What is the best way to train my 15 month old female Toy Fox Terrier to come and not play "run" away?

Question

She will sit and loves to cuddle and sit or lay on us, but we think that because she plays "tag" with our young grandsons, that she thinks that she can get us to chase her and we are too old for that and she should come, sit and come when we command her to for her own and others' safety. Please help!

Answer 1

Well, with some training and patience, you should be able to accomplish teaching your dog the difference between "playing chase" with the grandchildren, and listening to you when it's needed.

Here is the method we recently learned in our training class with our puppy.

You will need:

1- Yummy treats, something you will use only for training purposes (so the ones for daily treats in the cupboard are out). Some good things to use are cooked hot dogs, cut into small pieces (the cooked ones "smell" more), cheez, cooked chicken or stew bits (also cut small, as a little treat can go a long way). Basically, anything that your dog really likes and will motivate her... we have even used canned cat food and goldfish crackers before.

2- Someone to help you the first day or two.

3- A really "happy to see you" voice. For men, who have tend to have a naturally deeper voice, this can be a little hard, but really important to get that higher pitched happy tone.

Here's what you do:

You and your helper sit down on the floor in your living room with the dog and have your treats ready, but hidden. While the dog is off doing her own thing, say her name and call her to come, i.e. Sadie, Come... use that really happy voice. The very second she looks in your direction say "yes" in that happy voice. This tells her she has done something you want. Then when she finally does come to you, instruct her to sit, place your left thumb in the back of her collar and scratch her neck and back with your fingers, then give her a treat and praise her greatly for doing it. Scratching the back is something most dogs like and helps her adjust to you taking the collar. The reason you take the collar is so that at some point, when you may be in a situation where she initially comes, but may turn and run off again, you have control of her by the collar before that happens. After treat and praise, tell her to "go play" and release her. Then have your helper do exactly the same thing. You each take turns calling your dog, treat, praise and release. Be sure you have that happy voice.

Work a couple of 15 minute sessions. Once you feel she has the idea of the word "come" and what you expect when you call her, then take it up a step. By this point, you can probably manage with just one person. When she is off doing her own thing, call her to come, same as prevoisly, with the happy voice, say yes the second she turns towards you to come, put her in a sit, take the collar, praise and treat, then release her to go play. Do this periodically thru the day for a few days.

Then you can begin to take this outside and work on it in your yard (preferrably a fenced area). You'll need to keep the treats up for a while, but eventually, you will be able to wean them out and praise will be enuf. Give it time, tho, as every dog is different as to how long it takes to get it down pat.

One thing to remember is you should never call your dog to punish your dog. Even if your dog has done something wrong, always praise for a proper recall. If you call your dog to come and then discipline, your dog come to think it is associated with something negative and will possibly not come when you call.

This takes time, patience and daily work to get it down with your dog. But with persistance, you should be able to teach the recall just fine! Worked great with our puppy and she turns on a dime every time!

Good Luck!

Answer 2

put her on a long training lead. tell her to come and when she doesn't pull her to you and make her sit in front of you. once she does that praise her. do not chase her as it does become a game and one that is hard to break. you can enroll her in a training class that would be good for everyone. good luck.

Answer 3

Petsmart had an awesome and effective dog training program. It is inexpensive and really works. I took my dog there and learned how to teach him to understand and obey to basic commands. Good luck.
jw

Answer 4

Get her to understand the word "Treat" and have a tasty morsel ready in your hand. Once she understands the word, and she knows you have something for her, it won't take her long.

Answer 5

Don't chase her. Call her while walking away.