# Any Proven Methods For Coming When Called?



## double trouble (Oct 6, 2009)

I have two 13 month old female golden retriever puppies from the same litter. They are definitely wild and crazy, but smart, and respond pretty well and quickly to training. We have mastered sit, stay, and lie down, but are having some difficulty with come, especially when they get distracted with something. I want to take them to the dog park, where they can play with out a leash, but I don't feel confident that they will mind when I call them.

Any tips or tricks regarding this would be greatly helpful...


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## Alohaimee (Feb 15, 2009)

I had to entice mine into coming with cookies...lots and lots of cookies! lol!

Seriously though, big hugs when they do come, lots of treats and never ever get mad at them when they don't...When you do finally catch them (or they come to you) tell them "good come". If you get mad or yell etc...they are less likely to listen since they will associate coming to you with being in trouble! You want them to be excited to come back to you! Make yourself way more interesting than what they are distracted by! (I am by no means a trainer, this is just what worked for me BTW)

I looked like such a doof teaching my boys to come! I would jump up and down with a ball. I had cookie crumbs in my pockets always, and often noticed the smell of liver treats coming from my pockets!! LOL! It was ridiculous! But they always come the second I call them now!!


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## Alohaimee (Feb 15, 2009)

Welcome to the forum by the way! We would love to see pictures of these two girls and I can't wait to get to know you better!


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## timberwolf (Apr 1, 2009)

Alohaimee said:


> I had to entice mine into coming with cookies...lots and lots of cookies! lol!
> 
> I looked like such a doof teaching my boys to come! I would jump up and down with a ball. I had cookie crumbs in my pockets always, and often noticed the smell of liver treats coming from my pockets!! LOL! It was ridiculous! But they always come the second I call them now!!


Great advice!!!
Timber's trainer has always said to make Me more exciting than whatever has distracted him.

We also have taught Timber a "protected" word. We use Vite.
I only use this word in instances of emergency and have only used it maybe 4 times.
We use Tuna as the treat and this is the only time he gets it. 
I'll give him a piece of tuna while saying Vite. I would do this a couple of times a day, maybe 20 times per session. He now associates tuna with the word Vite.
When he was quite young, he got loose one night and took off down my laneway.
I said Vite, Vite and he immediately stopped running and came right back to me.
I was a nervous wreck and shaking like a leaf, we went into the house and I gave him a big chunk of tuna!!!
My husband used it one night and it worked for him even though he had never done any Vite training with Timber.
We learned this in one of Timber's first "manners" class and it is one thing I am so glad I learned.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

Hi and welcome!
A couple of very important things when you are teaching dogs a reliable recall...
NEVER call them if you can't enforce it during the learning phase. They will quickly learn that they can ignore you if it suits them. Thus for the actual training of COME, do it on a long line or a leash. 
NEVER call them for something they don't like when you are training the recall. Again, they will learn that that word has a very bad meaning. Instead, go get them.
Here's what I think is the absolute key to teaching a reliable recall, and it builds on what alohaaimee and timberwolf said. Not only do you have to be much more interesting that whatever they were doing (whatever gets your girls going, be it food, or a fantastic toy, or just you acting like a nut), but also, and here's the key....during training, ALWAYS let them go back to what they were doing after you call them to come, they come, and they get their reward for coming to you. ALWAYS the first maybe 100 times! The word "come" just means that for no apparent reason (to them) you have decided to bestow on them something that's so great they're just overwhelmed, and then they can go back to their fun.
Then slowly, you can start not allowing them back to what they were doing, every so often. Build up to eventually maybe every other time they can go back. This will keep COME as a good association in their mind.
If they're already ignoring you when you call them to come, then you will have to pick a new word. A lot of people use "HERE" if the dogs are already ignoring the word "COME".
Looking forward to photos of the double trouble!



double trouble said:


> I have two 13 month old female golden retriever puppies from the same litter. They are definitely wild and crazy, but smart, and respond pretty well and quickly to training. We have mastered sit, stay, and lie down, but are having some difficulty with come, especially when they get distracted with something. I want to take them to the dog park, where they can play with out a leash, but I don't feel confident that they will mind when I call them.
> 
> Any tips or tricks regarding this would be greatly helpful...


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

Try this:

Part One:
http://www.examiner.com/x-18986-San...09m8d26-Training-your-dog-to-come-when-called

Part Two:
http://www.examiner.com/x-18986-San...our-dog-to-come-when-called-final-installment


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## Daisy and Rita (Aug 31, 2009)

Hi Flyingquizini,

That link to the dog recall you put on was really very interesting. Our pup is now 13 weeks old and recently started her Puppy Socialising Lessons, and we are looking forward to the day when we can eventually allow her off the lead knowing she is 100% safe and totally under our control,(though quite sometime to go yet obviously), but I will start practising that excersise as mentioned (on her long leash of course), and see how she responds over the coming weeks. 

Thank you, Rita and Daisy


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## double trouble (Oct 6, 2009)

Thanks for the warm welcoming and all the great tips! I will work on these and keep you posted!


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## rappwizard (May 27, 2009)

One fun game is the "find it/come" game. Have two treats in your hand--I can be lazy sometimes and use the same two treats but it still works for me but you can have a "basic" cookie treat and another "yummy" treat like a piece of cheese. Your golden can be in the same general area as you, and throw the cookie treat in the opposite direction, and say "find it" in the most excited, sing song voice you can, and the moment your golden finds the treat, call your golden over to you--I go ahead and use the word "come." When your golden comes to you, reward with the high value treat.

Someone posted here the other day a video of them playing the "find me" game which is kinda the same way. You hide in your house and call out "find me" and when your golden finds you, reward with a jackpot of treats--it identifies you as someone that is great to come to! I played that a couple of times with my golden yesterday--she thought it was great fun! 

You got some great advice, so yes, keep us posted!


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

...in addition to all of these great tips I would suggest that you practice with them individually and when they are good on their own then bring them together for group practice.


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## chloe920 (Apr 5, 2009)

I did Quizini's training tips religiously for a month and now Chloe is a dream off leash. She is still young, so I do restrict her off leash to safe area in the neighborhood, but I have been successful in calling her away from other off leash dog, dead birds, littered food etc.

It really does, work..although my neighbors think I"m a lunatic when I'm calling her...but it works, and that's all that matters.

We also play hide and seek around the house a few nights a week..she goes nuts! we also do alot of clicker training during the day. I find these fun things help our bond to grow. I'm the most fun thing for her to play with and this makes recall alot easier.

good luck

L.


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