You will want to teach basic obedience as soon as you adopt a dog or puppy.
Basic obedience training
When I first started caring for Kilo, a 2 year old impulsive Pug, I looked up “how to teach your dog how to come”.
Benefits of a strong recall
Safety, confidence and trust – your dog will always be there when you call. This will help you get your dog’s attention so they don’t run into dangerous situations or chase other dogs. If they do run, they won’t follow people or dogs if the door is open. However, if they do escape, they will return to you immediately to prevent any major problems. You and your dog will be more stressed if you cannot control them.
Freedom – To let your dog off the leash in designated areas, and to play with other dogs in the park such as at the Pug Grumble.
Focus is great for agility courses, high-intensity and high traffic situations.
Training tips for puppies from Lucinda Glenny CPDT KA
Lucinda Glenny, CPDT-KA, a well-known trainer, has shared her Puppy Training Tips to the Recall Cue. Your puppy should learn the Recall Command as soon as possible. This allows you to feel confident that your dog will return your calls every time.
Glenny was featured on Spotlight’s top Canadian trainers. She specializes in working alongside dogs with anxiety issues, such as my rescue Kilo Pug. Her gentle and consistent, research-based training approach has earned her a great reputation.
Training a puppy is just as important as teaching an older dog. Get started now!
Four easy steps to get your dog to obey you
Standing Recall
You can practice in a safe, enclosed space indoors or outdoors.
Your Puppy should sit and wait. Now, walk a few feet and call them by name. If they are very close, you can hold up a treat to encourage them to come closer. Reward them with a positive reinforcement word or yes.
You can work towards reliable recall, or you can “come” in larger spaces. Your dog should be leashed in the park or garden. You can let them walk a distance away and then ask them to sit and you will move away. When they “come”, reward them with a treat. You can guide them to listen if they are having trouble understanding.
Once your dog is familiar with the commands, you can practice this by using a longer leash in more difficult spaces. To practice with Kilo, I have a 20-foot leash.
Do not chase them if they don’t come. You can get them to follow you.
Chase Recall
Your Puppy should sit and wait. Then, move a bit further. Finally, call your Puppy to you. Give them a treat or tug toy and let them chase you.
As a reward, you can use toys and treats as well as affection or verbal reinforcement. Whatever works for your dog. Treats are Kilo’s favorite reward. He loves praise and hugs. He doesn’t respond well to punishment or “no”. I mostly tempt or lure him into doing things in order to get a treat.
Training Kilo the Pug To Sit And Come Video
Although I’m not a professional trainer, I can share what I did with Kilo using positive reward-based training methods.
It is not easy to train Pugs to obey commands, especially when there are distractions. Kilo has selective hearing. Kilo can hear the sound of food bags or treats crackling, but not his name being called.
Kilo was 2 years old when he had bad behavior and possibly some negative experiences that made him anxious or reactive. Although we made significant progress, Kilo is now a good dog and comes on time. He loves to play chase and chase toys and treats. However, I don’t trust Kilo’s recall off the leash. He will run.
Training your dog takes patience. Don’t be discouraged if your dog doesn’t grasp the concept at first. Make it fun and positive. Training sessions should be kept to a minimum of a few minutes per day for puppies. Practise makes perfect (or not).
Before a meal, I make sure Kilo has “Come” and “Sit”.
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