Free Tips for Training a Dog to Come When Called

For this Omaha dog training session we were called in to share some tips for training a dog to come when called. We got to work with sweet 1 year-old Goldendoodle Penny. Not only did we work on how to come when called, but we also addressed her habit of barking at guests and stealing food off the counters.

Penny was quite upset to have me inside her home. She showed a lot of insecurity in her movements and actions.

She barked and then backed away. She leaned over her body when she approached. She looked to her family for reassurance. Before we could start training a dog to come when called, we needed to help Penny with her dog anxiety.

Easy Training Tips to Reduce Dog Anxiety

I spent the first thirty minutes earning Penny’s trust. I moved slowly and used soft body language. I avoided eye contact and tossed her many high-value treats.

After thirty minutes, she calmed down enough for me to give her a bully stick. She took it into the other room to chew and relax.

While Penny was in the other room, I shared tips to help boost her confidence and lower her anxiety. The family had been unknowingly encouraging some of her unbalanced behaviors. They petted her when she felt anxious, nervous, or reactive.

But anything your dog is doing when you pet it is what you are rewarding and reinforcing. To help the family avoid this sort of interaction in the future, I shared a way to add structure to petting her. This will stop them from reinforcing the wrong thing while simultaneously building up her confidence and self esteem.

I also showed them how to reward Penny for doing things they like. This is one of the easiest ways to train a dog, it just takes a month or so to get into the habit of doing so.

Next, I discussed ways to help Penny adopt a follower mindset. This change could reduce her stress and anxiety. She often felt she had to protect the humans in the house. By consistently enforcing rules and boundaries, the dog will see that humans are taking the lead in the home.

Penny will push back for a bit to confirm that the actions are genuine. Once she realizes they are, she should feel a great sense of relief.

Training a Dog to Come When Called

To address Penny’s habit of not coming when called, I showed the family a simple recall exercise. This positive dog training method helps motivate a dog to want to come when called.

As you can see in the video above, we demonstrate training a dog to come when called by using positive reinforcement. The key focus is using hand signals and body language effectively to guide the dog’s response.

It’s important to know how to position your hand. Whether your hand is open or closed affects how the dog sees the command. This shows why you should use clear and consistent signals.

Before teaching Penny to come when called, we first taught her to sit. We did this by moving our hand over her head. After she sat, we gave her a treat and said the word “come.”

Over time, a dog will learn to connect the hand motion with the behavior. This can happen even without treats each time.

We also discussed how to manage distractions and different environments. We advised Penny’s family to slowly increase the distance and difficulty of the training area. They should start in small indoor spaces and then move outdoors, where there are more distractions. I recommend using fun, creative command words that engage the dog and make training more enjoyable.

It’s important to avoid conflicting cues, such as petting the dog while calling her, this will help Penny maintain focus. By practicing regularly in different places and with different people, dogs can learn to respond to the “come” command. They will do this in many situations.

This is a far more effective technique than using force, leash corrections or shock collars. All of those methods get the dog to come because it fears a punishment or pain for failing to do so. Teaching a dog to come works better when it ends with a reward or affection for the dog.

I often recommend that families train their dog to come. They can do this by practicing a few times each day for a week.

Gradually increase the distance during these sessions. If the family uses this approach a few times a day for a week, the dog will come when called right away and with glee. Having a dog with a strong recall is a very handy command to have in the bag.

To help the family remember the dog training tips I shared, we made a short, summary video. You can watch the roadmap to success video below.