Today my Mum is looking a little puzzled... She's been saying "Come" many times. Whenever she says "Come", I look at her. But, she doesn't look satisfied with my attention to her.
Yesterday in Roberta Reserve, where my winning photo in Niamh’s Train Your Dog Photo Contest had been taken, I had a great time practisng heeling, sit stays, stand stays, and recalls with my Mum. But, when I made a great dash to a far end of the park and started having a good sniff around trees, Mum yelled at me "Come! Cinnamon, Come!!" from a distance. Although the word "Come" somehow sounded familiar to me, I couldn't remember what it meant, so I just kept on sniffing and checking peemails.
After a while, a dog on a leash came into the park from behind the trees I was sniffing, so I went over to say hello to him nicely. But, his humans didn't look too happy. When I was wondering why they were not happy to see a little well-behaved dog like me, I was caught by my Mun on my collar.
But, never mind!! Anyway I had a wonderful time playing with two other doggies!
From Cinnamon's Mum:
It seems Cinnamon understands the command "Come" only jointly with other commands like "Wait", "OK", and "Go". I had been wondering why she sometimes ignored the command "Come" completely, and this morning I realised that she might not understand the command correctly. When I say "In front" (come and stand in front of me; a command I use in dog dancing), she comes without fail, but she often doesn't respond when I say just "Come." Hmmm, I may need to teach her the command from scratch...
You're probably right about "come". She's smart, she'll pick it up quickly.
ReplyDeleteI love the collage of pictures!
"What means this word, 'come'?"
ReplyDeleteIf you do wind up having to start over, you might want to pick a different word, too. Sometimes using the old word can get confusing for them.
ReplyDeleteHi Cinnamon,
ReplyDeleteI think your human just needs to call "Come!" to you around the house a lot (eg, when you wander into another room) and then always have a tasty treat when you find her. Also, to call Come when it is your dinner time or when it is time to go for a wallk (get your Daddy to take you into another room first) - so you get used to hearing this command a lot and associate it with running to your human and getting positive things like treats & cuddles & dinner and other great things! Then you will understand it better and you will also realise that it doesn't always have to be linked to the other words.
But I think maybe it is not just that you don't understand the word...I think maybe you were just being a bit choosy with when you listen to the command? Hee! Hee! I do that sometimes - I can have very good recall when we are "in training" but if I am in the park and sniffing something interesting, I can "go deaf" for a bit when Hsin-Yi calls "Come!" - it is not that I don't understand it - just that I'm pretending I can't hear it! ;-)
It is best if your human doesn't call you in the park if you won't come as otherwise, you will learn that you can ignore this command. If she is not sure that you will come (eg, you are very far away and sniffing or interacting with other dogs), then it is better if she goes to get you or goes closer and then calls and runs away, so she can be sure that you will respond.
It's also good to just play a game in the park alot where your human calls "Come!" - and then starts runnign away really fast! This will make you very excited and want to chase her. Don't have to make it formal with 'Wait', etc - just when you have wandered away a short distance, she can shout "Come!" and then run away - and you will think it is the best game in the world - (maybe she can even trail a bit of fur behind her like a lure!) - and so whenever you hear that word in the future, you are more likely to stop whatever you are doing and rush back to her.
Good luck!
Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane
ps. Oh, by the way - I think the reason those other humans were not looking happy for you approaching them might not be to do with your behaviour but to do with THEIR dog - ie. maybe they were worried about what their dog might do, as he might be aggressive towards other dogs which is why he is kept on lead.
ReplyDeleteIn general, my human never lets me go up to other dogs when they are on lead and I am loose because they will be restrained and feel more vulnerable and more likely to feel threatened (even if they're bigger than you!) and so they might get defensive aggressive - and then you would be the one hurt. Also, if you have a bad experience with another dog, it could affect your own personality and confidence in the future - so it is probably best not to go up to other dogs when they are on lead...the best interactions are when everynody is free and can behave naturally and decide how much personal space they need.
Slobbers,
Honey the Great Dane
My mam says she thinks beagles all UNDERSTAND the cmmand come but whether or not they do come depends on how the beagle feels - I'm not sure what this all means but she didn't say it with a big smile on her face, so I'm guessing shes not so happy about it.
ReplyDeleteWhy do humans love the command "Come". I much prefer "Let's go" as it's always followed by a walk!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Honey. When I am out on my leash I do not want other doggies running up to me and momma gets most gruff if owners do not call their dogs.
ReplyDeleteRegarding recalls, well, what can I say, even when there is cheese or hot dogs involved I am not always very reliable.
Slobbers,
Mango
I only understand come when it's paired with food bol Your mom was pretty smart to figure that out!
ReplyDeletelove & wags,
River
Hehe are you being cheeky Cinnamon?? I have selective hearing sometimes as well. Though not very often - was taughy when I was very little and in my don't like ot be alone stage that if I don't come when I hear the word "come" or a whistle then I get left behind. My person reccomeds you practise the word at home with lots of rewards, before trying it out where there are lots of distractions! :) She says if you ever need a hand we could meet up and take us for walks :)
ReplyDeleteLicks,
Lexi