How to Train a Dog to Come

Needed Items:

• 30 ft. leash 
• Treats 
• Clicker or strong verbal cue such as 'YES!' 

Optional Items: 

• 6 ft. leash 
• Front clipping harness 
• Tennis ball 

Recommendations:

• I recommend using a front clipping harness as opposed to a collar. You will be pulling the dog toward you during parts of the exercise and you don't want to strain your dog's neck in the process. 
• Since this is one of the most important commands your dog can learn, you should use your dog's favorite treats while training. The treat has to be something really good, so that no matter what is going on around your dog, the treat in your hand is even more important. 
• Only work on the 'come' command for a maximum of 10 minutes per sessions, 3 times per day. Depending on your dog, you may even want to start with shorter sessions and work your way up to 10 minutes. If you notice your dog becoming bored or unresponsive during the sessions, end the session and move on to something more fun. 
• When initially training your dog, only use the word 'come' when you are in a position where you can enforce it. This means having your dog on a leash, so that if they disobey the command, you can guide your dog toward you. If you are not in a position to enforce the command and you continue to call a dog that is unresponsive, you are essentially teaching the dog that the word 'come' has no meaning. This will do more harm than good and your dog will be less likely to obey the command in the future. 
• Never use the word 'come' to preface a negative event. For instance, don't use the word 'come' prior to reprimanding your dog. You don't want your dog to begin to associate the word 'come' with a negative outcome, or it will decrease the likelihood of their response in the future. Only associate the word 'come' with positive benefits, so that your dog will always be exited to come to you. 
• You want to start with short distances and only move on to longer distances once your dog has fully mastered the shorter distance. 
• You want to start in a quiet, dull place with little to no extraneous stimuli, and work your way up to more exiting settings where your dog will be less focused. 

Instructions:

1. If you have a six foot leash, start by using this. If you are only using the 30 foot leash, wrap it up until you have about six feet of slack. You need to start out slow with your dog and work your way up as they perfect the command with each distance. Attach your lead to the dogs harness or collar. Have your dog sit and stay while you walk to the end of the leash. (Given sit and stay are the most basic commands, I assume most dogs have learned these before learning to come. If your dog hasn't learned these words yet, give your dog a bone or toy to occupy them while you walk toward the end of the lead.)
2. Upon reaching the end of the lead, turn toward your dog and firmly say 'Come.' (Make sure the only word you use is 'come.' The dog will learn more quickly if consistency is used, so avoid using additional words like, "Come here," or "Come on." Keep the command a consistent and firm 'come' every time.) 
3. If the dog ignores you and doesn't come, pull on the leash, guiding the dog toward you. As the dog begins to walk toward you repeat "Come!" 
4. When the dog reaches you, click or say "YES!" and give them a treat. 

Repeat the steps above, using six feet of slack, until your dog has mastered the command without being guided toward you. Once your dog has the mastered the six foot distance, move on to a greater distance, slowly working your way up to 30 feet.

Dogs will learn at different paces. It may only take your dog a few minutes to master the come command on the 6 foot lead, whereas some dogs may need several days of repetition. Just be patient with your dog and diligent with the training sessions, and eventually every dog will master this command with 100% recall.

Once your dog has mastered the come command at 30 feet of slack, in a quiet area, then you can begin training in a more exiting venue. Again, start small and work your way up. If the dog park is the most exciting place in the world for your dog, then have this be the final training place. It is also important to make sure that whenever you move to a higher stimulus area, you start out at six feet of slack again and work your way up to greater distances at a pace that suits your dog.

As most of you dog owners hopefully know, you never fully complete dog training. While you can definitely get to the point where a formal training session is no longer needed, constant reinforcement is essential for the dogs continued mastery of the word.

Continued Reinforcement Through Fetch:

This exercise is an easy and fun way for your dog to continually practice the 'come' command. If your dog is a fan of fetch, throw the ball for them and every time your dog is bringing the ball back to you say 'come.' Then when they drop the ball at your feet, click and give them a treat.

This exercise is not as effective as the leash exercise and should never be used exclusively to train the come command. But it is a great way to continually reinforce the come command and a fun way for your dog to learn as well.