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Having Trouble getting harley to come and a weight question!

mariagrady

Member
Hi everyone! Harley is 25 weeks old now and we are having trouble getting him to come. Weather inside or if he is playing outside he does not want to run to you. Any suggestions on this? Also just a side note how much did your cavies weigh at six months? Harley is a little over 10 pounds!
 
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here is a picture of my sweet growing boy!
 
Recall is one of the most important, if not the most important command every dog should know. From my experience, one of the best ways to teach recall is via positive reinforcement, and also starting 'small' and simple, and then slowly increasing the difficulty.

For example, start in a small room with minimal distractions --
1) Clearly verbalize the command you want him to learn (in most casts, the word 'COME', but it's up to you of course) in a neutral manner, in other words, you shouldn't sound like you're asking him to come, but rather, telling him without being too forceful
2) If he does come to you, apply positive reinforcement by immediately praising and fussing over him. You can also throw in a rub/scratch at his favorite spot, or use training treats. You do this because you want him to realize that he did exactly what you commanded (and also that there is a positive outcome for him in doing as he is told).
3) If he doesn't come, just keep trying to get his attention, be it by tapping the floor or raising the pitch of your voice. These are just to get his attention and entice him to come to you.
4) Repeat step 2 over and over again -- if you are doing it right you should see him start to 'learn' the command eventually.

5) Once you feel he has almost mastered the command when you give it to him in the small room, increase the level of difficulty slowly. Try the same thing in a bigger room/area with Harley further away, or perhaps with another person in the vicinity to serve as a potential distraction. Again, rinse and repeat.

6) The key is patience and consistency -- give Harley a couple of these training sessions (maybe 10-20 minutes each time) each day, and if you are doing it right I'm sure he'll be a master at recall within a week.

Hope that helps!
 
Try luring him with treats, that way it'll be fun for him when you call him. Then gradually remove the treat.
 
This is one command I love teaching my dogs. I always have a reward for them and make it a game.

The first game is to have a companion and both of you have treats or a squeaky toy. Stand a good distance away from each other. One person call his name and the "come" command and when he comes, reward and praise. Then the other person does the same thing. Back and forth, back and forth. Both of mine love this, plus it makes them good and tired.

Another game is hide and seek. Hide behind a door or behind some furniture, call his name followed by the "come" command. When he finds you praise and reward. Sometimes this one gets tricky because once they figure out the game it is hard to outsmart them because they won't let you get far enough away to hide.

Also every day practice a little. I keep a small cup of kibble near my computer and they know it. I will out of the blue call them to come and when they do reward and praise.

Also...this is very important. Always call their name in a pleasant voice. The "come" can be a bit more stern but not louder. The reason being if you are anxious,,,say he escapes out the front door or something, our main instinct is to go into panic mode and yell and command. A dog is not going to want to come if they think they are going to get in trouble. You must always keep your cool.

Hope this helps.
 
Both of mine, being older (12 and 6) are pretty reliable about coming when called (though the oldest, Oliver, being almost totally deaf can sometimes turn away in order to ignore the hand signal that has replaced the word!). But I still carry treats in my pocket and they are always rewarded for coming when called. We have to make obeying any command worth their while - coming to you for a reward of food or play or fuss has to be better than continuing to chase that squirrel or pursue that interesting scent.

Kate, Oliver and Aled
 
My Marley is a bit over 9 months old now. He weighs just under 12 pounds. It sounds like we both have petite tri-colored boys.

Cooper, on the other hand, is 7 months old and weighs about 20 pounds. But he is a big boy in all regards and doesn't look overweight.

Great suggestions on the recall. Thanks all. I need to work on this with both of my boys too.
 
Excellent advice from all!

My son and I did the back/forth training and hide/seek method quite successfully with Bosco when he was a puppy.

I use "high value" rewards when teaching recall -- something really good like chicken. It's the most important command, as it can save your dogs life, and paying attention to "come" means great rewards for my dogs. I have three dogs and an unfenced yard, so immediate recall is important, and I can honestly say, that my three come running when called. There are always treats for heeding this command and we practice it daily, so much that it is routine, but they still get rewards.

As always, with young dogs, keep the training sessions short and make it fun.
 
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