How to I teach my 3 month old puppy to come. She runs away like shes afraid of m

1. 52

   sallypetposted 14 years ago

   How to I teach my 3 month old puppy to come. She runs away like shes afraid of me instead of...
   
   coming. I never call her to disapline, or harm her. I try to reward her when she does come but she runs away as soon as I put my hand out. I try not to reach for her so I don't scare her. It gets very frustrating cause we like to take her with us whereever we go but we have to chase her to do anything with her, like walks, car rides, anything.

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2. 82

   wychicposted 14 years ago

   And if you do chase her when she runs away, that is very likely the exact result she was looking for. In this case, you may have to use some treats (I personally prefer praise, or a mix of treats and praise, but to start with she needs to learn not to bolt). Start her on the leash so she can't run far if she tries, and call her. Whenever she takes even a step closer to you, praise her and encourage her. When she reaches you, have her sit and give her treats and praise. As she catches on, start from further away. Eventually she'll figure out that unless she comes to you and sits calmly, she's not going to get her treats and praise. If her reaction is from fear, then this kind of consistent positive reinforcement will help build trust and overcome that fear.

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3. 79

   kbloverposted 14 years ago

   First, make sure this is truly fear. Do her ears go back/flatten? Does her tail drop lower than normal (i.e. lower than she normally carries it)? Does she cringe/lean back away as she sees your hand? Is she normally skittish? If so, she may be fearful.
   
   If she is indeed afraid of your approach then you'll have to make her more comfortable with your presence. If she's running out of fear, chasing is just making her be right (i.e. "yeah, they are after me, I better stay away")
   
   If there's times where she's okay with your reaching with your hand, praise and treat with a VERY good treat. Keep it small because you don't want to add too much food to her diet and also because you want this to go quick so you get lots of repetitions in a short amount of time. Do this for a few minutes, then praise and leave her be. This will let what happened settle in (latent learning) and also give her time to unwind and relax as she's probably still got some "ready to run" inside her the whole time.
   
   Fearful dogs can take time to trust and adjust. Be patient and keep trying to work with her. As she becomes more comfortable with you
   
   If this is just her trying to start a game with you, again, don't chase because, again, you're making her be right (i.e. "yeah, they are playing the game with me!")
   
   Work on this in an enclosed area. Call her to come and if she runs as your reach to pet her, withhold any reward and just ignore her. Show her you won't be playing into her invitation to a chase game.
   
   Call her again. If she stays put when she gets close and you reach to pet her, praise, treat, then do it again. Move back and call her. Every time she stays near - praise, treat.
   
   Show her that to get good things, she stays put near you when you call her to come. Eventually, she'll understand.

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4. 58

   amyarlene61posted 13 years ago

   I trained and walked/socialized dogs ten years ago.  The first thing that comes to mind is the question of whether your puppy was abused before you adopted/bought her.  Three months is still young, but these sweet beings remember abuse/neglect. Treats are great ways to train your puppy to come.  Never come at your dog from above.  She may think you're about to hit her.  Instead, put your hand under her chin and let her smell you.  Speak softly to her and give her a treat, praising her when she takes it from you.  And if you want to discipline her, NEVER hit her.  I've watched training videos (back when videos were in) and it was shown to me that if you have a soda can, fill it with some change and put tape over the opening.  Hide the can behind your back so your dog doesn't see it.  When he/she does something you don't want, shake the can and it will scare them from doing the disruptive behavior.  Always give a treat and praise when your dog does what you want him/her to do.  And patience, patience, patience.  She'll come around.  It makes me seethe to think that humans can harm such innocent animals who only want to please their companions.

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