13. THE "COME" COMMAND:
This is the most important command your dog will ever learn and obeying it may save his life. Start out calling your pup "Rover, come" in a small space over a short distance. Praise for coming, sometimes giving a treat and praise, sometimes just praise. Remember Psychology 101, in which Skinner's rats responded and learned better by a schedule of variable and random reinforcement? We believe it applies to dogs too. NEVER, NEVER call the pup
to you to scold him, put him in his crate, groom him or any other mildly unpleasant activity. Always make sure the "coming" results in a pleasant activity. When you need to do something to the pup, go and get him. Do these simple things consistently and you will have a dog that will turn around and come to you in the middle of chasing a rabbit!
No comments:
Post a Comment