# Trouble with come command at 5 months



## melirae (Apr 4, 2012)

We have a german shepherd puppy who is about 5 months old now. We have been noticing a backward slide in her listening to us. She was great with her basic commands for the last month, now all of a sudden she has decided not to come when called. The problem is, we let her out in the yard to potty but when we call her to come in she ignores us and and goes and picks up a stick. If we go after her she runs away. Is this normal behavior for some dogs to go through this at this age? Obviously we don't want her to learn that this is okay not to listen, especially to a come command. That is very important that she always comes. Short of putting her on a leash every time, does anyone have any suggestions? Will she outgrow this obstinant behavior? Also, does anyone else have a very "talkative" pup? She whines ALL the time. She is healthy, we have had her checked out, cut she whines so much. Even when we play fetch she will grab the ball and be whining as she brings it back. It's funny sometimes, but it can get on the nerves after a while. She will even whine when she is tired, and she doesn't know where to lay down. She reminds me of a baby. Should I correct her for whining for no reason or just ignore it?


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

The whining is a thing some lines of GSDs are known to do. It is completely normal for a GSD puppy at this age to ignore the come command. It takes months of practice to get a consistent come. Right now you are allowing her to learn that it's ok not to come. I suggest not saying the word at all unless you have her on a lead and can real her in when she disobeys you. Most dogs don't have a 100% recall until they are well over 1 year old, and that is with constant practice and correction.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Welcome

Around 8 months my boy's recall went down the drain when outside in the yard...he had better things to do like critter. I leashed him and clipped him to my belt loop while outside, no more freedom to run around. Then got the long line out and worked on his recall. Whenever commands are followed then ignored I always look back to myself as the handler & try to find the disconnect.

No advice on the whining


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Not responding to recall at that age is normal (so says me) although some will disagree. If you have a long recoil leash it will make it easier to take him out for bathroom breaks and allow him to move around. It is a good tool for training recall because you can do it at different distances. Just keep some high value treats near the door where he can't get at them.
You should periodically reinforce the recall even as he gets older and seems to have it 100%.


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## Ken Clean-Air System (Feb 27, 2012)

Try to make it worth while to come back in from outside. High value treats, a favorite indoor toy and some play time as soon as she gets back to you and into the house. You're calling her to come back from the ever fascinating outdoors where she has freedom to explore all the interesting smells and things to investigate,back to the boring old house. Especially as a puppy you need to motivate her to want to come back from her free time outside and make it exciting to come back into the house.


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## Caitydid255 (Aug 28, 2010)

Everytime he comes back throw a party. Happy voice, lots of praise, rewards. You will feel like an idiot at times but it works. Don't chase your pup, say come then run away from him, he thinks it's a game and will chase you. Freyja refused to poop when on a leash so we had to turn it into a game until her recall was constant.


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## melirae (Apr 4, 2012)

Thank you for the suggestions. It has been a while since we had a puppy so trying to recall all the tricks that work, and of course all dogs are different, has been a slow process. Our pup's "teenage years" are trying at times for sure.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

How much has she been reinforced for coming to you? Do you work on it in a low distraction place, such as in the house, or just outside? Do you ever call her to you when she's in the yard and just give her a treat and then release her to go back to playing again? Or does the "come" command always mean the end of fun times in the yard? Do you ever call her to you for something she doesn't enjoy, such as nail trims, brushing, or baths? Do you ever scold her if it takes too long for her to come or is your demeanor always happy and pleasant, even when you're frustrated with her?


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## shaner (Oct 17, 2010)

If you think she won't come to you, don't use the command at all, not unless she's on a leash and you can reel her in. Anytime you use that command, you need to ensure that either your dog will come to you, or you're able to get the dog and take her to the spot you called her from. If that's not possible, don't use the command. 

You also need to work on the recall command every singly day. If you go outside with the dog, put treats in your pocket. Every 5-10 minutes, tell her to come, and treat/praise when she does. Do it in the house as well as outside. When she listens, act like it's the greatest thing she has ever done. Consistency is very important! 

Expect for your dog to be at least 1 year before her recall is perfect, and that's only with daily training. Without it, her recall command may never be perfect.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

keep your dog leashed untill you train her to come.
if you don't know how to train her find a trainer.
you could begin with a puppy class. train everyday.
i find training in short sessions works best. train indoors
and outside. conduct many short sessions during the 
course of a day. i read somewhere "when your doing isn't doing
what you want you have to stop and ask yourself what
am i doing wrong".


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## Clyde (Feb 13, 2011)

For coming in from the yard I never called my guy when he was a puppy. He always had better things to do and would not have listened any ways. I would go to the door and open it and just wait. When he noticed me I would praise and reward him with a treat then shut the door and leave him outside. I did this for a long time until every time I opened the back door he came running. That is when I started calling him to come in the house. To this day he still books it into the house no matter what he is doing outside. He can be going crazy at a cat on the other side of the fence and as soon as I call he comes running so fast he slides across the floor. This guy when he was 5 months old would not even look at me if he was playing with my other dog in the yard and I came out with treats. It took alot of patience but really paid off in the end. Also if I did not have time to do this I would be out in the yard with him on a line so I never had to call him.


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