"Come" is one of the most important commands your dog will ever learn.  There is no such claim as "too soon" or "too late" to teach this command.  Seven to 8 weeks is a great time to teach your puppy to come; if the dog is born in my house I even begin teaching this command as soon as the puppy can walk well.  However, if you don't have the opportunity to be around your dog or puppy when he or she is that young, begin as soon you bring him or her home.

Dogs or pups should never be slapped, yanked, or otherwise treated aggressively because the dog, not you, will perceive that treatment as a correction which will only make the puppy not want to come to you.  Teaching Come should be fun!

We use treats, toys, body language, voice, or anything the pup thinks is pleasurable to reinforce this desired behavior.  When initially teaching Come, you should always reward the pup lavishly when he or she readily Comes so the pup does not have time to be distracted by other interesting things.  Always move away from the pup so the puppy will be drawn to you rather than you walking up toward the dog.  If you routinely walk up to your dog, he or she will think that they do not have to Come to you because you will go to them. 

Don't chain another command to come until the pup has learned Come command well.  For instance, do not call Come and then Sit.  Commands should be taught alone before being chained or added to other commands.  Once the puppy or dog has learned Come, you can intermittently do Come + reward and Come + Sit.  Train your pup as early as possible so as to prevent undesired behaviors from developing.

Have fun when you train and your dog will too!  

Introducing Dogs to Children

The first rule of thumb when introducing dogs and children is to maintain constant supervision.  It is important for these experiences to be pleasant for both child and dog.  Dogs and children typically show caution at first but soon find delight in the new experience.  Watching the response of both child and dog will indeed bring joy to the adults doing the supervising! 

Kindness and gentleness are learned behaviors.  Children learn kindness and gentleness by watching adults and other children.  Adults can teach these valuable lessons of love and respect for life at a very early age.  This will become a life long attitude that the children will, in turn, teach their children.

There are 800,000 dogs and cats in Florida put to death each year because there was little respect for the pets taught in the home. 
Please spay and neuter pets!

Live, Love, and Laugh,
Brenda and Mike Saling