How can I get my golden retriever to master the "come" command?

Question

She's 8 months old but if we are outside and she's not on her leash she runs off after any person that walks by. Is there a fool-proof way to teach her this most important command?

She's not attacking anyone, except to say "look at me, pet me".

Answer 1

Yes, there is a fool proof way... its called positive reinforcement. What you have to do is make coming to you BETTER and more profitable for the dog than anything else in the world!!

This coupled with some kind of holding command works wonders... The way I taught my male dog to come EVERY time I call was by rewarding him for it... All you do is call your dog, when she comes give her a treat or play with her with her favorite toy give her a treat or toy every time she comes at first. Then gradually make sure not to give her a treat every single time but every other time randomly so that she knows she "might" get a treat which usually is enough to sway any dog. I also found that teaching your dog the meaning of the word "treat" is really good, just say it every time "you want a treat?" and then give her one, she will soon know the meaning. Then when you call her to come and she hesitates add "want a treat?' on the end and she will come right away... just make sure that if you say you will give her a treat DO IT otherwise she will cal your bluff next time.. lol It works for my dog so well, that all I have to do now is open the door and he comes running inside and straight to where his treats are on top of the fridge, sometimes I give him one sometimes I dont but he knows that he might get one and cant resist!!
I have also taught him the command "don't be rude" which I use to stop him from running to the fence and barking when people or dogs walk by. All you do is get your dog to "sit" when a person is coming and then say "stay" or "dont be rude" and pet her etc until the person has passed and then give her a treat and lots of praise followed by playing her favorite game. Do this every time and soon your dog wont even bother with running after people etc because she knows if she stays the rewards will be greater. The number one rule in making your dog come consistently is NEVER call her to you and then punish her, she will associate coming with negative results and will never answer your call. For example when your dog runs to greet people and you are calling her when and if she does come back to you DO NOT punish her for running away because that is not the message she will be getting she will think " I came when he said come, and all I got was harsh words and punishment, so now I know that the word come means bad things... so I wont come!"
The best punishment to give your dog for not coming when you call is to take the dog directly in the house and ignore her for a while, no play, no treats nothing. Then call her to you in the house about 20 minutes after and when she comes reward her and go back outside repeating the whole procedure again if she doesnt come to your call. Remember, if she runs to the person and is not responding to your call, just go straight to her, say "in the house" and take her inside... dont call her and then punish her, just act.. if she isnt coming, go get her and bring her in without saying "come".

PS if she doesnt already know the meaning of "come" put her on a 20 foot leash, call her to you and if she comes give her a treat, if not gently reel her in with the leash saying "come" the whole time and reward her when she gets to you.... repeat, repeat.

Answer 2

Easy. Practice, practice and practice. Even though Golden Retrievers are VERY intelligent dogs, it doesn't mean they won't disobey a command every now and then. If your dog already knows the command, keep teaching it and giving rewards. Don't stop the rewards once you 'think' your dog knows how to come. Of coarse you should know dogs don't always see their name as a 'come' command, and it actually needs to be taught.

If your dog does NOT know the command, it is very easy for that breed. I will tell you the method I used for my Papillion at six months of age:
-teach the dog how to actually walk on a leash to the best of your abilities.
-lightly discipline them if they tug, even if it is very slight or they do it once. This isn't exactly for teaching your dog that pulling is bad (even though it is useful when walking) but it is teaching them that YOU control where they go and how far they go.
-in a closed surrounding or backyard, keep the leash on (they need to know leash means to be mannered) but drop it by your side. A long (10ft+) lead works best. Let your dog roam within 5-10 feet of you, then grab the lead again. It takes practice, but your dog should return to your side. When it does, say "Come".

Keep doing the last step, until you feel when your dog comes off the lead and you say "Come" he/she will come to you. Depending on your dog, it may take a few weeks, but ALWAYS keep up the training, whether it is a week later or year later. It took my Papillon two weeks to come when called. Just guessing, she had a 75% chance of coming, hehe. So even then, you need to keep up the training. Sorry it's long. Hope it helps.

Answer 3

I have found the best way to make my dog come to me is by having two people play the "come to me" game. Each person has a supply of really good treats. One calls dogs name and says "come" then treats the dog. Then the other person calls dogs name "come" and then treats, I do this game for about a week, or longer if necessary. Start out with a long leash until the dog realizes that come always means a great treat. If dog is not into food I use a toy. When behavior is established, I then treat every other time. This has given me the most reliable come. I have seven dogs.

Answer 4

This is the one command more than any other that you can never allow a dog to disobey. What you can try, and I did it and it worked really well with my bearded collie (they have temperaments somewhat like goldens in that they think everyone they meet is there to pet them).

Get a long, light-weight nylon rope (at least 20 feet) and tie it to your dog's collar. You need to go out to a field, preferably no distractions to start with. Let your dog wander then call him. If he makes a move to come towards you, keep encouraging him - use an excited tone of voice. If he comes to you, give him lots and lots of praise (and a treat if you like). If he makes no move to come, give a gentle tug on the rope, and keep tugging as you need to, and walk backwards away from him all the while encouraging him to come.

It's going to be hard with such a friendly dog but if you persist and don't let her off leash until she's reliable, you'll be able to get her under control. You always have to be able to enforce the "come" command and never call her to you when you're angry - it always has to be a happy experience for her.

Answer 5

You get a long 10 ft. leash. You say "come", if they do, they get nice words and a treat. If they don't, you pull them towards you with the leash, til they are in compliance and reward and treat. Adding clicker when they are coming towards you will enhance their understanding. That said, this worked fine with one, but not with headstrong one. (We didn't know "clicker" method, then, would try next pup!) So, I used electric collar. Got quick and nearly instant result, which I was willing to use, as it's better than risking her life chasing a dangerous dog or running into the street.

Answer 6

My collie was the same way until a neighbor of mine suggested when I yell out her name I should get down to their ( the dogs) level other wise its as if I were yelling into a tree..and sure enough after the third try... it did work for me..I would also suggest a school to train or break her of these bad habits even though we may think they are having fun. Many people do lose their pets this way..

Answer 7

Took 2 years to train my goldie to do that one thing......my heart goes out nto you. They do have a mind of their own.

Answer 8

what i did is say come and shake a treat cup. she will come running at the sound of food ;)

Answer 9

Practice and patience.

Answer 10

Give him a food then say come doggy.....