Does he leave when you call him?
Your dog seems to be indifferent when you call him to come to you. When you approach him, does he ignore you or does he run away? Why does he do that? What can we do?
Why does he do that?
A dog may not listen to us for one or more of the following reasons:
• We haven’t caught his attention.
• He doesn’t understand what we’re asking him.
• What we’re asking him to do is unpleasant for him.
What can we do?
Does he understand what you’re asking for? Dogs don’t know our language, and in order to learn it, they need to be trained. When we ask a dog to come to us, he doesn’t understand the words but our attitude. Conclusion:
- Always call him in a pleasant manner.
However, even if you call him in a pleasant manner, it doesn’t mean he has understood. It will take several calls that we must ensure are associated with something pleasant until he understands.
- Don’t “poison” the call
In the beginning, especially with puppies, they trust us and come to us easily. This requires attention. If when he comes we scold him, leash him, take him outside, stop playing / walking, or do anything else that is unpleasant for the puppy, we poison the call.
- Make it interesting
Don’t call your dog predictably: to eat, to put on the leash, to go back home, to lock him in the garden, or just to see if he’ll obey. Call him and when he comes near you, give him a treat, a pat, run for him to chase you, show a toy to play with… make it interesting. Make your dog not want to leave you because, quite simply, he enjoys being with you.
Attention: The above advice may seem simple, but they are not. Each dog has its own character and peculiarities, and the way we behave towards them (always without violence) must be adjusted to them.
