Hunter's Heart Brittanys - Essential Training

This section of our website deals with some essential training you can & should do at home. We believe this minimum amount of training would be hard to do without.

REASONS FOR DOG TRAINING

The #1 cause of death in dogs isn't old age or being run over by a car: it's behavioral problems! Dogs with behavioral problems often end up in shelters, and some of these are euthanized.

All dog owners should complete basic obedience training so that their dog behaves politely. Who wants to be around a dog growling, jumping up repeatedly or worse? Through experience with other dogs, books and classes anybody can learn how to effectively teach their dog some manners so that they aren't a public (or private) nuisance. We are always available to help answer any questions on dog care & training (for families who have purchased our puppies). There is no such thing as a stupid question.

photo: Start training early to avoid problems later. (This is Spirit as a young puppy.)

Probably the most important advice we can give you about training puppies/dogs is to start your training as soon as possible, before problem behaviors arise.

HOW DO I KNOW WHAT'S THE RIGHT WAY OF TRAINING?

When so many different people are claiming to be dog experts, how do you know what is right? We recommend that if you are able, the best approach is to attend at least one obedience class and to read at least 2 books about training.

Trust your own instincts about what the right approach is for you & your puppy/dog! Your dog trusts you and you shouldn't ever put him in jeopardy by following advice that doesn't seem right to you; no matter which "expert" it comes from.

Your opinion should come from a combination of the philosophies & techniques you learn about. Always be open to new ideas. Think about what you've read, what has worked for you & your dog so far. Don't start training until you've figured out an approach, or your mixed messages will be confusing to your puppy/dog.

Remember that you will probably make some mistakes. But if you & your dog have a healthy relationship, you can learn from your mistakes & do even better the next time around. (Brittany Spaniels do tend to "re-train" easily.) Just don't give up!

Another thing to consider is that Brittany Spaniels tend to be easily handled & don't respond well to overly harsh treatment. (Some other breeds may require firmer discipline in comparison.) If you are overly harsh with a Brittany Spaniel, they will fear you & may do things like cowering at your approach. Your Brittany Spaniel will probably perform his obedience exercises better if you don't use a pinch collar. You may find a slip
(a.k.a. choke) collar helpful, and you do need to give consistent & firm corrections. Just don't go overboard when disciplining a Brittany Spaniel.

THE REQUIREMENTS for EFFECTIVE TRAINING

The following are absolute requirements for training any puppy or dog:

Consistent Training

Ideally, only one person would train every dog. This is because it's virtually impossible for 2 different people to behave in exactly the same way. Different family members may use different words for commands, different tones of voice, & have slightly different expectations of what the dog should & should not do. These differences will confuse the dog while they are trying to learn something new. Learning will take longer & be more difficult.

e.g. a dog might be told to "sit" by one person, but the other person says "sit down". The dog might be confused about whether he should sit or lie down as a result.
e.g. one person might praise the dog when they come slowly on the third command and stand 6 feet away, while the other person corrects the dog whenever they fail to come quickly on the first command and sit down within touching distance. How is their dog supposed to know what is right and wrong when even his people can't agree?

Once the trainer is sure the dog knows a command, he or she can show the other family members what to do. Then the other family members can practice working with the dog too, taking care to do things the same way the trainer does.

Immediate Corrections

Scientists who study dog behavior say that if you correct your dog more than 5 seconds after he is done misbehaving, he will not understand what you are correcting him for. So you have to "catch him in the act" in order to give an effective correction.

Appropriate Corrections

   As mentioned above, you don't have to be overly harsh to teach your Brittany Spaniel. In fact, if you are overly harsh, you may "ruin" a talented dog.

   You should always be in the position to enforce your commands. (For example, if you practice heeling off-leash before your dog really knows where the heel position is, your dog is learning bad habits.)
You should correct your dog every time he misbehaves and praise him every time he behaves properly. Why? If you don't correct misbehavior, your dog will try to get away with the same misbehavior again. The saying "give an inch & he'll take a mile" is very true when training dogs. And if you don't praise your dog for behaving like you want him to, he doesn't have any incentive to keep it up! (In fact, even when your dog accidentally does what you want without a command, praise will encourage him to repeat the same behavior.)

   We describe how to give effective corrections that your dog can understand immediately below this list.

"Alpha -Dog" Status

Dogs have the same instinctive pack behavior as wolves. Every animal in the pack has a position in the hierarchy, or "pecking order". A basic rule of the pack is that every animal follows the alpha-dog, the most dominant, the "top dog" in the pack. The alpha-dog makes the decisions about what the pack is doing. She keeps order in her pack by enforcing her rules whenever a submissive dog steps out of line. The first step in training any dog is to develop a relationship where the trainer is the alpha-dog. If your dog sees any member of the family as subordinate to him, he will no longer obey that person, and you are in for problems. Dogs initially tend to view humans as dominant, because humans are larger than they are. So when you get a puppy's attention, he is likely to listen to you. But you can quickly lose the alpha status if you don't follow through with other behavior dogs expect from the alpha dog. Even if you initially establish that you are the alpha, when your puppy reaches adolescence, he will probably question your authority. You must work to keep the alpha status!

e.g. You should always eat before your dog. (If you share table food with the dog while you are eating, he will assume he is either your equal or your better.)
e.g. When the dog is in your path, the dog should move out of your way. You should go through doorways before your dog.
e.g. You should make sure that the dog knows that both the food and the treats belong to you, and be able to take them back
e.g. You should expect him to follow your commands every time or expect a correction each & every time.
e.g. You should be the one to determine which strangers are welcome in your home and which are not. Don't ever tolerate growling or signs of aggression towards humans.
e.g. Whenever you make eye contact with your dog, he should be the first one to look away. (The alpha-dog always wins "staring contests". This is why maintaining eye contact during corrections is important: it means that you are the boss & your dog better listen!.)
e.g. Male puppies/dogs may lift their leg & urinate not only on objects, but on people who they don't consider to be dominant over them. Similarly, puppies/dogs of both sexes may mount a person's leg as a show of dominance over that person. (This isn't at all related to sexual activity.) So urinating on or mounting of a person is inappropriate & undesirable & should be strongly discouraged. Give an effective correction the first time this behavior shows up. (Preventing or stopping these displays of dominance is one argument for early spaying/neutering. But even after a dog is "fixed", if they have a personality that is very dominant, they may continue attempts to dominate their humans.)

For more details about what the alpha dog is and using appropriate leadership habits around the house, read the next section, "The Alpha Dog & How to Be One".

THE ALPHA DOG & HOW TO BE ONE

How Dogs Determine Rank in a Human Pack

Dogs evolved from wolves. In fact, they're still so closely related that some scientists still classify them as identical species. The point is that dogs instinctively behave & communicate a lot like wolves do. If you try to teach your dog human rules, it's like speaking Chinese to the average North American. Your dog won't understand & you're both set up for frustration.

Most dogs happily accept human leadership. It's the leader's job to set rules for behavior. The leader should be fair and calm & stick to the rules. The leader also protects, feeds, and cares for his/her pack. Humans naturally perform these essential roles better than dogs would. Imagine if you left the responsibility for feeding the family with your dog!

Wolves depend on a unified, well functioning pack for their survival. For example, they must hunt as a team, and the leaders & young eat first to ensure their survival before other non-essential pack members (e.g. the elderly and sick).

Every member of the pack knows his or her rank. In this hierarchy, the highest ranking wolf is called the "alpha" wolf. Dogs become a member of a pack the moment they're born. The mother is the alpha, and all puppies in the litter sort out their rankings amongst themselves. When the puppies leave their breeder to go to a new home, they immediately start to figure out their ranking in the new pack. If the humans are too lenient or inconsistent, the puppy might assume that he's the leader. And problems will result. The pack leader has the right to discipline subordinates, which could mean that the dog behaves aggressively towards humans in the family.

Don't wait till your dog gets out of control and bites someone before you have an honest look at your dog's behavior. You can learn to recognize the signs that your dog thinks he's the alpha, or is challenging your authority. And you have the power to change the ranking situation.

You don't have to follow all the leadership rules to the letter, all the time, with every dog. The alpha wolf decides when he wants to enforce the rules and when he doesn't. For example, he decides when play fighting is getting out of hand and discipline is required. Some dogs can lie on the bed or the couch, and have treats off the dinner table without any problems resulting. But some dogs tend to be alpha-wannabes, and if you give an inch, they'll try to take a mile. You'll have to be especially watchful of these dogs and how and when you enforce the rules around them. Remember, if you're inexperienced in the area of training dogs or your dog is an alpha-wannabe, always follow the rules.

One potential problem with any breed of dog is that puppies tend to view children less than 5 years old as littermates. They tend to think they're ranked equally and instead of listening to the child, they'll wrestle and mouth (playful chewing). It's important that all children follow the "house rules" as consistently as possible. They should be sure to "flip" the puppy into the submissive position, as described below. And reinforce dominance by asking the puppy to obey a command before giving a treat. It's a good idea to supervise a child younger than 12 years old when they discipline the dog. And don't forget to instruct your child how to meet a strange dog, and not to run away if chased.

What about dominance in a family with multiple dogs? Researchers have found that there's three different categories of rank in a wolf pack. The first category includes the highest ranking, alpha male and female. The second category is wolves who are ranked almost as high, who compete with each other for the top positions. Then there's the third category, of low ranking wolves who are happy in the positions they're in. Most of the conflict and aggression occurs between the first and second categories, i.e. the leaders and the alpha-wannabes. We recommend that you show your dogs that all humans are the leaders & dogs are in the third, lowest ranking category. Treat each dog equally, i.e. don't always feed one dog first, or they'll think they're special and assume they're second in command instead of 32nd! The dogs will work out a ranking between themselves, but there won't be as much conflict because they are all ranked in the third, lowest ranked category. Serious physical fighting will be unlikely, and you can just stay out of the jockeying for position unless you want to use your alpha status and step in sometimes.

Changes in pack structure happen when one member gets weak or old, dies, or is challenged by a stronger wolf for its position. Whenever these situations happen, the dogs will attempt to re-evaluate the rankings of all pack members. The most common upheavals include bringing home a new pet, a new human becomes part of the family (e.g. birth of a child, marriage or new roommate or parent moving in), or a family member leaves (e.g. death in the family, divorce, child moves away). Whenever there's a major change in the family, the dog might feel insecure about his position. Or the dog might think he's become the leader because the humans aren't noticing how he's disobeying the rules. Not only can humans ignore the rules because of the big changes going on, but maybe it was one of the more assertive members of the family who left. Watch out to for signs like the dog sitting on furniture where he's not allowed. Prevent future problems by making sure that all humans are ranked above all the dogs.

Leadership Rules Around the House

The leader walks ahead of the pack looking for danger. On your walks, you should always control the speed and direction. When your dog pulls on the lead, he's challenging your dominance. You can allow all the wandering and sniffing your dog wants while he's exercising. But be sure to give the lead a pop or change direction every time your dog pulls. If necessary, use a Halti (head harness) to control pulling and reinforce that you're in charge.

Whether we're walking our dogs on a 15 or 50 foot lead or especially off leash, we occasionally call them to come and sit at our feet. We use treats sometime as positive reinforcement, but continuing the walk is usually reward enough for an energetic Brittany Spaniel. We also get into the habit of not allowing our male puppies to scent mark while on a short lead. We tell them when we want them to do their "business". But during heeling, we expect attention and don't want the macho display of leg lifting. This makes it less likely that the male will pee when you don't want him to, e.g. when visiting a friend's house where, or during obedience class.
Low ranking wolves don't push ahead of the alpha to meet strange wolves. At home or away, you greet strangers first and determine who you'll talk to and touch. (Your dog cannot decide to be aggressive towards someone you've accepted.) When your dog is meeting a stranger or greeting an old friend, get used to putting him in the sit-stay. If your puppy doesn't know the sit-stay yet, position him in between your feet, and hold his collar. This teaches your dog how to say hello politely, and prevents any jumping up due to the excitement. Also practice having strangers come up and touch you to make sure that your puppy doesn't become overprotective and inappropriately aggressive.
The alpha maintains order in the pack. If two wolves are getting into a physical fight, the alpha sometimes positions his body between them to break it up. Whether your dog is meeting a new dog or you have more than one dog at home, you decide when things are getting out of hand. And step in to correct and change the behavior.
The leader always goes through the doorways first: the dog waits her turn. At first you may need to block the doorway with your body and tell your dog to "get" if she's used to bounding ahead. Or put your dog in a sit-stay until you open the door, then say "OK" (or other release word) to let her know he can follow you through. (It's a good idea to control your dog when you open the car or house door for safety's sake anyway. This is good practice getting her to wait and not run through an open door.)
Another example that people sometimes forget is that you should go up and down the stairs before your dog. If your dog charges up the stairs, he's dominant when you follow him, and he's dominant when he's standing at the top looking down on you.

Your dog may run wildly downstairs whenever he hears the doorbell. If so, leave his lead on so you can make sure he stops and waits. Set up the situation for practice. Arrange for a friend who knows what you're doing to ring the bell when you expect him/ her, and can control your dog. Have your dog in the sit or down-stay until you greet your guests, and tell him "OK" so he can come say hello. (If you need to, you can tie the leash to a piece or furniture or a doorknob, or even put him in his crate temporarily.)

Leaving the lead on around the house is good when you expect to give a correction or are setting up a situation. But remember that it's not safe to leave the lead on if you aren't supervising the dog or he's playing with another pet. The lead can accidentally get tangled and choke the dog.
The leader eats first. Don't fill your dog's food bowl before you've eaten breakfast. While you're preparing dinner, don't give the dog any scraps while you're cooking. (If you feed your dog scraps, he will continue to beg. The "junk food" will upset his regular diet. And, sharing food might make him think he out-ranks you.)

Teach your dog to lie quietly nearby while you're eating. This way, he gets to be a part of dinner but isn't misbehaving. At first you might have to tie your dog to a doorknob or piece of furniture. Or you put him into the down position with his lead on, and step on the lead close to his collar so he stays down. If you don't put your dog in a down-stay during meals, at least use the same words to shoo him away from the table, e.g. "Get! People food!" If you want, you can feed the dog any treats after you've eaten. Give your dog an obedience command, and then reward him with the food. "Working for a living" is certainly better than bugging and begging. (And remember to keep treats to less than 10% of the total amount he eats daily to ensure a balanced diet.)
The leader initiates all petting and play. It's usually a lower ranking wolf who grooms a higher ranked wolf. Don't allow your dog to jump up for attention. Or to mouth, paw or nudge you until you give her a treat. Leaning against you is a sign of dominance. Of course you love your dog and want to pet her. But if you always give in, you're letting your dog train you. The dog will come to expect you to "groom" her on command. That sends the wrong message about dominance, so think about how you initiate petting and play. If your dog is demanding attention when it's inconvenient, say "No! Get" or "Off" or "Leave it" in a firm voice. When you want to cuddle your dog, call her over and have her sit or lie down before you lavish her with attention.
You own the home and everything in it, similar to how the alpha decides which spaces and things are his in the wild. You own the dog's toys too, and the dog should be trained to willingly give them up to you. On the other hand, you should be fair & give the treat or toy back whenever possible. (The dog shouldn't threaten by growling, even if you take away the most delicious bone.)

If your dog steals your shoe, don't just give in and let him keep on chewing. A common problem is when dogs steal food from the kitchen countertop. If you catch him in the act, say "No, leave it" and have him give up the object. Set up the situation so that if you're not home and the dog steals something, he'll correct himself. For example, put cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce in the center of a wiener. Or tie a string to a drumstick, connected to a pop can full of coins. Neither will injure the dog. But they'll provide an unpleasant experience that your dog will associate with stealing food from the counter. Next time, he'll be less likely to steal.

If you teach the "Leave it" command early, it really comes in handy. "Leave it" means that your dog can't have the thing he's showing interest in. For example, you can prevent him from picking up the dead rat he's smelling on the ground during a walk. Or, you can use it to stop him from picking up your shoe and chewing on it. Or to stop him from visiting another dog while you're heeling. Teach your dog to leave it by putting a food treat that you know your dog likes on the floor. When your dog moves towards it, say "Leave it" and give his lead a tug backwards. Continue to do this until your dog stops trying to grab it and looks up at you to see what he should do. Then you can say "OK, good boy" and give another treat. (Some people use the release word "OK" to let the dog know he can take the treat on the floor now. But we prefer to give another treat as a reward, and never allow the dog to have the "leave it treat".)

Another useful command is "Give". Use it to tell the dog to give you whatever is in his mouth. This covers all objects, whether it's a possession he's not allowed to play with or you want to take his treat away momentarily to reinforce your dominance. An easy way to teach this command is to offer your dog a smelly food treat, and when he drops the object, to give him the treat. This way, he learns to associate opening his mouth and allowing you to take what he had with the command "Give". Whenever you remember, practice "Give" when you can follow it with returning the object your dog gave you. This is a way of showing that you're a fair leader who returns toys even after you took them away.
The dog shouldn't be allowed to claim the bed or sofa or a doorway. And if you want to walk through the doorway where the dog is lying, she should move away rather than having you squeeze around her. Walk slowly and gently move her aside. Consider not allowing the dog onto the furniture, or into all rooms of the house.
The leader's position is higher and taller than other pack members. For example, the alpha wolf might sleep on a high ledge to keep an eye out for danger. He wouldn't consider sharing his special sleeping spot with a lower ranking animal. A wolf that rolls over on his back and shows his vulnerable belly to the wolf above him is showing his submission. Similarly, you decide who sleeps where. It's a good idea if the dog sleeps beside the bed on the floor, instead of under your covers.

When giving commands or corrections, stand tall and appear confident instead of leaning over. Don't kneel down to the dog's level to scold him. Bending over seems more like a subservient bow as far as the dog's concerned. In more aggressive breeds, having your face so close to the dog's mouth puts you at risk of a serious bite to the face.

Some behaviorists believe that dogs should never be allowed up on the furniture. We take a more lenient approach with our dogs and sometimes invite our dogs to sit with us on the sofa. We simply pat the sofa with our hand and call the dog over. And when the petting's over, we tell the dog "Off". The exception is when you have an alpha-wannabe. For this dog, it's better never to allow him up on the furniture or the bed, so that you're constantly reinforcing your dominance by being in a higher position. An interesting fact to help with your training: a dog who's learned not to sit on your red love-seat still has to be taught not to sit on the blue couch. Each piece of furniture is considered separately in the dog's mind. That's how they learn!

Subordination Moves

The "subordination moves" we talk about are easy ways to reinforce that you are dominant over your dog. They both rely on the instinctive idea that dominant pack members are physically higher than submissive ones.

Flip Your Puppy
As soon as you bring your puppy home from the breeder, start practicing "flipping" him on his back. It's actually a lot gentler than a flip, but "flip" is the shortest name we could think of to describe putting a pup into this position. Start sitting on the floor with your puppy sitting in between your legs. Gently use both of your hands to grab hold of both his front legs at the elbow. (Grab them close to his body.) Gently tilt him backwards until he's lying on his back, resting on your thigh. Hold his legs & keep him in this position until he stops struggling & you feel him relax. If he mouths your hands, scold him with a firm "No!"

All members of the family should practice this flip once a day, every day, for at least a few weeks. It's especially important that the children in the family show the puppy they're dominant. (Parents should supervise.)

At first, you can release the pup as soon as he stops struggling. Progress to where you hold the puppy on his back for one minute, gently stroking his belly and telling him he's good. As the puppy grows older, you only need to do the flip periodically.

The Long Down
Once your dog knows the down-stay, you can start practicing the long down. This means your dog stays down for half an hour. The easiest way to start is to leave the dog's lead on. Position him in the down-stay when you plan on staying in the same place for half an hour, e.g. when watching TV or surfing the web. Keep your foot on the lead close to his collar to prevent him from getting up. (If necessary, you can even kneel down next to the dog for more control.) Once your dog has mastered this, you can get up & go about your business for a few minutes. Then work up to longer periods of time. Just keep an eye out to make sure the dog stays down. (Eventually, you should be able to leave the room and he won't break the stay!)

A Final Word About Leadership

Some people think that being dominant means you have to be overly controlling and cruel. Your dog is looking for a leader. He depends on you for everything: food and water, regular potty breaks and exercise, and consistent training so he knows how to behave. A person who doesn't tend to these needs ends up with a nervous, stressed, insecure pet. But you don't need to yell & bully & break your dog's spirit. He can tell the difference between fair leadership and bullying. Brittany Spaniels are very "soft" when it comes to corrections: expect yours to fear and mistrust you if you're a bully.

A good leader is fair, consistent and corrects instead of punishing. After you correct, show your dog the correct behavior. And always praise your dog for behaving properly. It's important to let show your dog you still love him; you just didn't approve of his misbehaving. Don't correct your dog for your mistakes. If you slept in on the weekend, and your dog had an accident, consider that your mistake. Don't leave the closet open and give your puppy the chance to eat your dress shoes. Instead, keep him in his crate when you're out, with an acceptable & safe chew toy. And always start and finish training sessions positively, by asking your dog to do something he does well, and following up with lots of praise.

HOW TO CORRECT YOUR DOG

Every dog is just as much an individual as a person. They all act & respond in their own way. You want to make your corrections just forceful enough to get a reaction from your individual dog. You will get to know your Brittany Spaniel & what types of praise & correction he responds to best.

e.g. If your dog is quite shy, fearful, or submissive & will stop misbehaving when you say "No!", you don't need to scruff or shake him.
e.g. If your dog gets very excited when you pet his head, it may be better to just say "Good boy!" when you are in the middle of a practice or competition (so you don't break his concentration).
e.g. When your adult dog is already well trained, but you are still having problems getting him to respond to the "come" command. Even if you don't usually use food treats in your training sessions, you might try a food treat only for successful responses to "come" commands. Once he gets the hang of it, you can offer the treats less & less often, until you no longer need any food treats.

In many cases, a verbal correction may be enough. It is best to choose a few words that you will use in the majority of situations, e.g. "Hey!", "Ah Ah", or "Get back here". The words don't matter as much as a gruff, firm tone of voice and an angry facial expression. You probably noticed that we didn't include the word "No" in the list above. An adult dog is more likely to freeze & try to figure out why you're angry when you say "No". So professional trainers recommend that you only use the word "No" to correct your dog when practicing the sit-stay or down-stay.

The other common correction you will give is the leash correction. Basically, you give the leash a "pop" (formally known as a "check"). Start by allowing the leash to be a bit slack: give the leash a quick "pop" & then immediately allow the leash to go slack. For a large, aggressive dog that is seriously misbehaving, brace both legs in preparation for the correction & use both hands. For a small puppy, you only need to flick your wrist to transmit a gentle correction.

Leash corrections are used in many different situations.

e.g. When you are heeling & your dog is forging ahead, give the leash a pop (backwards & parallel to the ground) and do an immediate about turn (i.e. turn away from your dog & start walking in the opposite direction).
e.g. If your dog is lagging behind you while heeling, give the leash a few gently pops (forwards & parallel to the ground) to encourage the dog to catch up with you.
e.g. When your dog is in the sit-stay (some distance away from you), and moves his legs or gets up & starts to walk over to you. Rush back to your dog, stand in front of him, & give the leash an upwards pop (& quickly guide your dog over to his previous position if necessary).
e.g. Similarly, when you give your dog the down command & he doesn't respond, give the leash a pop directly down towards the ground.
e.g. Another version of a leash correction is used when your dog is sitting in the heel position & then decides to lie down. In this situation, you don't pop the leash. You can gently use the leash to lift your dog into the sitting position.

WHEN YOU SHOULD CORRECT VS. ENCOURAGE

It is important to know when your dog's behavior "deserves" a correction vs. when you should encourage or do nothing. (These guidelines & examples are most useful if you think about them before the situations happen to you.)

When Your Dog is Learning

Encourage your dog when he is confused or learning/ trying something new. It's not fair to correct your dog when he honestly doesn't know what you want (e.g. when teaching a new command). If you continue to correct when you should be encouraging, he may be afraid to try new things in the future. This is not the way to teach your dog to be an effective, willing partner!

e.g. You command your dog to "sit" from the down position (when you have always asked him to "sit" from the stand position in the past). You could encourage him by: saying "try it" in an encouraging tone, holding his collar & gently pulling up, or clapping or holding a treat above his head. If you just jerked him up into the sitting position using the lead, he will still be confused and won't have learned anything.
e.g. You have taught your puppy to lie "down" on command using treats. Now you want to start using the hand signal minus the treat. It may take a few tries & some encouragement until he starts to get the hang of it. Forcibly jerking him into the down position when he doesn't respond on the first try isn't necessary and will do more harm than good.

When Your Dog is Afraid

If your dog is afraid it's best to ignore the fear. Attempting to reassure your dog by petting & saying "It's OK, boy" will be misunderstood. Your positive tone of voice and your touch usually mean that he's doing the right thing! Your reassurance seems like praise, and he will be encouraged to be even more fearful in the future.

When Your Dog is Misbehaving

Correct your dog when he chooses not to obey a command that he already knows & when he's not paying attention.

e.g. Your dog knows the "sit-stay". You've commanded your dog to "stay" and he gets up to visit a dog nearby. You must correct him in this situation. (He knows what he should be doing, but has decided he'd rather do his own thing.) Even if he sits again when you say "No!", you should still give the correction. (Otherwise, your dog is likely to repeat the same misbehavior. It is the equivalent of a "mind game".)
e.g. Your dog knows the "sit" command. You tell him to "sit", but he's distracted by a loud noise & he doesn't respond. Don't tell him again: give the correction! When you're practicing the obedience commands, he must learn to pay attention to you & respond to your first command.

How to Tell the Difference

We sometimes find it useful to use a food treat to help figure out whether the dog understands a command that we've been working on. When a tasty treat is the prize for successfully performing the command, your dog may be more motivated to perform than if you praise with words alone. Once your adult dog shows that he understands a given command, you know for sure that you should be correcting him when he chooses not to obey.

It takes some practice & even some intuition to understand why your dog is not responding to the command you gave. You need to "read" your individual dog to be able to tell the difference between confusion & distraction, fear & stubbornness, behavior that "deserves" a correction vs. encouragement.

Remember that you & your dog can only learn by trying new things & dealing with mistakes properly.

WHAT ABOUT CORRECTING MORE SERIOUS MISBEHAVIOR?

Very serious misbehavior deserves a firmer correction. Some examples are pooping/peeing inside your house (in a dog who has already been reliably toilet trained), aggression towards humans & other dogs, stealing food or objects, and house-wrecking by a trained dog (not just a young puppy playing with something you forgot to put away). For such seriously bad behavior, use the same techniques as described above: just be more forceful. Basically, you want to show your dog how displeased you are over such serious misbehavior. Show & tell him that you will not tolerate it again.

If you are in doubt about how to handle your dog, you might want to consider " Obedience Classes "to get some help!

HOW TO GIVE COMMANDS

The best way to give any command is to make sure you have his attention, give the command and/or hand signal, pause a few sec's, & praise as soon as he does what you want. Always finish by saying the same release word e.g. "OK" (to signal that he's done practicing & he can play).

For commands that require your dog to move (i.e. come & heel), you should say the dog's name before giving the command. (You don't use the dogs name before the commands requiring your dog to stay.) The rest of the process is the same as above.

THE ESSENTIAL COMMANDS

photo: Chief dropping while Carla raises her arm to give the signal to down The commands you will probably find most useful are: name recognition, come, sit, off, down, give, stay & go-in-your-kennel.

For an adult Brittany Spaniel, walking on a loose leash without pulling and coming on command are essential. If your dog isn't reliable in these areas, you don't really have control of him.

Heeling is convenient when you are in a crowd, at the vet or any other situation where you want more control of your dog. It is fairly easy to learn once your dog is old enough to pay attention. The most you should expect for a puppy is to follow you on a loose lead. To learn how to teach your puppy to walk without pulling, or how to heel, visit our Teaching Heeling section.

To clarify some of the above commands:

The "come" command must never be used if you are going to do something your dog sees as unpleasant when he comes to you. If you are going to punish your dog, or clean his ears (if he hates that), you should go to your dog & take his collar & lead him where you want to go. Every time your dog obeys the come command, you should reward him. This will encourage him to always obey this very important command.
The sit is very useful to get your dog under control.
e.g. When a strange dog is approaching, you could focus on having your dog maintain a sit. You will have more control than if he was running towards the other dog at the end of your 30 ft. lead.
e.g. When your dog is barking through the front window of your house at passersby and you'd like him to stop. Rather than yelling at him franticly (your dog will perceive this as "joining in"), distracting him with the sit may stop the barking.
The down command means lie down on the floor vs. off means stop jumping up on a person or the sofa & put all 4 paws on the floor. (Considering that Brittany Spaniels are energetic & tend to jump up for attention, this is definitely a command that any visitors will appreciate.)
Give means let go of whatever is in your mouth. Whether your dog has retrieved a game bird or is chewing on a bone, you are his leader and you don't need to play tug of war to get the object. You do want the dog to take & give treats gently, rather than snapping & accidentally nipping your fingers.

THE ESSENTIAL COMMANDS

The commands you will probably find most useful are: name recognition, come, sit, off, down, give, stay & go-in-your-kennel.

For an adult Brittany Spaniel, walking on a loose leash without pulling and coming on command are essential. If your dog isn't reliable in these areas, you don't really have control of him.

To clarify some of the above commands:

The "come" command must never be used if you are going to do something your dog sees as unpleasant when he comes to you. If you are going to punish your dog, or clean his ears (if he hates that), you should go to your dog & take his collar & lead him where you want to go. Every time your dog obeys the come command, you should reward him. This will encourage him to always obey this very important command.
The sit is very useful to get your dog under control.
e.g. When a strange dog is approaching, you could focus on having your dog maintain a sit. You will have more control than if he was running towards the other dog at the end of your 30 ft. lead.
e.g. When your dog is barking through the front window of your house at passersby and you'd like him to stop. Rather than yelling at him franticly (your dog will perceive this as "joining in"), distracting him with the sit may stop the barking.
The down command means lie down on the floor vs. off means stop jumping up on a person or the sofa & put all 4 paws on the floor. (Considering that Brittany Spaniels are energetic & tend to jump up for attention, this is definitely a command that any visitors will appreciate.)
Give means let go of whatever is in your mouth. Whether your dog has retrieved a game bird or is chewing on a bone, you are his leader and you don't need to play tug of war to get the object. You do want the dog to take & give treats gently, rather than snapping & accidentally nipping your fingers.

HOW TO TEACH THE ESSENTIAL COMMANDS

Below are some tips on how to teach your Brittany Spaniel the basic commands. Since individual puppies/dogs vary, the methods we've listed may not work for you & your dog. You may need to modify them.

Start by teaching a new command inside your house, when your puppy/dog is attentive. At first, reward efforts where the puppy tries & mostly succeeds in doing what you want. Increase your expectations as you continue to work on the same commands. (e.g. lengthen the time you expect your dog to stay in the sit position before your praise & release him.)

Gradually increase distractions as your dog becomes more reliable e.g. practice in your backyard, then move to a park that allows dogs (proper vaccinations considered), then to a busy street, eventually to off leash in a safe area. Try giving your dog a command he knows when he will be caught off guard. (You should have your dog's full attention when you are teaching him a new command.) If you don't think you can distract your dog, try clucking like a chicken, crouching or sitting down, looking away, rolling a ball past him, stretching your arms above your head, whistling, or anything else you can think of.

Remember to always give your dog the same release word e.g. "OK", when you're finished the exercise & he can relax & play.

"Come" for Puppies

This is the most important command to teach & practice with your puppy/dog. It might not seem important to have your 8 week old puppy come to you around the house. But when your 40 lb. adult encounters an aggressive dog in an Off Leash area, you will want to be sure that he will come back to you. The sooner you teach it & the more you reinforce it, the more reliable your dog's response will be in different situations.

Click here to learn more about teaching your dog to Come Reliably.

"Sit"

We find this command the easiest to teach and teach it as soon as the puppy knows his name.

Hold a food treat in your (right) hand. Start by getting the puppy's attention. (Say his name and/or hold the food close enough for the puppy to smell it.)

Gradually move the treat up a few inches above & slightly in front of the puppy's nose. The puppy's natural reaction is usually to follow the treat with their eyes. As they look up, their rear end is likely to move down into the sit position.

Try a few times this way. If your puppy's rear end doesn't automatically move into the "sit" position, you can gently cup your hand underneath his bottom so that his legs bend into the sit. Don't push down on the pup's lower back to get him to sit. Not only will he resist you by pushing back; you don't want to add unnecessary stress to his developing bones either.

Once you have repeated the exercise many times, the puppy will begin to understand what the sit command means. You can gradually decrease food incentives and physically "positioning" his rear end. You will eventually be able to say sit once and signal with your hand (in the same motion as if you were holding a treat) and your puppy will sit for you.

Puppies often sit rolled over on one hip. This "puppy sit" is perfectly fine at this stage. (With an adult dog in competitive obedience, you would eventually expect him to sit squarely with his weight balanced equally on both hips.)

(You can even work towards using the word "sit" without the hand signal. This is completely optional. It would be one step further towards having your dog sit in the heel position automatically (i.e. without the word or the hand signal), when you stop walking. It all depends on what your own goals & expectations are!)

"Off"

When your puppy jumps up on you, you have a great opportunity to teach him to keep all four paws on the ground!

One way to teach off is to wait until the pup jumps up and then grab and hold his front paws. Hold tight enough so that he can't squirm out of your grip. (You don't want to hold them so tightly that it hurts him.) Very soon, your puppy will want to get away and will struggle (and may whine also). As far as he's concerned, the fun is over. Talk to him in a neutral tone e.g. "Oh, you don't want to jump up now..." Hold on until you're sure he's uncomfortable e.g. he starts to panic. Then release him & give some praise (for remaining on the floor), saying "Good Off".

Another method is to step back so the dog's paws fall down to the floor while you say "No, Off." Then have him sit or down. Choose a behaviour that the want your dog to do instead of jumping up and use it consistently.

Brittanys do tend to jump up for attention, & yours will probably need to be reminded not to do this. Even when your puppy has learned to stay off of you, he will probably try jumping up on the other members of the family. They should consistently go through the same process.

While you are socializing a puppy, you can also teach him how you'd like him to greet strangers. Begin by telling the person that your puppy is learning not to jump up, & have them wait a moment. Have the puppy sit between your feet (position his bottom if necessary), facing the new person. While he is in this position & you are holding his collar, he will be able to sniff and lick and the strangers hand. But you will be preventing him from jumping up.

Click her for more ideas on what to do about jumping up.

"Down"

Start with your puppy in the sitting position at your left side. (This is the heel position; we are using it for convenience, and in case you want to teach your dog to heel later.) (We teach this command after the puppy knows the "sit" command so we can easily start from a "sit" and because the "down" tends to be slightly more difficult to teach.) Get the pup's attention by holding a treat in front of his nose (& talking to him).

Give the command "Do-own". To offer every bit of help you can, say the word down in 2 syllables, lowering the pitch of your voice as you draw it out. While you are giving the command, move the treat slowly from his "nose to his toes". The idea is that your puppy will follow the treat with his nose, stretching his front legs forward until he is lying down.

You might find that your puppy's rear end pops up & he walks forward instead of lying down. If this happens, put your hand on top of his rear to gently keep it down on the ground. Also be sure to move the treat down & forward slowly & gradually, so his front paws "creep" forward. If you move the treat too quickly he may not have any idea what you want him to do.

If you don't have any luck using the first teaching method, you can physically place him in the down position. i.e. As before, start in the sit position & say "down" as you move your hand down & forward. But this time, reach over his body and grab his left elbow with your left hand. Grab his right elbow with your right hand. Gently ease his elbows down & forward until he is lying down on the floor.

Once your puppy understands the "down", you can phase out the food treats until you are using a similar hand movement without any food at all.

Another option is to work on perfecting his body positioning. In obedience competition, your Brittany Spaniel is considered to be in the down position when his elbows are touching the floor. But keep in mind that you want to gradually work up to a long "down-stay" with distractions. Your puppy/dog will be most comfortable & least likely to get up from the down-stay if he rolls over on one hip & tucks one of his front paws under him. Many dogs will figure out this comfortable position by themselves. But you can also give some "hints". You can say "hip" and gently roll him over onto his favorite hip. (Dogs are either right or left-handed, just like people, and they will usually prefer to lie on either their right or left hip.) You can also encourage him to tuck in a front paw by gently nudging the tip of his paw with your foot or your hand.

For more information about training your Brittany Spaniel, go to our
Obedience Classes, Reading List, or FAQ's sections.

TEACHING YOUR DOG TO COME RELIABLY

My Dog Won’t Always Come

It's a very common problem when the dog won’t always come when his human calls.

Brittany Spaniels are energetic dogs who are usually interested in hunting. And that can make for problems. For example, you’re out walking your Brittany Spaniel and he sees a rabbit running by. He chases the rabbit and won’t come when you call him. He usually comes when you call at home. But now, he’s responded to the distracting rabbit by ignoring your “Come” command. Now your dog could be injured or lost.

Dog trainers sometimes call coming on command “The Recall”. A good recall is necessary before you start most dog sports, such as agility. If you can call your dog away from distracting situations, you can prevent jumping up on the mailman or squirrels or cyclists. More importantly, you can call your dog away from a dangerous situation. For example, the rare time that your dog darts out the front door and is running towards traffic. Teaching your dog can mean the difference between life and death.

There is no a quick solution.

Obedience Classes Are a Good Place to Learn

Often the best thing to do is to enroll in obedience classes with an experienced instructor. A good instructor can teach you how to teach your dog to come. I honestly believe this helps because the instructor can watch you and your dog & pick up on exactly what’s going. No training article can include this kind of personalized advice. Having said that, we know that attending obedience classes isn’t always possible.

This article covers some things to think about and work on at home.

Test to See if Your Dog Really Knows Come in Distracting Situations

If your dog doesn’t always come, maybe he doesn’t understand what you want. If you think your dog really knows the “come” command, try this test and see how he does. Take your dog to a location that’s distracting for your dog. This varies from individual to individual, even among a single family of Brittany Spaniels. For example, an off leash park where there are lots of other dogs playing may be the most distracting place for one dog. While another is distracted by a person bicycling by. Or by children. Or when a squirrel or rabbit or cat runs by.

You could have a helper hold your dog’s leash while you walk 30 feet away. (Or put your dog in a stay if he’s reliable on his stay.) Wait until the dog is focused on a distraction, e.g. he’s looking at that other dog. And then call him to come, once.

A "reliable" recall is when your dog:

responds to your first command
immediately turns towards you
moves towards you quickly, e.g. trotting
comes all the way in i.e. close enough to touch, not just till he’s 15 feet away and then decides to run off

If your dog doesn’t turn immediately and come to you quickly on the first command, that means that he didn’t come reliably in that situation. He could benefit from further training.

The dog that doesn’t come every time isn’t out to spite his owner. At the time that the owner called, he probably found what he was doing more interesting than coming to his owner. A dog that is properly conditioned to do the recall will turn around & be going to his owner before he has a chance to think about whether or not he really wants to.

Have Your Dog “Fixed”

There are lots of things to think about that might be making the problem worse.

First of all, have your dog spayed or neutered. There are lots of good reasons to do this. Most important in this case, neutering will decrease the desire to wander off and find a mate. Don’t expect immediate behavioral change following the surgery. Expect around 6 months to pass before you see any changes. And remember that while fixing your dog decreases some of the motivation for wandering, you still need to teach your dog to come reliably on command, in all situations.

Teenagers Are Challenging

Most dogs experience adolescence at 6 months to one year of age. (But if you rescued an older dog, they can go through all the different stages of growing up all over again.) "Teen" dogs usually start to challenge authority and you should expect backsliding. I mean that the dog's response to any command (sit, lay, roll over) will temporarily be worse than usual. Including his response to the come command. So if your dog has a problem coming when you call, part of the problem might be simply his age.

Make Sure Your Dog Has Enough Exercise

Brittany Spaniels are bred to be natural athletes. They are an energetic breed that requires daily mental & physical exercise. We take our Brittany Spaniels to an off leash park for a 1hour walk every day. (And most days we also train each dog for 3 or more short sessions.) When we skip taking the dogs for a walk one day, they behave worse than usual. Think of whether your dog is getting the exercise that he needs. And if he isn’t, he may be exploding with pent up energy so that coming on command is unrealistic. The solution is to exercise the dog more, combined with additional training on the come command.

Who Does the Dog Think is the Boss?

Maybe your dog doesn’t come because he doesn’t think you’re the boss. If he thinks he’s the boss, he has no reason to listen to you. You don’t have to abuse or intimidate your dog to teach him that you’re the leader of the pack. Use lots of subtle signals every day to show your leadership. For example, the human walks through the hallway & expects the dog to move; he shouldn’t walk around the dog. The human goes through doors first, not the dog. The human controls all of the food & resources. The toys belong to the human, who can take them from the dog anytime he wants. There’s lots of good information around in books & on the web about making sure you’re the pack leader. For more on leadership, check out our online article “The Alpha Dog & How to Become One”.

No Free Ride

One useful thing to do before you start training is to switch to hand delivering all of your dog’s food for a few weeks. I some families, the dog eats from a magic food bowl whenever he likes, and the human is just the clean up crew. But when you hand feed your dog, all of the food comes directly from you. This enforces your leadership, increases the dog’s attention and focus on his human, and strengthens the dog-human bond. You don’t have to feed the dog one kibble at a time. It can be handfuls at a time. Or even ask the dog to sit, and when he does, he’s rewarded by the human placing the food bowl on the ground allowing him to eat for a few minutes before the human takes the bowl away. Whatever method you use to feed your dog, no food is given for free. The dog earns food for doing his job, i.e. listening to you. “Free choice” i.e. access to unlimited food, anytime, wastes many opportunities to train and reinforce good behavior.

Manage the Situation Until You Can Train the Dog

For any dog that hasn’t learned to reliably come to his handler, that handler should manage the situation until he can train the dog. That means keeping the dog on lead any time he might run off instead of coming. Keep him on lead during walks, and during potty breaks outside if you’re not 100% sure the fence is dog-proofed.

Some dogs get into the habit of running away after doing potty in the backyard because it’s fun when their human chases them to bring them inside. If this is a problem for your dog, try keeping him on lead. (You can put the large handle end of a retractable leash just inside your closed door.) Also keep him on lead before you open the front door or the car door & he has a chance to “escape”.

Many dogs have run off and been fatally hit by a car. Only the human’s careful attention can prevent such a tragic loss.

Electronic (Shock) Collars

Electronic collars are a controversial subject among dog trainers and owners. I think we all agree that they have the potential to be abused. You don’t have to use an electronic collar to train your dog to come reliably.

Never use any training method that you feel isn’t right for you and your dog. (Your dog is counting on you.) But if you are thinking of using an electronic collar, please do get the advice of an experienced trainer so that you use the collar properly, in a way that suits your individual dog. Don’t forget to use praise too! Remember that you and your dog will probably be better off if you try to focus on rewarding good behavior more than correcting bad behavior: look for a balance that you think is right.

The "Really Reliable Recall"

Here are some important things to think about before you start working on the “come command” at home. I’ve started to describe how to condition the response to come using food, praise and lots of repetition. (A lot of the following ideas are adapted from Leslie Nelson’s Really Reliable Recall presentation at the Canadian Association of Professional Pet Dog Trainers’ conference, in Edmonton, Spring 2001. But there’s a lot of my personal thoughts and ideas too; forgive me Leslie if you read this and disagree.)

Start When They're Young

As with most things, it’s probably easiest when you start teaching a skill to your young puppy. It might not seem important to have your 8 week old puppy come to you around the house. But when your 40 lb. adult encounters an aggressive dog in an Off Leash area, you will want to be sure that he will come back to you. The sooner you teach it & the more you reinforce it, the more reliable your dog's response will be in different situations.

Dogs Are Situational Learners

Dogs learn in a very situation-specific way. When you teach your dog that he can’t jump on your red couch, he doesn’t automatically learn that he can’t jump on the blue couch. You have to teach him over again for many different situations, in this case couches. That’s normal dog learning.

Similarly, a dog who will respond to come in the house when it’s quiet, doesn’t automatically know he should come when he’s at the park and a friendly stranger is offering a steak. Start training at home without distractions. Start over every time you change the situation by adding a distraction. For example, move to your backyard and start training from the beginning. And again on your walk (on leash). And then when a person bicycles by… And so on, increasing the degree of distractions until he comes in extremely distracting situations. Only then, do you try recalls with your dog off leash.

Teaching Your Dog to Come - The Basics

You should probably start training your dog to respond to come at home in your kitchen when it’s quiet. This is a situation where most dogs listen and aren’t distracted by other things. You need lots of food treats ready to give. My favorites include mild cheddar or low fat mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes. Or Rollover, a meat “pate” sold in tubes in pet stores. Other things you can use are wieners, or roast beef or deli meat, or anything your dog likes cut into small pieces.

Remember to train your dog when he’s hungry, not after a meal, as he’ll be more motivated. (Believe it or not, a dog that learns to come quickly will always tend to come quickly. But a dog that learns to plod over will always tend to plod over. For possible emergency situations, you want your dog to learn to come quickly.)

Stand a few feet away from him, show him a piece of the food, and say “Fido, come” in a pleasant, high pitched voice. Reward him when he comes by giving him the food & telling him how great he is.

If your dog doesn’t come at first, you can “cheat” by using sounds to encourage him to come. Say “puppy, puppy, puppy” to get his attention. Or quack like a duck. Pat your thigh, clap your hands, whistle, make it an exciting game. (If you're training for hunting, fire a cap gun when you feed your puppy so he will learn to come to the sound of gunfire.) Anything that gets him curious enough to come to you to see what you're doing.

If you are having trouble getting your puppy to come, don't drag him! (When you pull on the lead, the puppy will pull in the opposite direction. Even if you succeed in dragging your puppy all the way in, he hasn't learned anything.) If your puppy runs away when you command him to come, do not chase him. He will only run away from you faster, in the direction you do not want him to go. Instead, turn around & walk away, making lots of noise. The dog’s natural instinct is to want to be around you. When you back up or make unusual noises, you’re interesting to the dog, and he’ll come over to see what you’re doing. Then he gets the treat and praise as a reward.

Only Give the Command Once

Don’t repeat the command “come”. Repeating the command ends up teaching your dog to ignore your first several commands and only come when you look and sound angry. You want him to come the first time you call. Remember this could save his life.

Gourmet Rewards Instead of Fast Food

There’s a difference between a gourmet reward and “fast food”. You want to give the gourmet reward for the come because it’s so important. What is “gourmet” depends on what your individual dog likes most. Use a food reward the dog really enjoys, e.g. leftover roast beef that’s extra special, not just a piece of dry Puppy Chow. Use small pieces of food that the dog doesn't have to take time to chew and won't cause undesirable weight gain.

Gourmet reward doesn't mean food only. Try a small piece of food and lots of praise, play, toys, etc. Don’t just pat your dog on the head and say “good boy”. (This fast food version of praise takes about 3 seconds.) Gourmet praise is saying “Great come” followed by tag, or play with favorite tug toy, or tummy rub. Praise for each and every come should be at least 20 seconds long!

Conditioned Response - Lots of Repetitions

Conditioning the response to come means that you repeat the practice described above at least 15 –20 times a day, every day for at least a week. Basically, it makes the response "automatic". Don’t call him to come 15 times in a row. You can have several practice sessions a day, but limit yourself to 3 come commands per session. It’s supposed to be interesting and fun for the dog, not drudgery.

Do all of your practicing at home without distractions. Remember you can’t overdo the total number of repetitions, but you definitely can do too few.

An easy way to remind yourself is to put 20 pieces of food in a bowl on the kitchen counter. You can teach your pup to come every time you feed him, groom him, and when you want to pet him. Use one piece for every successful come. At the end of the day, the bowl is empty & you know you completed your repetitions for the day.

After one week with all of these repetitions, your dog starts learning that come equals good stuff. Expect that even if he looks away from you, when you call “Fido, come”, he’ll start to “spin” i.e. his head will turn immediately in response to his name.

Using a Leash

If your puppy or dog has the tendency to wander off when you’re trying to do this training, put his lead on. Of course, you can keep the lead on the kitchen counter and put it on just before every come practice. Or you can keep the loop of his lead attached to your belt. This acts as an umbilical cord for a puppy. Your hands are free to go about your business, and the your puppy can do whatever he wants, as long as he’s following you around the house. You could also have him drag his 6 or 8 foot lead with him around the house so it’s ready and available to step on with your foot whenever you need to.

Watch Out for Anti-rewards for the Come Command

Never command your dog to "come" when you’re going to do something he thinks is unpleasant! For example, if he hates having his ears cleaned, don’t call him to come & then “reward?” him by cleaning his ears. The come command is so important, you do not want to anything to discourage your dog from coming.

Think about the things your dog dislikes: he might hate having his ears cleaned, getting his medicine, going in his crate or coming in from outside. When you're going to do one of these unpleasant things, don't call him to come. Instead, casually go over and get him or use encouraging words and noises to get him to come over (instead of the command word "come"). Or go over & lead him by the collar to where you want. Or use your come command word, and when he comes to you & play a few minutes before you anything unpleasant. Another example: if your puppy runs away you should correct him firmly. But if returns to you when you call him, you must not scold him for running away initially; you must praise him for coming on command.

Make it Harder, But Not Too Hard!

After this, you’re going to intentionally start adding distractions and continue to practice come. (Good obedience instructors delight in thinking up new distractions for their classes. If you’re doing it at home, you’ll have to be creative. And I’d recommend asking your family or a friend to help you set up distracting situations.) In the beginning, always reward with food for a job well done.

Whenever your dog fails to do what you want, make the situation easier. So if your dog didn’t come, think of turning the TV off for now, or calling him to “come” from closer rather than further away. Later on, if your helper running by distracted him and he didn’t come, get your helper to walk by instead. Challenging your dog is part of teaching, but always set your dog up for success. This is especially important when you’re doing more advanced training; you always want to begin and end your practice sessions on a good note. And sometimes that means going back to asking your dog to do something you know he’s good at instead of something new you’re working on that he might not be able to do well.

Summary

To start teaching come:

in house, no distractions
offer food, say “Fido, come” in happy upbeat tone of voice
encourage by backing up or making sounds, but don’t repeat the “come” command
reward (with food & praise)