A dog is not naturally stubborn, but he definitely does not understand what he needs to do. That is the reason why it is necessary for the owner to establish that he is the alpha in the house. This enforcement of proper behavior can be done by being firm and patient. And that can be seen when trying to enforce the command of ‘come’.
A dog is going to explore his environment by sniffing, digging, moving things and taking things away from one place to another. That is why one has to make sure that he does not get distracted with other objects during a training session. Other people and voices are also going to distract him so you need to do your training session in a quiet and clear backyard.
The moment the dog comes spontaneously towards you, act quickly, and reinforce the command with a hand gesture. If he moves towards you, spontaneously, reinforce “Come” with the hand movement. Make sure that the gesture and/or the word is unique and not one which is used during regular training sessions.
Put the dog in a sitting position facing you. Reinforce the command of ‘stay’ as you move away. Use hand gestures and voice commands. Praise the dog if the behavior is correct. Do not reward the dog for an incorrect or partial response.
Keep repeating this, as you move back. If your dog comes towards you too quickly, use ‘sit/stay’ commands again. If the dog does not move try coaxing with treats or toys.
Some dogs may be reluctant or slow to learn. This is where you might need to do some leash training. The dog should be put in the sit position with the reinforcement of the ‘stay’ command. Start backing up, while letting the leash go loose and slack. A firm tug is needed upon the leash along with the appropriate voice and hand gestures, if the dog does not move.
For a dog that comes too early, use a long rope or leash and wrap it around a post or a tree. If the dog tries to respond too early pull the cord as you give the “stay” command. If there are no trees around, use a friend to help with the session. The detrimental part about using another person during the session is the dog can become puzzled about who they should listen to. It’s usually best if they just focus on one teacher.
During teaching, steadfastness and calmness is important. Dogs don’t as a matter of course understand the usefulness of ‘come’ or any other human-induced behavior. Yelling when the dog commits errors or is a little reluctant is normally detrimental. Put in place your leader status with tone of voice, body language and inclination to wait for the dog to comply. Physical discipline or leading is a less helpful technique.
Dogs respond extremely quickly to praise when they execute proper behavior. You need to be resolute and make sure that they come when you order them to.
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