Train 4 year old dog to come - He prefers to hunt

[WordFit38]

I have read instructions to help me train my 4 year old dog to COME on command.
His problem is that he prefers to hunt for squirrels.
So I see steps to use a 10 then 20 foot or 30 foot lead.
And when he ignores me, then I should pull him in to me.
I have read there should be no negatives. no scolding

My question is should I start with a jerk?
and then see if he will come on his own?

and just jerk him when he starts to wander off course?

Or should I be pulling him smoothly and continuously all the way in?

[kernow]

Hopefully Bill will be around soon to give you better advice than I can. I have not come across the method you suggest so I can't offer advice. My dog was easily distracted by ball games and would not come on command, the way we dealt with it was to start with her in an area where she had no distractions and then only when she was totally reliable we moved on gradually to introduce greater distraction. If necessary we moved back a step and started the process again. It took a while but we got there.

[WordFit38]

Thanks for your reply, kernow.
With your dog, did you keep her on a leash while increasing the distractions?

[kernow]

No, we did not keep her on a leash. She was not a puppy (she was a rescue dog) so it took a little longer than average to get her to come on command reliably, but it was worth the effort.

[Bill]

I have read instructions to help me train my 4 year old dog to COME on command.
His problem is that he prefers to hunt for squirrels.
So I see steps to use a 10 then 20 foot or 30 foot lead.
And when he ignores me, then I should pull him in to me.
I have read there should be no negatives. no scolding

What you said here is 100% correct but be aware you should be careful on pulling him to you. Don't "drag" him to you but encourage him in your direction as gently as possible. Praise and reward heavily when he does correctly. You are also correct about no negatives. No scolding. Why would your dog ever want to come to you when he sometimes get scolded?

My question is should I start with a jerk?
and then see if he will come on his own?
and just jerk him when he starts to wander off course?

No, no, no, no ... a thousand times no. Forget jerks. They are NEVER necessary. You must teach your dog what you want him to do and motivate him to do it. Jerks will do neither.

Or should I be pulling him smoothly and continuously all the way in?

Don't pull anymore than is absolutely necessary. If he is walking/running to you the leash should be loose. Pulling is a negative and we don't need negatives.

[Justontime]

Hi, I can't add anything to what has already been said, i just wanted to wish you well with the training. My dog doesn't hunt but she always barks at squirrels and they dash up the tree very quickly.

[WordFit38]

THANK YOU !! This is the type of detailed info that I need and can never find in books...
Off to train with positives...

[WordFit38]

OK just in from training .. He is pretty good with 20 foot lead..
EXCEPT I notice that he fades off and pretends to be distracted when he gets to 3 feet
(grabbing distance)

guess I need to insist that he comes ALL THE WAY EVERY Time...

[Bill]

OK just in from training .. He is pretty good with 20 foot lead..
EXCEPT I notice that he fades off and pretends to be distracted when he gets to 3 feet
(grabbing distance)

Ok, I can see you still need some attitude adjustment. First thing to remember is that the further away your dog is from you the less powerful your cues are. Notice I said "cue" and not "command". Remember we are not training, we are teaching. That a whole different attitude in itself. Soooooo .... begin by having him come to you for about 6 or 8 feet. Don't try longer distances until he is very reliable at that short distance. Then GRADUALLY increase distance and stay at each distance until he is reliable at it. All this takes time. It takes weeks or months to teach a dog to have a reliable recall and you get that reliablilty and gradually increasing distances with varying amounts of distractions. For now, keep distractions at a minimum.

Why are you trying to grab him? Don't do that. Ideally he should come running to you and slide into a sit just a few inches from you while looking up at you to see what you want next.

guess I need to insist that he comes ALL THE WAY EVERY Time...

If you have to insist, he is not completely reliable. What you want to do is to keep encouraging him in a happy voice as he gets closer to you. Encouraging and insisting are two different thought processes and attitudes. You are still in dominance mode. Get out of it.