"Come"

[harlequinlover]

Does anyone have any good tips for "Come" for a dane? Raven is 4 months old now and she's having trouble obeying it. I do the NILIF, praise (more than treats), etc. for her. But I've heard that they become a little 'stubborn' at this age in their early stage of life. My training so far has been off a leash in the front yard. But I've also done the rope\leash on her collar, make her sit and stay, and then walk away from her. Then I crouch down a little to make eye contact with her and tell her to "Come". Sometimes she does it, but when she doesnt I gently pull the leash to let her know that I want her to come. this works okay until she gallops past me Other times she just ignores me completely, won't make eye contact, etc. What are some good things you've taught, used with your Great dane?

[DPU]

Then I crouch down a little to make eye contact with her and tell her to "Come".

Ooops, got to be careful here on what cue you are associating with the COME command. Dogs will respond first to visual over hearing. A dog will respond first to a hand signal, gesture, or any intended body language over a verbal command. So the dog maybe learning the COME command when you crouch down and not by the voice command.

For me, a dog will naturally come to its caretaker and it is at that time, I say the word and then give some loving. At first, the dog controls the trials and then eventually through repetition, I control the trials. I proof by gradually exposing the dog to different distracting situation and build toward greater distractions when the lesser ones are proofed. Just like you, I setup the environment for success by working in an enclosed secure area and have a drag line on the dog.

[MyDaneBaby]

I teach it, with a leash attached, great treats and as I've given the command I move backwards away from the dog being very Perky to speed up their return. When they get to me, treats & tons of praise. I do this with no distractions present and then gradually introduce distractions but continue keeping the leash attached until the recall is 100%. I then use it when my dogs are playing indoors, I will call come, hand out treats and then send them back to their play and then move that to outdoors. Mine will come everytime no matter what they are doing.

Never use the come command to end anything fun or they will associate come with being crated or being left etc.

[harlequinlover]

Never use the come command to end anything fun or they will associate come with being crated or being left etc.

I understand this, but I'm confused on getting her to come back in the house once she's finished using the bathroom outside. I usually get her favorite toy, a tug rope, and shake it in front of her and that usually brings her in the house and we play. Any suggestions on getting her to come in from using the bathroom instead of going out to 'sniff' the doggy newspaper?

[MyDaneBaby]

When she's older you can use the come to bring her in, but right now positive associations are better.

Go out with her on leash until she's got a solid come. If all you want her to do is potty then go with her.

[AngusMakesThree]

We play hide and seek a lot. Hubby and Angus will hang out in one room while I go into another room and hide. Then I call him ("Angus, where are you?") and he comes running. He gets a treat and some loving while Daddy hides and it starts all over again.

Not really helpful for coming when called outdoors (which I think is what you're asking about), but it helps make it fun and builds a positive association. Plus it's good exercise when the weather is crappy. Just like with kids!

[ls1grrrl]

Any time you start teaching a new behavior, your want to begin in a low distraction environment like your livingroom when nothing else is going on. Here's the first method I teach in my classes:

Get some good treats, and if you only have one person to work with the dog, get a second type of treat thats more boring, like kibble. If it's just one person, you let the puppy watch you toss the kibble a few feet away (to get the pup away from you). If you have multiple people, you can just spread the people out a few feet apart at first, and everyone gets good treats.

While the pup is away (or with another person), you say "<Puppy's name> COME!" in a very happy, exciting tone. Say the word "Come" only once, but then do anything else you need to to get the puppy coming to you - stomp your feet, clap your hands, whistle, chatter at them in a cheerful tone, and turn to the side, bending down to the puppy's level or start taking a few steps back away from the puppy. (You only say Come once because you don't want the puppy to learn to ignore it. It can mean the difference between life and death, so it's a command I never repeat.) Keep praising and encouraging them all the way in, and you can even show them the treat as they approach.

Be sure to slip your hand into the puppy's collar before you give them the treat. This way they always think that "hand in collar" is a part of the "come" behavior. This helps to head off "run-by recalls" where the puppy doesn't actually stop when they get to you, just keeps running on past.

If you're practicing with multiple people, then each person takes turns calling the puppy to them and rewarding the puppy. (Be sure to alternate the order so the puppy doesn't just learn the pattern - they need to really understand what "Come" means.) Practice this exercise all around the house, eventually putting more space between the puppy and the person calling, or if you're alone, hide around the corner or in another room and play hide and seek, calling the pup from out of sight. Practice adding in distraction, like kids playing in the room, or the cat, or the other dogs, or whatever is appropriate for your situation. Add distraction slowly so that you set the puppy up for success - don't try to make it too hard too fast.

Be sure that when you're calling your puppy to come to you, you can always back up the command if they don't listen. This is for their own safety. If you need to, practice with the puppy on-leash and walk down the leash to them, show them the treat and bring them to the spot that you called them from. Don't "reel them in" using the leash.

Once the pup is successful inside the house, take it out to the back yard and practice when nothing else is going on (with the puppy on-leash at first). You may need to increase the value of the treat to compete with the sights, smells and sounds. String cheese, hot dog bits, lunch meat, etc. all work well for me. Liver or liverwurst, potted meat, etc might be necessary for truly distractable puppies. Eventually, work up to using a 30-50ft long line so that your puppy becomes reliable in larger spaces.

Many people kill their recalls by always ending the fun after they call their dogs - call them in from the yard, call them and put them in the crate, call them and leave the dog park, call them to give them a bath, etc. Be sure that you don't poison your recall this way by practicing your puppy in from the yard, giving her a treat and letting her go play again. If you know you're going to need to bring her in quickly, then take her out on-leash, etc.

This is how we've developed very strong recalls with our dogs, even out in the field with the dogs many hundred feet away, playing with other dogs, etc.