Trace our old girl now gone, was good at flopping down when called to
come in for the night. She loved being out on watch, over
her place. She could be convinced that coming inside was worthwhile if
I said in a very jolly voice: "Trace, I love you, please come in." Some
nights she wanted more and I would have to throw my hands up in the
air and be very silly, saying Trace, come! She was a quick study and figured out how to control consequences quite well. She must have enjoyed seeing how far I would go with my jolly/silly act and knew how to get a belly rub: get Jill
to do the silly act, then come. I was rewarding a slow response, but it was
a game we played, not a life or death recall.
The key, really, is in making coming more rewarding than being
outside. It's hard to compete with the chance to chase a raccoon or other
night critter, or the chance to lay under a favorite shrub in the cool mulch...
Belly rubs and very special food treats can help, but it's a good idea to make
sure they are rewards for coming and not bribes. It also helps to call a dog to
come and then actually release her to go again, or do something even better, like
go for a walk, so that coming doesn't mean the end of fun. Hands off training, meaning no collar grabbing or pulling, works far better than trying to force this or any issue.
I would give about anything to have Trace here to call and know I might have
to go out in the cold to throw my hands up and get silly to get her moving. You
can probably avoid having to get so silly, just keep in mind that coming has
to be more rewarding. It isn't always easy, but by rewarding what you want,
you can get results.
grab your sense of humor, then grab some treats and the minute your dog looks at you/moves in the right direction - give her a treat. Do that a couple of times then up the ante: she must come a little closer before getting the treat. And so on until she only gets a treat for getting close, then for coming inside. When she first gets
it and comes in: give her a "jackpot!" Then mix up the rewards for coming: sometimes release her, sometimes bring her in for an even better food treat or belly rub, or game, or go for a walk. Make coming to you the best thing in the world.
Best of luck,
Jill with Indie and Gabby Remembering our lovely Trace
