Come When Called Command

Make "Come When Called" a GAME!

Call the dog "Their name" and Come! Example "Rover, Come!"
Do not be wordy... that is the command, however if the dog looks when you call or starts coming when you call "talk it up"/whistle , squat down and let your dog know what he is doing is the best thing in the world at that moment!

At the beginning, have a leash ,rope, or long line or flexi leash on every time when training the dog to come.(you don't have to hold the leash rope as the dog gets better at the come when called you can let the leash/rope drag on the ground and pick it up to reel your dog in(like a fish) only as necessary.
CAUTION: ALWAYS SUPERVISE a dog with a LEASH attached to it, they can get hooked on something and choke to death.

Have a long leash/rope on the dog or have the dog on a flexi leash(retractible leash) so if they decided not to come you can reel them in and make them come.

Call the dog and have something special (favorite toy/food treat/belly rub etc.) when the dog gets there. Give the dog the "treat" (whatever you know he LOVES) and give a release command like "OK" "Free" so he or she can run off and you can try it again.

Have short training sessions 5-10 minutes, doing the same command over and over again bores the dog just like you would hate to do the same thing over and over, so each command only 2-4 times and thats it!

Yesterday when I went to the farm stand I brought my oldest dog with me she is 11 years old.
She knows come when called but I decided to practice with her. I took her for a walk/run on small field away from people. I had her on a flexi leash and called her when I was ready to leave. If I had called her once and made her get in the car and leave, she would have known if I come my fun is over and I have to get in the car and go home... BUMMER! Instead even though I was ready to leave I gave her the release command and let her play some more. Then called her again in a few minutes and I did this 3 -4 times and then got her in the car to go. This way she thought we played a fun game and it was not so bad to get in the car and leave.
Vary the amount of times never call only 3 times or the smarter the dog is, the more they will GET that 3 times and we have to go so I won't coem to my owner the third time! They are smart!

One of THE biggest complaints that I hear from clients is their dogs won't come in from the backyard when they have to go to work. OK, here's the time to think like a dog, if you know every day at a certain time your owner calls you to come in the house and then locks you in
a crate and leaves would YOU want to "Come When Called" and get locked in a crate all day or even have your most beloved human leave for so many hours during the day.

Now I am not telling you to not use a crate, a crate is a dog's den/bed and safe place, A crate is a GREAT tool, my dog's each have a crate and it is theirs for their life to use as they choose or as I need to. But do not call the dog in and directly crate him...break the routine up a little.
Call him in and have a small game of fetch inside, or give him a food stuffed kong toy. Then in a few minutes put him.her in his/her crate with a special toy or an item that smells like you.

I will talk about crate training in the next post.