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Come, or Else!
by Kathy Fornes

   One of my favorite training memories involves Sonny, a GSD mix and my best assistant trainer (1984-1996). Sonny was only about a year old at this time, and I had been working with him at our training site. He was relaxing in the car while I was training a dog for someone else.

    Dammit (No, I'm not making this up!) was a one year old, solid black GSD. We were working on novice level exercises.  When we got to the recall practice, I stood at one side of the lot and commanded, "Dammit, come!"   Sonny, who was in the car at the far end of the lot, came out the car window, across the parking lot, and sat in front of me, beating Dammit who was half the distance away. Growing up, Sonny was pretty convinced  his name was "Sonny Dammit," so when mom said, "Dammit, come!" he was sure he'd better be there! Or else!

   As Sonny knew, the command, "Come!" means "Now! Or else!" (no matter what the surrounding circumstances or distractions.) The foolproof (or else!) recall command means the difference between a truly obedient dog and one who obeys only when it's convenient. It can literally be a lifesaver. Can you call your dog away from a raccoon (possibly rabid), or a group of unruly children (perhaps with litigious parents)? If your dog is headed toward a busy highway or a rattlesnake, can you turn him around and save his life? Can you call your dog and be 99.9 % sure he will come to you? If not, you have work to do.

   If you are lucky enough to be starting with a puppy, your job is easier (see"Total Recall", by Carol Benjamin  ).  However, if you have a dog that has already learned bad habits (taking off when you say "come," playing "Keep away") it will take a concentrated effort to break the bad habits and create new ones.

But what if he's not a puppy. . .?

   This is what you are going to do.  First, from this minute forward, your dog will not be off-lead unless he is in a fenced-in area, until we reach that 99.9% compliance.  Giving your dog this unearned freedom will have one of three results:

1. Your dog will take off and get hurt or killed
2. Your dog will take off and hurt or scare someone else, resulting in a lawsuit or, at the least, bad feelings, and/or
3. Your dog will learn he does not have to come when you call him, because you can't make him.

   Next, you need to know WHY your dog does not come when he's called, and to understand that, you need to know a little about canine behavior. When your dog was a little puppy, he would follow his mother, or you, wherever you went. You could take your puppy outside, and he would follow you around and right back in! How nice, right? Then, one day, usually when the pup turned three months or so, he didn’t follow you in, and instead ran in the other direction. What happened?

   Your puppy goes through many changes (periods) on his way to becoming a dog,and the one that caused this sudden problem is called the exploration period. Suddenly, pup has discovered the outside world, and it is much more interesting than you are! You've been there all along…but not that butterfly, or that leaf, or that…

   First, you are terrified--something will happen to him! As he continues to run from you, you are furious! What's the matter with him? And the chase is on…!

   Off runs puppy, possibly yipping in a high-pitched voice, having a great time, playing the very favorite canine game, "Chase!" And right behind runs mom or dad, yipping in a high-pitched voice, "Get back here, come here, when I catch you, I'll…yip , yip, yip! So far, from puppy's viewpoint, everybody is having a great time!

   And THEN what happens? Puppy gets tired and stops or comes to red-faced, screeching owner. Owner then proceeds to wallop puppy, screaming, "You knew you were wrong! You knew you should come, bark, bark, bark!"

   Puppy learns one very important lesson from this experience, "Don't come back! Everything was fine when I was running… I was having fun, mom and dad were having fun…yipping and all. Then I came back and they went crazy!"

   So your first lesson is, Do not chase your dog! Ideally, the problem will not arise again, because from now on your dog will be on lead or in a fenced in area, right?

   O.K, so it's not an ideal world, and your dog might get loose again. If so, first try to reverse the chase game. Yell your dog's name in a high-pitched voice and RUN in the other direction. Often you can get him to chase you, sometimes right into the house, or often you can open a car door and chase him in. Secure the dog, and you'll learn what to do next in a few minutes. If the chase game doesn't (hasn't) worked, or you've already overused it, try plan two. Suddenly bend down to the ground, and SCREECH in a high-pitched voice, "Oh! Look what' s here!" If you sound convincing enough, usually, your dog will want to come investigate. When he does, grab him, and I'll tell you what to do with him in a minute. Scenario three, fall to the ground and wail as though you've just been hit by a rattlesnake, and hope he comes to check you out. If so, grab him…and correct with the recall correction (coming up!).
 

OK, but how do I prevent him from running away and teach him to come. . .?

   It should be obvious that you cannot teach a dog to do something when he is nowhere near you. You must first teach him on lead before expecting him to come when he is "loose."  You must be absolutely certain that he knows the command, and more important, by practicing repeatedly, you want to teach him to respond to the "Come!" command without thinking about it; an instinctive response similar to Sonny's in the example above.

   To begin this practice, the dog should be on a six foot lead. Start by walking forward with your dog and at an unexpected moment, command (dog's name), "Come!" Run BACKWARDS until your dog catches you. Praise! Step out again and repeat. This is called the "Come fore" exercise and it teaches the dog that when he is moving away from you and you say, "Come!" he should turn and run back to you.

   At home, incorporate the command "Come!" into your everyday life. When you are ready to feed your dog, command, "Come!" and put down the food bowl. If you are giving away cookies, first say, "Come!" and give the cookie (even if the dog is near you.) Use this command for everything positive, but not for negatives (crate, bath, etc.) Too often, the word "come" always means loss of freedom for our dogs--no wonder they ignore it.

   On walks let your dog walk "free," (at the end of the lead, sniffing, etc.) Periodically, command "Come!" Bring your dog in, pet or treat, release with "O.K." and let him walk free again.  Again, dogs need to know that this command does not always mean loss of freedom.

   Try recall games at home. Have one family member in one room and one in another. Call the dog back and forth for hugs and/or treats. Move these games into a fenced yard, being prepared to execute the recall correction if the dog fails to come. Practice as many Recall Games as possible.

   When you are having repeated success, begin working on Proof Training the recall. Provide distractions, and insist on recall compliance.

   Perhaps most importantly, you must be sure your dog gets enough play and exercise. If he does not, you will find it nearly impossible to convince him he should come when he needs so desperately to play and run. Very often, this is the primary cause for a dog "bolting," and playing "keep away."

The Recall Correction. . .

   O.K, as promised, here is what you do, if, after being careful not to let your dog run loose, and after practicing faithfully, your dog refuses a "Come or else!" command.

   First, of course, you must find a way to get hold of the dog. Try the techniques listed above. Then,"once you have him..."

   Next, put the dog on a training collar and a lead. You cannot train without one! Do this quickly, without saying anything.  Remember I said you could not yell at or beat up the dog once he's there. However, you will be allowed to release your "anger" and frustration in a constructive fashion, one that reinforces the original command.

   Now, ten, twelve, twenty times in a row, you will do a comefore on lead. Be sure to do several of them in the spot where the original command was broken. You are allowed to say, "Come!" and "Good dog," through gritted teeth; you are allowed to execute a sharp,quick recall to express your displeasure. You are, in essence, saying..."This was what you were supposed to do the first time!" You continue these recalls until you are no longer angry, you and the dog are tired, and the dog has been convinced that it would be easier to come the first time! After the first few, if you do them correctly, the dog won't want to get away from you. Continue anyway. You want to make your point VERY clear.

   If you are feeling brave, and if the area is secure, try the last one off lead...if the dog comes, lots of praise and end the session. If not, be prepared to start all over again!

  Remember, for this technique to be successful, the dog must KNOW what the command means. Prior training is essential. He must also be exercised and trained regularly. But it WILL work...I have several dogs that will vouch for that, including....

    Remember Sonny Dammit?A few years later,  the dogs were running through the woods, when I saw a rattlesnake in Sonny's path. I called him in panic, and he performed his flawless recall...a lifesaving command.
I started Sonny's training as a puppy, but since then there have been many rescue dogs...all with established bolting habits, and they learned to "come or else!" Your dog can too. Treat this command as a matter of life and death, and train it that way, because it is.

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