Here's a simple answer: start using a cookie as a reward, along with very happy praise, for the dog coming to 'come'!
That's how I trained mine on recall. With motivational, positive method training, you always start by offering a reward, which can be praise but I have found food works better every time, especially if -- for an important command like this -- you use a very high value treat (eg not a cheerio or a piece of kibble but a cube of chicken or hot dog or cube of cheese, whatever really motivates Kosmo, Same for housetraining BTW!).
Try doing recall on a short lead first, and maybe then move on to an extensa (in a safe place, so you can gently reel him back to you then reward, so he gets the connection between come and food). Or get one of those long training/recall leads.
The best way to get a dog to come to you, BTW, is never to stand facing the dog yelling 'come. This is a threatening posture to a dog. Instead, turn sideways, and run AWAY from the dog, half facing him and clapping and calling come. Stooping down as you do this also attracts the dog. I bet he will come time after time as you start to run away from him. Call his name in a bright cheerful way, and also the word come in the same way.
Another way that is great for starting with puppies (or dogs) on 'come' is to crouch down, spread your arms wide and again call cheerfully to the dog.
Dogs are attracted to bright, cheerful, high tones in short bursts. But don;t keep repeating and repeating the command 'come' or the dog learns that the word is not 'come' but comecomecome...come come!!
Here's an excellent article on training come (or whatever word you want to use -- many recommend it NOT be come, but something else unique to your dog. I also use the word 'treats!' as a bato summon my dogs for just the reason you cite -- it gets results.
http://www.deesdogs.com/documents/reliable_recall.pdf
So -- isn't it odd that sometimes people think using food is 'cheating' when it clearly gets results?
I bet every single one of us has a dog that will come reliably *every time* we use a word that indicates a treat. :lol: Kosmo comes to you because he WANTS to come when you say Cookie -- hey, there's something good to come for!
Reward-based training uses just the same apprach but for other commands. You start by always rewarding the behaviour desired in training sessions, then taper off offering the food, or offer it now and then as a reinforcer. Anyone training animals professionally for Hollywood will tell you, if you want precision work from any animal, food is the single best motivator.
You want to imprint in his mind for this or any other command, that it's always GOOD to do what you are asking. Pavlov figured it out a long long time ago -- that if you connect a cue to food, you'll reliably get a response regardless of whether food is still produced. And that is the basis of a very fun and rewarding and effective way to train.
One thing to be extra careful with teaching 'come ' is that you never ever ever scold the dog for returning to you. No matter how frustrated or angry you might be because you were calling and calling and the dog ignored you or ran off, as soon as the dog comes to you... finally... contain your frustration, swallow your anger, and *praise the dog*. If you scold, you undo all your training to associate a desire to return to you with a command word, because the dog has been now told, you get punished for coming! This is probably one of the most frequent BIG mistakes people make when trying to teach 'come' -- then they say, he never comes to me, or only sometimes comes back, or ' he comes back and knows he's been a bad dog by running away, I just know he knows because he skulks and looks guilty." That's NOT the dog looking guilty, that's the dog afraid and uncertain of your response to his return. Sometimes you praise him, but sometimes you threaten and punish. So he becomes less likely to return and when he does return he is fearful of which response he'll get from you this time around.
Recall is the single most important command you will ever teach your dog as no doubt it will save his life more than once... so be sure to make it his most relaible command, even if you find it better to stand in a field and call, 'COOKIE!' :lol: 8)