When practicing the 'come' cue, if the dog does not come when you call, what should you do?

When practicing the 'come' cue, if the dog does not come when you call, what should you do?

• A. Ignore and walk away.
• B. Give a light collar grasp and encourage him to come.
• C. Yell louder.
• D. Pull him by leash.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is to re-engage the dog calmly and reinforce the recall with a positive prompt and immediate reward. When the dog doesn’t come, use a light collar grasp to gently guide him back into your space and encourage him to come to you. This keeps the training safe and positive, showing the dog that responding to the recall cue leads to a good outcome. After he comes, reward right away with praise, a treat, or a favorite toy to reinforce the behavior. Other approaches tend to undermine recall: ignoring the dog teaches that coming isn’t worth the effort; yelling louder often doesn’t help and can create anxiety or confusion; pulling by the leash can injure or frighten the dog and erode trust.

The main idea is to re-engage the dog calmly and reinforce the recall with a positive prompt and immediate reward. When the dog doesn’t come, use a light collar grasp to gently guide him back into your space and encourage him to come to you. This keeps the training safe and positive, showing the dog that responding to the recall cue leads to a good outcome. After he comes, reward right away with praise, a treat, or a favorite toy to reinforce the behavior.

Other approaches tend to undermine recall: ignoring the dog teaches that coming isn’t worth the effort; yelling louder often doesn’t help and can create anxiety or confusion; pulling by the leash can injure or frighten the dog and erode trust.