How to Get Dog to Come When Called

One of the most frustrating things for a dog owner is having a dog who won’t come when called.  Not only is this annoying, but it can also be a safety concern if the dog is heading for danger, and you can’t call him back.

When we call our dog, we want them to come sprinting to us as fast as they can. But in order to achieve this, we must make our calling their name music to the dog’s ears.  They must see it as something that results in a great reward.

WATCH MY VIDEO: how to get a dog to come when called

3 Steps to Get a Dog to Come When Called

1.  Make sure your dog has a pleasant experience when he comes when you call.  Put a few small treats in your coat pocket, for example, and give one each time the dog obeys your call.

After several repetitions, the dog will begin to see that coming to you when called pays off!

2.  Do not call your dog if you are going to scold or yell at him when he comes. You can undo months of hard work training your dog to come by doing this just once, because in the dog’s mind, coming to you now means punishment.

3.  Get your dog to see that coming back is worth it. If your dog hates returning to the car, reward him as soon as he gets back to the car with water and a small treat and things will soon turn around!

3-Step Dog Recall Formula

1.  CALL your dog to you, then 2.  REWARD him within two seconds, then immediately 3.  RELEASE him.  Keep doing this and your dog will be convinced that coming when called will always be a positive experience.

For More Help with Dog Recall

There is an incredible website called, The Online Dog Trainer, run by one of the world’s top professional dog trainers, “Doggy Dan.”

I highly recommend this site because it has step-by-step videos demonstrating dog training techniques for virtually any training issue you can think of!  They offer a $1 trial to check it out.

You can read my review of The Online Dog Trainer here. 

Free Dog Recall Tutorial

Doggy Dan has a terrific blog post where he talks at length about why dogs won’t come when called and how to solve it.  It’s called, Recall Training for Dogs – The Science Behind Why Your Dog Ignores You.

How to Stop a Dog from Running Away

Some dogs won’t come when called, and others actually run away.  I don’t know about you, but that’s my biggest fear!  I’d just die if I took my dog somewhere and they ran away and I never saw them again.  Ugh!

For more help on this specific issue, check out this post from TheSprucePets.com called, Why Dogs Run Away.  In that post, they cover:

• • Your Dog is Running Away Because They’re Bored
  • Your Dog Runs Away to Look for a Mate
  • Your Dog Runs Away to Hunt
  • Your Dog is Running Away Because They’re Scared
  • Several Great Tips on How to Stop Your Dog from Running Away

I Donate to Animal Charities

Thank you for visiting my website.  I hope you’re able to get your dog to come when called not only so you can take them places without worry, but for their safety as well.

I donate 10% of my earnings from this website to animal charities.  You can see a list of the charities I donate to here. 

If you like this website, please share it with your friends and family and on social media.

If you have more tips on how to get your dog to come when called, please comment below.  And please, let me know what you think of Doggy Dan! Debra

For more about training your dog, click HERE