Your Puppy Doesn’t Know The “Come” Command
The Puppy Wasn’t Trained To Come To You. As I always tell my dog training clients, we all start somewhere. When I trained my first dog as an adult, at first I expected her to come to me no matter what.
It was frustrating calling her and she’d look at me and walk away. I had to do the hard work of training her that coming to me was more rewarding than playing with her favorite squeaky toy.
We can’t expect our dogs to perform a command that we haven’t actively trained. When we train, we teach our dogs not only a language but also the rules.
It’s important to set up short training sessions of about five to ten minutes a few times a day. We can’t expect the pup to read our minds.
Running Away Is Fun!
Running Away Is Fun! We call Max to come and take a step towards him. The game’s on. Max starts playing “catch me if you can.”
Max’s owner runs after him and, with a smile on his face, Max runs the other way. Of course, Max’s four legs carry him quickly to another adventure while his owner repeatedly calls his name.
This can become a fun game for dogs. But not so much for us. I had a client who called me to train her dog because she had fallen and was badly bruised while chasing her new poodle puppy.
Every time she called her puppy, he ran the other way. At first, he stood there until she started walking towards him. Then, he did zoomies away.
Puppies perceive this as a fun game. It’s difficult not to engage in it. But try not to.
If you train your puppy that coming to you is more fun than the chase game, you’ll solve your problem. Below I’ll discuss how to get your pup to come no matter what.
#4 – Visit Shelters in Person
Shelters are busy places, and the person you talked to on the phone may not have noticed your dog, or the description you gave them could have been lost in translation. It’s always recommended to go to the shelters and ask to see their recent intakes yourself. Remind them about your situation, but don’t be pushy. Check out the kennels and if they’re not there, leave your name and number with a second person before leaving.
What TO do and what NOT to do if your dog runs away and doesn’t listen
Maybe your dog bolts as soon as you open the front door — even if he was nowhere to be seen before you opened it. Or she won’t stop digging under the fence to escape your backyard.
However they get out, dogs that run away are no laughing matter. They could get hit by a car, attacked by a dangerous animal, or placed in a shelter where their people never find them.
Why do dogs engage in this dangerous behavior? Below, you’ll find several reasons as well as tips on what you can do to stop it.