HERE, BOY!
Teaching a dog to come when it’s been called can be a tricky situation.
I have a smart dog that excelled in obedience. We have an issue when I call him to me. He looks at me and keeps walking, even though he knows what I want of him. We have rewarded him with treats and praise. How can I teach him to come when called, no matter what?
There is a dangerous expression in dog training. That expression is, “The dog knows.” We can only say that a dog knows something if we test this assumption.
When teaching people, we might ask them to recount back how they understand a lesson. We could also test their knowledge. A good test looks beyond whether the right answer was given, but whether things were understood correctly.
This is done far too little in dog training. Handlers at the highest levels often do test because assessing skills is a priority. A solid drug detection dog must be right most of the time. Some of the time is not sufficient. A dog trained to detect heroine is not reliable if they can’t detect in the real world. Nor are they good if they are indicating someone’s Tylenol or are distracted by decoy smells. The bar of “knowing” is high.
When owners want a reliable recall, they’re aiming for a similar high bar. There are three common issues. Some dogs learn to look for visual signs rather than listening. Instead of learning that the word “come” has meaning, they have learned that leg slapping or open arms are the command.
Other dogs learn to come only in certain contexts. They may listen when at home, but not in the park. Often, these dogs have learned that the word “come” means that it’s time to go home.
Finally, many only come if food and toys are offered upfront. In- stead of learning to come to the person, they learned to come to the goody. This is different from teaching a dog that humans have the ability to offer good things after they listen.
Move forward by critically assessing where the miscommunication is taking place. In training class, ask the coach to actively observe and give feedback. They can often see things in a different light.
Another option is to record training sessions. Professionals often use this strategy in their own work. Reflect on the video and look for what you, the human, are actually doing. It is likely different then what you think you are doing. Assess how the dog is responding. Measure how quickly the animal responds and notice when they go astray. Observe carefully, as these can be subtle.
Find the issue and fix it. Some aspects of the training may need to be revisited. The dog is doing what has been reinforced. The question is whether we actually reinforced what we wanted. Our dog acts like a maniac when we take him to the dog park. He knows when we are going and starts getting frantic in the car. I do not like being dragged into the park. How do I teach him to calm down?
There are two ways to approach this. The first is to teach self-control and leash-walking. This is one valid and common strategy.
Consider adding a second exercise to the plan. Dogs often become over-aroused because they have developed an expectation of things to come. Car rides likely mean the park. Their excitement builds as they get closer. While dog parks may have benefits, balance them with boring outings. Take them for car rides. Take them to the park and then, instead, go for a walk. Yvette Van Veen is an animal behaviour consultant and Canada’s 1st Tested and Certified PCT-A. Write her at advice@awesomedogs.ca