# Come....?



## besox (Jul 25, 2018)

I have a 5 month old Vizsla, my first after having GPS's in the past. She is making progress but I am having a hard time dialing in "Come" as a command. She hears me just looks at me like she's thinking about it. She always looks like she thinking about something! Fun breed for sure but need to nail this command down.


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## Najo (Feb 16, 2018)

The challenge with that command has always been the ability - or inability to enforce it when they are not close. The problem multiplies when you say it 536 times with no response, because then you are just teaching them they can ignore you. There are many techniques you can read about, but I have found saving VERY high value treats like grilled chicken or hot dog pieces and use them only when you are training difficult commands. Early on I also use a long lead line, so that I have control over the command and can guide them to the right response with a reward. 5 months is a little early in my opinion, but an e-collar also adds a ton of value, but the command has to be 100% understood first. There is a thread about that here: 

https://www.vizslaforums.com/30-training-behaviour/20690-e-collar-when-s-right-age.html

Good luck!


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## armgwag (Sep 22, 2017)

I agree with Najo. A long lead helps enforce the direction when the command is issued. Without knowing the command the ecollar is negative reinforcement. Does she know the command in doors? If so, drill it down over and over, at least 2 times per day do it like 5 times each try so total 10 times a day. Have high value treat ready, sit -> stay -> come! -> give treat. repeat over and over. Once that's dialed in, then i would take her to a field or outdoors and practice that technique with long lead. After about a week or two you should see improvement. 

But honestly my V was wishy washy with come off leash until about 10-11 plus months. Then he just started coming ASAP. Now he will wait across the field and lay down and stare at me till i say come. Then he RUNS as fast as possible, it's really cute. 

I'd say continue to practice and wait a bit longer, good luck!


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Training Rule Number One (thru 29384, ftm): Never give a command you cannot enforce. Rule Number 29385 is: Never train when you need compliance. You need to set aside time every day to work exclusively on training, and one command at a time.

If you follow those two rules, and also have taught them the meaning of the words you are commanding, training is a breeze. If it's not, then you need to refocus on the part that you blew.

The absolute easiest way to train your V, and at 5 months you're not too late...is to spend some time with them and tune into their behavior. When they naturally do stuff, like come towards you, say "Come besox! Good boy, good come!" Open your arms up so he bounds towards you, give him a giant hug, tell him he;s a good boy, and give a little kibble. Repeat as he makes the opportunity available to you. You can do this with any behavior, btw...sitting, lying down, staying, etc.


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

If she looks at you and ignores you .... turn and walk the other direction... leave her behind... she how she likes that!


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## jlajcik (Feb 1, 2020)

We have a 5 month old V and his recall is pretty good but it's been a lot of work and we started at 8 weeks when we got him. 

Patricia Mcconnell's book "at the other end of the leash" was super helpful.

Start in an area he is used to with minimal distractions like your own home or back yard. Let him/ her have a few minutes to sniff, pee etc then call them using their command. When they look at you, move away from them, clap your hands and or use short quick whistles.. you can even run away from them. If they start to come towards you use your mark word "yes" or whatever you usually say. keep facing away from them and moving away from them and once they catch up give them lots of really really yummy treats using something they love (we used cheese or beef liver treats) mark them again "yes" and have a party! " Good Good Puppy!!! Quick chest rub! Then immediately let them go again! (Good idea to work up to, treating at the same time as your touch their harness or collar and immediately letting them go). A little while later (5 or so minutes) repeat the whole process again 

Practice a few times but don't over use it! 

SLOWLY work up to areas with more distractions.

Never ever punish your dog for coming to you late or for not coming when you call!

Until they have a REALLy good recall:
Don't call them when they are going to go on leash. Quietly walk over and grab them or give them treats but don't call them. Don't associate anything they don't like with being called! (patting them on the head or another area they don't like) Don't ask them for more tricks before treating them for coming. Don't set them up for failure by calling them when they are distracted and want to play or sniff or roll in something  Don't call them and walk towards them!

Don't call them multiple times! If they don't come with the first or second attempt walk over quietly and leash them. Don't be negative or aggressive with them.

Don't set yourself up for failure by letting your dog off leash in an area that is potentially unsafe. It has to be ok if it turns out that his recall isn't great today. And even a great recall doesn't work 100% of the time. No puppy is perfect. Definitely not mine. <3

Practice practice practice! Slowly work up to areas with more distraction. Always Always treat! If you don't have yummy treats, don't call them! If you call them and they don't come right away and after 10min of playing they come. Treat them. Good dog! Have a party. They still came when you called. 

Once you are having consistent success you can start leashing them when you call and calling them with more distractions but make sure you are still calling them to you just for treats and also more often when not distracted. Try to limit calling them away from things they love as much as possible.

We never used a long line, so I can't speak to that but I know of people who have had success with those as well. 

Our trainer has told us that ecollars have the potential to create aggression and fear in dogs. They are illegal now in some countries. I've also had aggression develop with a dog of my own in the past that we used an ecollar with. That issue required months of training to resolve. I wish we had spent that time training with treats and proper technique instead! If you call them and they get shocked by their ecollar shortly after, they can also associate your call with the shock and it can make their recall even worse. I would personally avoid these. 

Good luck!


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## gunnr (Aug 14, 2009)

jlajcik


All good advice.
The "long line", or "check cord "as I know it, is really pretty simple in philosophy and application. It is an extension of the leash. I always hook it to a harness so that I minimize the potential injury to the dog. They will get tangled up with it and come to the end of the cord with a sudden stop. You don't want that pressure on their neck and throat.

In an open area I might have a check cord 100' long. In dense cover it may be only 30' long. Condition the puppy to the long line in a big open area. Let 'em run around like crazy for the first few minutes and then they'll settle down.
I like to let them explore and "find their nose". Periodically I will call them to come in, and if they don't obey, you just put slight pressure on the check cord, to turn and start them back to you. The moment they start back, it's all "sing song", happy voice and encouragement.
The majority of the time though, I am working on their "cast". I want them to move with me, but at the same I want distance between us. My ultimate goal is to have the puppy pay attention to my position in the field and always stay in front of me. They should move in a 180 degree arc around you, 30-50 yards away, but never behind you.
I'll give the whistle command to "pay attention, I'm changing direction". f they don't change with me, it's just a gentle pressure on the check cord to get them to get back into position in front of me.
Once I know they won't take off for the hills, I just drop the cord to the ground and it trails behind them. I give them all the commands, and we work from there. It's easy enough to get a hold of a 100' rope trailing behind them, should they need some gentle correction.
Yesterday I had Finn, 16 weeks, on a 75' check cord in a 50 acre mowed field, with dense edge cover. It was great watching him just be able to run by himself. We moved all over that field, and then into the woods and inland wetlands, where he got his first experience with ducks!:smile
He was also introduced to gunfire yesterday. A guy was out hunting squirrels with a .22. Finn never even flinched when the .22 went off.:grin
In dense cover the cord is much shorter for two reasons. One you want them closer to you, and two, if they decide to run off and explore, that cord gets tangled up and they end up tying themselves in place. Walk up, untangle them,and let them go again. The philosophy here is that they teach themselves to stay close and pay attention to you, or they get tangled up and you can get to them.
The check cord is just a way of imprinting into their minds that yes, you can enforce the command at any distance.
Once birds are introduced, the mechanics of the check cord stay the same, but some applications get tuned so that you have the ability to "walk up the cord" to reinforce the point, and begin to steady them to wing and shot.
The e-collar follows the check cord, but there should be many months of check cord work, before the e-collar is introduced.That is a topic and concept unto itself because as you stated, it can have some really negative effects on the dog if done incorrectly. It is a great tool though. A tremendous asset to training.


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