Free Tips to Train a Shiba Inu to Come When Called

By: David Codr

Published Date: January 26, 2017

Sashi - Free Tips to Train a Shiba Inu to Come When Called

Sashi is a one-year-old Shiba Inu who lives in Benson, Nebraska. Her guardians set up a dog obedience training session with me because she doesn’t come when called, jumps up and is a door dasher.

Shiva’s are usually pretty aloof so I was pleasantly surprised by Sashi’s behavior when I arrived for our dog training and behavior session.

After sitting down with the dog’s guardians I learned that due to Sashi’s habit of running away when they needed to leave for work, they had resorted to trying to trick her into moving somewhere where they could trap or snatch her.

Over time, this approach can erode the dog’s trust in the humans, at least in that kind of situation. I explained how they cannot use this method in the future to ensure as it will result in the same response from the dog.

The good news is, its really easy to train your dog to come when called, it just takes the right approach and a little practice using positive dog training. I pulled out a handful of high value meat treats and had the guardians join me on the floor so I could show them how to train a dog to come.

Because the guardians had been repeating the command word over and over, they had inadvertently trained her to ignore this command. By changing the command word, we start out fresh and also jettison any negative association that may have been built up with the old word.

I also recommended that the guardians start passively training Sashi by petting her and simultaneously saying the command word each time she comes to them on her own. I actually recommended that they do this for any desired action like sitting, laying down or anything else she does on her own. This will build up a positive association with these actions and commands.

It will take some practice at the recall and changing the leader follower dynamic, but based on how well Sashi responded during the session, Im betting she is coming when called like a champ in no time flat.

ROADMAP to SUCCESS

  • Introduce rules and boundaries to help Sashi start to see the humans as leaders and her as a follower.
  • Pet Sashi with a purpose to help her start to adopt more of a follower’s mindset.
  • Start following through when giving Sashi commands that she does not respond to right away by getting up and following her until she does.
  • Use the Escalating Consequences to disagree with any unwanted actions or behaviors within 3 seconds.
  • Do not allow Sashi to sit at the window in a sentry position.
  • Practice claiming the area around the door by having the other guardian play the part of a “guest” or invite friends over.
  • Practice training the dog to come using the technique introduced in the video.
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This post was written by: David Codr