Only call your puppy to come when you think they’ll actually respond. If they’re in the middle of chasing another dog, for example, they’re not likely to come to you unless they’ve been practicing their recall for months or years.
- If you call them and they don’t come, move closer and try again. Keep it light and fun but don’t allow them to end the game for you. The bargain is, if you call, they have to come.
- Reward your puppy with the most incredible, delicious treats you can get your hands on every. single. time.
- Never call your puppy then immediately follow it with something terrible like nail clipping or a bath.
- Don’t call your puppy only when it’s time to leash them up and go home. Sprinkle the game in as part of playtime whenever they are off-leash.
How to Teach a Puppy to Come
There are just three simple steps to come but there’s still plenty of room for fun and creativity.
Basic Come
- Say your dog’s name + “Come!” in an excited tone of voice.
- Wiggle around, make kissy noises and robot sounds, jump in the air, or do anything else your dog will think is exciting and weird. Continue even while they’re headed towards you to keep their momentum going.
- Give your dog a big giant reward.
Fun-run Come
- Say your dog’s name + “Come!” in an excited tone of voice.
- Begin jogging backward as you make fun, silly noises. Keep it up as they run towards you.
- Give your dog a big giant reward.
Toy-toss Come
- Stand with your legs spread wide. Say your dog’s name + “Come!” in an excited tone of voice.
- Squeak a plush toy to encourage your dog to turn towards you. As they get closer, throw the toy backward through your legs for your dog to follow.
- Give your dog a big giant reward. If your dog loves to tug, a minute playing with the toy is a great reward.
Round-robin Come
- Grab a partner (or several) and stand several feet apart.
- Choose one person to start and follow the rules of the Basic Come above.
- After puppy has gotten their reward from the first person, the next person calls. Repeat until all the humans have had a turn.
- Ask every human to back up and repeat the round-robin. As you progress, the humans can split farther apart and even play hide-and-seek as part of their turn by hiding behind a tree (if outside) or door (if inside).
So there you have it! Now go play (and learn) with your pup.
