Train your dog to come – 5 Fun Training Games

Teaching your dog to come to you can be hard work, or fun, it's up to you. Just like a child, your dog will learn much more effectively if he is interested in what he is doing. I always recommend using fun and games to keep your dog's interest, and your own! Here are five of my favourite games:

1) Play hide and seek: While the dog is not looking, or is distracted by a friend, hide. To start with, choose obvious places where the dog can see you easily. Call your dog. When he finds you, praise him make a huge fuss, give him a treat... then hide again!! Try going to the same place a few times, then hiding in more and more difficult places to find. Make sure that you don't hide somewhere too confusing – like in a tree, or somewhere where your voice has an echo which leads the dog in the wrong direction. These are fine and fun places to give your dog a good game, but will make the 'come' command more difficult to obey, and therefore not teach it effectively. You will tire of this game before your dog does, so play for as long as you like.

2) Chase me: This is a good way to get a dog to come to you. Call the dog while running away from him. He will do what dogs love best, and chase you. When he catches you, praise him, give him treats, make him love coming to you.

3) Fetch: Throw a ball for your dog, and as soon as he picks it up, yell “come!”. Praise him as soon as he reaches you, so that he knows he is being praised for coming. You may need to present a treat to get your dog to drop the ball or stick to start with, but he will soon learn that dropping the stick means the game can continue. Throw the stick again, giving a fetch command, then call 'come' as he returns!

4) Come and go: With a friend, sit at opposite sides of a room – it doesn't matter how big or small – call your dog and praise him. As you are praising him, have your friend call him. Stop your praise immediately, and let the puppy run to your friend, who then takes up the praise. Repeat the process for as long as your stamina allows! Puppies especially will love this game!

5) Distraction (especially for young puppies). Most young puppies stick to their owners like glue. Walk around your garden or a large room, with your puppy off the lead. Wait until your puppy is looking away, then quickly change direction. If you make a noise, the puppy should notice that you have moved away, and run to you. Praise him. After a few tries, making sure that the puppy is coming to you (some puppies are braver than others!), give the command 'Come!' instead of making a noise. Remember to praise your puppy every time he comes to you, and have some treats in your pocket as well!

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