My dog won't COME when called. Is she deaf?

I met with the person who asked this question to see the problem first hand.

I asked her to call her dog. Come girl, COME, she called. She whistled, she clucked, and sweet-talked. The dog paid no attention. The owner commented that the dog almost seemed deaf. It was noted she could hear the word TREAT rather well.

Our first hurdle to overcome began with the owner. She had stop calling the dog over and over. This teaches the dog that when she is called it is OK NOT to come.

The owner committed to this new practice. IF she gives the COME command once, and the dog does not begin to come, she must walk over and collect the dog.

TIPS:

• Know your competition. If your dog is chasing a cat, don't try the COME command. If your dog is at your fence full-on barking at the neighbors dog, don't use the COME command. The competition is too great for a dog in training. Just go get your companion this time.
  
• Make sure when you are training, that you are the most interesting of choices for the dog.
• Be prepared to look silly. To be the most enticing choice for your dog, call in a high, excited, friendly voice, open your arms wide, jump up and down if it helps. Look like a great experience waiting to happen. Squeak a toy in your pocket.
  
• While your dog is en route to you, you may then say the COME command multiple times, to reinforce the word in your dogs mind. Pet and say GOOD COME. Offer a treat after petting.

Giving the command only once puts an end to the cycle of ignoring the come commands.

There can never be punishment for not coming, or anything negative associated WITH coming.

Often times when the dog finally comes, the frustrated owner acts upset and sometimes rebukes the dog for taking so long. NEVER make it anything but pleasant for your dog when her or she comes to you. Even when you ARE frustrated or angry, do not let it show in your voice.

Sometimes we need to go back to extreme basics to reeducate the dog. In this dogs case, we put her on a lead, stayed very close in front of her, got out a nice tasty training treat, let her smell it, stepped back and said COME after she was already in route to get the treat. We did this repeatedly in an enclosed area with no other distractions. We gradually put a little more distance between ourselves and the dog.

She quickly came well when called within the enclosure. You might use any small room or to create a quite training space.

Next we went outdoors, put a long, 50 foot lead on the dog, and let her roam and sniff around The Posse Pals training area.We prefer to make our leads from lightweight ski type rope that does not wrap or knot easily. NEVER leave your dog unattended with the training lead attached. She soon forgot she was dragging our lead. We remained fairly close at first, about 6 to 10 feet from the dog. When we called her name, went down on a knee, waved our arms to look appealing, said COME in our best funny voice, gave a quick flick to the rope to get her attention. She came, and was praised, then treated.

We increased our distance from her with equal success. After successful repetitions we tried her off the line, and she came to us on the first call. Her owner will need to be consistent, and do a bit of retraining if she starts to slip out of the pattern of coming when called.

TIPS

• Learn to flick or pulse your leash very quickly, as a fast telegraph signal to your dog. Never pull, or otherwise drag your dog to you with the lead.

• It is also important to practice the COME skills when you are SURE of success. If the dog is already en route to you, even in the house, say COME as they come up to you, and give praise. It is an easy reinforcement opportunity to keep the basic skill sharp. Other dogs need different training and retraining techniques. These will be discussed on an individual basis as questions come in.

Good Luck from the Trail Boss at Posse Pals