One of the most common questions we get asked is how to get your dog to listen when you tell them to come. Recall is the ability to see you as more reinforcing and rewarding that their environment, so this skill/command can be tough to expect to happen if you don't put in the work.
Some reasons why your dog doesn’t come when called:
Most likely, the word “Come!” has been used before the dog has a clear idea of what the cue or command means.
We usually tell our dogs to come to us during times where dogs are enjoying themselves, so they see this word as the ending of their "fun".
They haven't learned how to fix their choice when they are not listening. If they are corrected for ignoring a command, then corrected for ending up by your side, there is no motivation to change their mind when they are wrong.
We expect the dog to start coming when called while out in the real world or with heavy distractions before we practice this in the home first.
They've reinforced themselves for not listening, by being successful at rewarding themselves through their environment. ex: You've told them to Come, but they ignored and then rewarded themselves for not listening by chasing a squirrel instead.
If your dog cannot come when called 95% of the time in your home, they will have a harder time being expected to return to you outside. Just like children in school, the less distracting their environment is in the beginning, the easier it is for them to learn a new skill and retain that information. If we only try to train this skill when the distractions are too high, your success/failure ratio will be too great.
Start off by calling your dog to you while backing up several steps. Reward heavily, then release them back to “be a dog” (give your release marker word "ok!" or "Free!"). Repeat this while in a controlled, quiet environment, where you are seen as the most rewarding thing in the room. Once your dog is responding to this game 90% of the time, increase your distance and start using corrective feedback when your dog starts to fail (Failure is crucial to learning, without it your dog will not have a clear idea of the expectations).
Of course if you're using treats and training at home, you will start to find that your dog is responsive and listening 99% of the time. In order for your dog to learn that they have to listen even if you don't have a treat, you need to teach them how to handle being wrong and be able to follow through regardless if they want to or not. We do this by using a leash or long line and letting it drag behind while you're working on this skill. When your dog does not listen, give your marker word for being non-compliant ("No" "Uh Uh") and follow through by stepping on the leash to give them some corrective feedback. Always always always reward your dog for making a better choice or deciding that the feedback was worth changing their mind. And never punish your dog during these drills. The only time you tell your dog "No" is the moment they decide they don't want to listen.
Pro Tip: Use the leash to train this skill in the home, trainers utilize the leash all the time as this helps keep the dog accountable and prevents the dog and you from failing. Let the leash drag in the home and if your dog doesn’t come to you, use the leash to follow through and make it happen. Remember to play a catch and release game and make this fun for your dog!
