I can remember the first time I did dog training in Mattapoisett Mass.
The client asked me to meet them at Ned’s Point.
When I got there I thought: “Wow, Mattapoisett Massachusetts is a beautiful little town.
Anyway, the client has asked me to meet at Ned’s point because she was having a difficult time teaching her dog to come when called.
Her friendly, eight month old Labrador Retriever was full of energy and loved chasing anything that moved. I shared with her the most important tool for teaching a dog to come when called.
The tool is the long line.
A thirty foot leash often referred to as a long line is one of the best tools to help train your dog to come.
One of the most important points to remember when training your dog to come when called is this:
You need to make sure your dog follows through with the command every time you call “COME.”
The huge mistake made by many dog owners is giving their dogs too much freedom. If your dog is 30 feet away from you, off leash, with distractions, chances are your dog will ignore you when you say “COME.”
If this happens enough times the command “come” has no meaning to your dog. Your dog has to follow through every time you say COME! This can be accomplished with the long line.
Here is how the long line is used: You allow the dog to drift away from you. Once there is some distance between you and your dog, you clearly say “COME” and then quickly give your do a tug on the leash and back up at the same time.
Try to avoid reeling your dog in like a fish. You want to give a quick tug and release, tug and release, by backing up you can draw your dog into you without a lot of force. Once your dog comes to you, you can tell your dog “YES” and deliver a reward.
Now your dog is learning to follow through with the command. There is more to teaching this command but this is where you start.
Are you having problems with your dog coming when called? Get a FREE consult with me.
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Best,
Eric