Written by: Sam Kabbel, CPDT-KA, President, Pet Behavior Solutions
If you are looking for some sure-fire ways to be sure your dog or puppy doesn’t come when he is called, follow these five sure-fire steps to ensure that!
1. Use the come command when your dog is in trouble. The first step is to be sure that you use the come command when he is doing something he shouldn’t be doing – like getting into the trash, foraging in the cat’s litter box, or re-landscaping your back yard. Simply say your dog’s name and in an angry tone, call him to you. This will ensure a negative association with the come command creating an automatic “Uh-Oh – I need an escape plan” response from your dog.
2. Lecture your dog when he comes when you call him. The second step is to have a good “Mike Brady” lecture planned for when your dog finally arrives. Tell him how dangerous what he was doing could have been, how much he worried you, and that he is never to do that again. This is especially helpful when your dog somehow manages to get out a door or a gate and after a short jaunt, returns to you when you call him. A scolding lecture will surely do the trick here.
3. Use the come command to call him when he is having fun. The third step builds on the previous steps. Whenever your dog is doing something he wants to be doing, you should call him to you to end that fun just in case it is something that you may not want him to be doing. This will all build to a negative association when you command come and create a reluctance to return to you.
4. Use the come command to call him to do something he doesn’t like. This is really the second most important step in this sabotaging process. Make a list of the top five things that your dog may not like to do. Some examples might include taking a bath, getting his nails trimmed, going for a ride to go to the vet’s office, getting kenneled for the day, etc. Be sure to put the come command right before these events happen. As you can see, this will surely lead you to your goal of running the other way when you call him.
5. Be sure to chase after him when he has something you don’t want him to have. This is the single most important step in the process! There is nothing more important than chasing your dog around to pry things out of his mouth. This is especially important when training puppies. Puppies are naturally oral in their exploration of the world. Often, they pick up rocks, leaves, twigs, wrappers, etc. while they are going for a walk or while they are in your back yard. You should approach your puppy in an authoritative manner and when you reach him, pry open his mouth and sweep along his tongue taking care to wipe everything out of his mouth. If he starts to run away when you approach, you should chase him around until you catch him. If he starts to out-maneuver you being next to impossible to catch, you should try to trick him by faking him out with a treat or by strolling past him and then grabbing him by his collar when he is not expecting it.
All of these steps will certainly accomplish the goal of ruining the come command for your dog. Unfortunately, most pet owners don’t even realize that these steps would lead to that end. The good thing is that once you proof the demise of the come command, it can be quite difficult to undo.
I hope you enjoyed this article for how to NOT train the come command. While it was clearly intended to be funny, unfortunately, it is true more often than not. Tune into the next blog where I will be giving tips on how to handle all of these situations that arose in this article. We can train a reliable recall or come command but it will take a bit of work. It needs to be fun for your dog. Remember, ‘come’ cannot mean the end of the fun or the start of something bad. It needs to be the start of fun or the temporary pause before the fun resumes! Stay tuned for the next blog. Please call us for more information on training. 602-324-8948 or info@petbehaviorsolutions.com
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