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Lesson Seven - Come When Called
THE
COMMAND—COME (plus the
dog's
name)
The Sign—Slapping
knee with both hands.
The dog is lying down some little distance away, and at the command
COME he
approaches his guide at a fast pace and stops in front of him
in sitting position. Then commanded HEEL,
he swings around and sits at
the left side of his guide.
In the preceding lesson the dog has learned to DOWN. He is now
unleashed but the guide is not certain he is under full control. If
perchance a safely enclosed area is not available, it will be wise to
practise this lesson with a leash of about ten yards in length. After
tying the leash to a post, give the command STAY and walk away from the
dog to a distance of, say, eight yards thus allowing a play of about
two yards. Before this exercise is begun, carefully measure off the
eight-yard distance in order that the space between dog and guide shall
not exceed the length of the leash. This is so the dog will not be
brought up with a sharp jerk before he reaches the guide. If he were
thus pulled up, short, he would very naturally think he was being
punished for coming toward his guide and he might therefore be
reluctant to repeat or to come when called. Upon arriving at the
eight-yard distance, the guide should remain standing for a little
while before calling the the dog, because many times a dog has a
tendency to follow immediately after his guide the instant the latter
turns toward him.
Allow the dog to remain in the DOWN
position for a few moments, then,
before commanding COME
accompanied by his name. As soon as he makes the
slightest attempt to respond, he must be praised and encouraged. While
calling, the only move the guide should make is to stoop over and slap
his knees, or to kneel down to coax the dog forward. When the dog
reaches the guide, the latter should issue the command SIT, with
forefinger of the right hand raised and pointed upward in front of him.
Follow this with the command HEEL,
and the exercise is finished.
Throughout this entire lesson, considerable encouragement is necessary
in order to overcome any shyness or fear which the dog may exhibit.
Admittedly will execution of this lesson try the patience of the guide
but on no account must he resort to the slightest form of punishment,
no matter how stubborn the dog appears to be. Should the dog attempt to
run away or to go in another direction, don't above all run after him,
shouting epithets! Such an act will but serve to drive the dog farther
off and make
the desired execution of this command more difficult. It will destroy
the dog's confidence in his guide; and it will teach him to expect
punishment when finally he does obey, and this of course must not be.
When the dog responds correctly attached to the leash, then set him
free and go over the same exercise once more. Command him to lie down
and STAY, then walk away. Call
him, encouraging him toward you all the
time.
Command: "COME!" Sign: Slapping the knees with
both hands.
Going down on one knee will induce
the dog to come at once.
One of the most impressive exercises in the whole course, it is highly
important to practise it daily and at every opportunity. I will list
below the difficulties most often encountered and most commonly
observed during the execution of this lesson:
1. The dog will not come when called.
2. The dog goes off in another direction instead of
coming directly to the guide.
3. The dog approaches too slowly.
4. The dog runs in the opposite direction.
5. The dog will not hold the STAY position, but
starts to approach the guide before he is summoned.
6. When the dog reaches the guide, he does not SIT in
front of him.
CORRECTIONS—1.
Suppose the dog does not come when called. As a rule
this results from rough treatment which has created fear, and from lack
of encouragement during previous lessons. Some dogs that are lazy
will not respond in peppy manner. To be exact, the manner in which the
dog responds in this lesson will constitute evidence of just how hard,
how conscientiously the guide has done his part. If the guide himself
is quick in execution, the dog will likewise be quick: if he is slow,
so will the dog be slow. Consequently when calling a dog that is slow
to respond, drop to one knee and call the dog in a friendly tone of
voice, praising and coaxing him along as he advances.
Another effective measure is to run backwards, frequently giving the
command COME and using the
dog's name. Usually the dog will follow his
guide when he finds he is running away from him. Don't have any fear
that the dog will run away and get lost. Continual practise of this
phase of the exercise will do much for the stubborn animal.
2. Suppose the dog runs sidewise instead of coming
directly to the guide. In this event, consider the training field.
Perchance too many intensely interesting spots attract the dog; perhaps
the command is issued too slowly or in a definitely colorless tone of
voice. At any rate, a change of training field sometimes remedies
this fault.
3. Suppose the dog approaches too slowly. As in
points 1 and 2, the dog must be pepped up. Give commands in a
snappy voice, accompanied by the words, "hurry up" and the usual
encouragement, stepping backwards just a little as he approaches you.
4. Suppose the dog runs in the opposite direction. This is the best
manner in which the dog can give evidence of a dislike of obedience. It
may spring from lack of confidence in the guide: it may be occasioned
by fear or by stubbornness. Possibly someone who has befriended the dog
happens to be standing nearby, and naturally the dog prefers to run to
him for attention. To overcome such a contingency, command with greater
persuasiveness or put the dog back on the long leash. Holding the
loop-end in the hand, command COME
and as the dog breaks away, the
sharp jerk will remind him of the direction he must take; and if still
he refuses to approach the guide, he should be pulled forward as the
guide walks backward at a fast pace and calls COME at frequent
intervals.
Watch the dog's movements carefully. If for instance he starts off to
one side or the other, change to the opposite direction thus compelling
the dog to take the direction the guide has chosen rather than the one
he, the dog, has selected on his own account. In other words, do not
allow the dog to take the lead.
Should the dog follow in front as the guide steps backward, stop
suddenly and give both command and sign SIT. Then let the dog remain
sitting in front of the guide for just a few seconds before commanding
HEEL,
inasmuch as the tendency is for the dog to swing into position at
the guide's left side immediately upon arriving before him, without
waiting for the command. The correct execution of this command
will be of marked assistance when beginning with the retrieving lessons
later on. Practise frequently this part of the exercise with the long
leash until the dog performs his work creditably.
Too, the chainette can be used but inasmuch as it is a form of
punishment, it had best be used sparingly. Even so, when the guide
knows that his dog is behaving badly, he may throw the chainette
immediately after issuing the command COME,
taking care to encourage
the dog to come. But never wait to throw the chain while the dog
approaches: this in the dog's mind would mean punishment for coming
when called, and it would inspire him to turn away to seek protection
elsewhere.
5. Suppose the dog will not hold the STAY
position for a sufficient
length of time. Do not expect that, once the dog performs this exercise
correctly, he will do so invariably. Don't make the mistake, at first,
of expecting him to remain in the sitting position for the required
three minutes for dogs of lively temperament especially find it
difficult to remain quiet so long.
When starting practise of this exercise, the command COME should be
issued when the dog has been lying down for only a moment. If he rises
before the command is given, bring him down with a short jerk at the
collar, and the sharp command DOWN-STAY.
Gradually extend the time from
a few seconds to half a minute, again gradually to the full five-minute
limit. The time for the SIT-STAY
position, too, should be
increased in like manner. And when the guide becomes certain that the
dog will remain in position for the required length of time, then he
may disappear without fear of the dog moving the moment he is lost to
view.
6. Suppose that when the dog reaches his guide he does not SIT before
him. When they hear the command COME
or HEEL, many dogs are trained
to
come into position at the guide's left side expecting a new command. To
change this, call the dog from a sitting or down position with the
command COME. Slap the knees
with both hands and, when a few feet away,
move one or two steps forward toward the dog and give command and sign
SIT. If
the dog has been taught to obey the command SIT in the right
manner, that is, as described in the beginning of this lesson, he will
SIT at once. He must be praised, but not petted, to prevent him from
jumping on his guide. Follow with the command HEEL which should bring
the dog around to the left side.
Quite often the dog will develop the bad habit of jumping on his guide
after the command HEEL is
issued. The only solution, in this case, is
to return to the leash and, as described in the Sixth Lesson, bring him
from the front to the left side several times while leashed, without
giving any praise except upon completion of the exercise, i.e., after
the dog sits close to the left side without trying to jump which of
course is stopped by the shortly held leash.
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