My Dog Won’t Come When Called

It’s so frustrating when your dog won’t come when called. Even when you have taught your dog to come on command in the backyard, the presence of other dogs or food in the park can be too much of a temptation.

Many owners say that, although their dog is relatively well-behaved and obedient, the dogs seem to ‘lose it’ in open space and run off easily.

I, too, have experienced this problem with one of my dogs. Through careful preparation and a planned training program, I can now have this ‘runaway’ walk beside me off-lead in a suburban street, and he does not run off. However, I always remain vigilant. Now my dog walks beside me with the lead draped over his back.

If you were to ask dogs why they do this, they would say: “When we’re out in the park, there are plenty more things more exciting than you. There are other dogs to play with (or fight!) and sometimes I come across yummy animal poo or food scraps such as sandwiches. So, when you call me, there is no incentive to return. Why should I? I am having plenty of fun without you!”

So, how can you begin to curb this issue? As one quick tip is to take a dog to a safe, enclosed area. Make sure you have not fed your dog its meal for the day (or if you feed the dog at night, do not feed her the night before). Then recall your dog, when the dog returns make a big fuss and give your dog a third to a quarter of her meal. Do this 3-4 times in one session. If you do this everyday over a period of 2-3 weeks you will see a big change in your dog’s recall speed.

Oh, and never, ever, punish your dog when she returns to you. 

For more information on a more detailed and effective training program, you should consider the services of a skilled and experienced dog trainer to assist with this problem.

Have you used any techniques that have worked for this issue?

Why Isn’t My Dog Learning Quicker?

When it comes to reducing a dog’s unwanted behaviour, many owners tell me they have moments when they get frustrated. This is because, despite their best training efforts, the dogs’ behaviour gets worse. This usually results in the owners giving up because they believe what they’re doing to address the problem is simply not working. My advice? Don’t give up!

Any training plan that addresses a dog’s unwanted behaviour should be followed through, even if the dog’s behaviour appears, for a time, to get worse. This is because when a dog is introduced to a new behaviour, the dog will attempt to desperately cling to what she knows best.

If you were to ask the dog why she does this, she’d say: “What I have done has always worked for me, but my owner is trying to change that – I’m scared because I’m not sure what to do next. I am going to test my owner to see how serious they are about the changes being introduced and to show my owner that I’m serious I am going to throw a tantrum and cling to my old ways.”

The key is to remain consistent; in this way the dog has time to adjust and accept a new way to behave. In other words, your commitment to the training can win your dog over, eventually!

When your dog’s behaviour gets worse, remain calm and practice patience. It’s my view that with consistent and assertive training, confusion precedes breakthrough. As a dog owner and trainer, I find there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a dog have that ‘aha!’ moment.

(If the unwanted behaviour continues to persist, consult your dog trainer as there are many different ways to tackle any dog behavioural problem).