Come

Many prefer to train "stay" before "come", but teaching a dog to come when called is simply a lot easier to do than making a young dog sit still for any length of time.

I like to train a dog or young puppy to come by having two people a few feet apart sitting on the ground. Have one person hold the dog while the other calls the dog, and squeaks a toy or offers treats. Next have person one release the dog and watch as the dog travels to person two. Person two will then need to reward the dog with praise, treats or a toy.

If the dog is older, or already knows how to stay on command then having two people isn't really necessary, but taking a different command out of the situation makes it easier for the dog to focus.


Helpful Links
Video of training stay and come
Alternative verbal method
Alternative which turns training into a game

Update: July 7th, 2014
Did this activity with 12 weeks old Tallinn today and it was a lot of fun!

Not only did she learn that coming to people is a good thing (we tried to pair it with the word "come"), but she was very tired and slept for hours afterward (our favorite part).