One essential key to teaching your dog to come, or doing any basic puppy training routine, is to allow the puppy no alternative but to obey the command. Non-compliance can never be an option. What this means for you is that you must set your dog up for success and when training, give it the opportunities it needs to succeed. A common error when teaching "come" or any other command is to use it when you do not really want the dog to perform the action. In the case of "come," you want to use the word only when you really want to dog to cease any other action and come to you. This also means that you have to learn how to monitor yourself a bit when your puppy is within hearing range.

To offer a somewhat humorous example of why this is important, I often take my dogs along for rides when I go out in the car. I Have a Forrester, so there is plenty of room in the back. The dogs have come to enjoy car rides and are always on the lookout for an occasion to hop in the car. Well, I accidentally got into the habit of saying "all right" before putting them into the car. Now, as a result, if I should say, "all right" in some other context, they immediately jump up and run to the door expecting a car ride. This is hardly a serious situation, but I have had to unteach them that "all right" means a ride in the car.

With particular respect to the "come" command, it is important to not give your dog the choice of not coming. Thus, a very basic way of starting out is to always have your dog on a leash. I recommend a leash of at least 3 or 4 feet. Attach the leash to the dog's collar and position him (or her) at one end and you at the other. I also advise that you do not use a choke or pinch collar for this. Say the command, "come" in a firm, civil voice and then very gently tug the leash so as to encourage the dog to approach you. It is important to use only the minimum force necessary. After the dog comes to you, give it lots of praise and a small, tasty treat.

Next, create only positive associations with the word "come." When you tell your dog to "come," you want it to want to come. Ideally, this should be something it looks forward to doing for you. For that reason, try to avoid saying, "come," when the consequence might be something unpleasant, such as grooming or giving the dog a bath. For some reason, my dogs have come to look upon bathing as punishment so I have to be careful with the choice of words I use. However, these days, when they see the shampoo, they put their tales between their legs voluntarily come over to be hosed off and cleaned.

In situations where you discover your dog behaving badly, your first impulse may be to say "come" in a somewhat angry voice to get it to stop misbehaving. If possible, take positive, corrective action, but do not associate "come" with the correction. It is difficult to always remember exactly what to do in stressful situations, but as much as possible, create in your puppy's mind only positive associations with your command words.

How you interact with your dog is very important to your pet. Voice tones, your emotional vibe, and physical touch mean a great deal. Dogs love to be touched and played with; your emotional state really does communicate to your dog and affects its own well being; and your tone of voice will speak volumes to your puppy. Keep this in mind when training and use it to your advantage. Your dog will see you as the leader of its pack and look to you for direction. How you teach the essential command, "come" will set the stage for all future training. Remember, your dog has as its number one priority pleasing you; never fail to give it the opportunity to do so.