How to Train a Dog to Come When Called
Teaching your dog anything, including to come when you call them, is all about positive reinforcement. If you're wondering how to train a dog to come when called, you're definitely not alone though.
Teaching a dog to do this, also known as recall, can be tricky, but it's essential for your dog's safety, so it's really a must-do.
What Is Recall?
Recall is another way to say your dog comes to you when you call them. So when you're asking how to train your dog to come when you call, you're really asking how to teach them to recall.
This can be trickier than you might think because many dogs get distracted by smells, other animals, people, and other things.
It's a good thing to start teaching recall and doing other kinds of obedience training as early as possible. While it is certainly possible to teach an old dog new tricks, it's usually a lot more difficult and takes much longer.
Train Your Dog to Come When Called with High-Value Treats
As we've already said, when your dog is off doing their own thing, following an interesting scent, or exploring something new, they're very invested in what they are doing, and coming to you when you call them doesn't sound like such a great deal.
That's why many dogs will simply ignore you when you call them.
The trick is to find a really high-value treat that they love so much that it is always a better deal than whatever they're busy doing. This will differ from one dog to the next, but you might try peanut butter treats, meat, and other really tasty morsels. When you find something that your dog sees as high value, you're already halfway there to teaching recall.
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Start Somewhere That's Not Too Distracting
When you're training your dog to do anything, it's always best to start somewhere that's not too distracting for them.
Even with high-value treats, if you're at the dog park when you decide to start training your dog to come when you call them, they might very well still ignore you.
Start training your dog somewhere much quieter, like your backyard, for the first few training sessions. This will allow them to make the connection between responding to your recall command and getting the treat, which will help for any future training sessions and in real life.
Eventually, your dog will come when you call them no matter where they are, but for the early days of their training, pick somewhere that's a little more boring!
Have Treats Ready, and Call Them
When you're ready to train your dog to come to you when you call them, have your treats ready, and then call their name. You can also use a dog whistle or a clicker if you want to start clicker training. Just make sure you use the same sound and signal every time so your dog starts to associate the sound with the treat they get.
Call your dog over, and then when they do respond, make a big fuss, praise them, and give them the high-value treat you have waiting.
Repeat the process several times, and try to do some recall training every day for a couple of weeks. Dogs, like people, need to do something many times before it becomes a habit, and that's exactly what dog training is - encouraging your dog to have better habits!
Always remember to reward your dog with treats and praise when they do things you want them to do, like coming when you call them. The more they associate responding to your requests with a positive experience, the more inclined they will be to follow your instructions.
Always Be Safe
Even once your dog has been trained to come when you call them, and they have good recall, there are still situations where you should keep them on a leash for safety reasons.
Of course, you should only ever let your dog off their leash in off-leash areas, but if you are going somewhere where they might not be safe off-leash, you should still keep them on a leash for their own safety.
This is especially true when you are walking or hiking in areas where there might be wild animals, where there are steep slopes or other areas that might be dangerous for your dog. Even well-trained dogs sometimes choose to ignore your recall command because something is just too interesting, so if there's any danger, keep them on their leash and avoid having them make a choice.
Some dogs, often those who are more reactive, might not take to recall training. If your dog struggles with this, then there's nothing wrong with keeping them on leash most of the time. You should still teach your dog to come when you call them in case they ever do get out off-leash, but it's less stressful for everyone if they are safe and under control when you are out.
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