If your dog is playing in your yard or other room in your home, does he come to you when you call his name? Sometimes, the come command is instinctive–up to a point. Whether your dog knows his name or is responding to your voice, you may not know. But with proper training on the come command, you will know for sure.

It is best to start training your dog with the come command when he is still a puppy and has not developed any hard to break behaviors. Start off slow. Call your puppy’s name when you are inside your home. For example, if your dog’s name is Max, you would say, “Max, Come!” When he comes to you, give him a treat. Do this off and on throughout the day for a few weeks.

If you think he has mastered the come command indoors, it is time to try a different venue – the great outdoors. When you move the training outside, you want to leash your puppy. Give him a long lead, enough to feel that he is not on it and has a sense of freedom. Make sure you keep the treats handy! The next step after letting him wander outside for a few minutes is to issue the command, “Max, Come!” Because the great outdoors provides more distractions than inside, don’t be surprised if your pup doesn’t exactly accomplish this goal right away. You may have to give a tug or two on his leash to get him to come to you. When he does, lavish praise on him and give him treats.

Practicing the outdoor come command will likely take more time. You may even have to pitch your voice slightly different in order to attract your pup’s attention, at least initially. Be sure to keep your puppy leashed until he comes to you without fail or deviation of course. Once you are totally comfortable with his progress while on the leash, then you can contemplate adding distractions.

One distraction you can introduce is children running around laughing and playing. The sound of having fun could prove hard to resist for a puppy and therefore, can be a challenging task when mastering the come command. Another distraction to try is a friend stopping by for a visit or introducing a cat to the area. Another way to provide a distraction while your dog is learning the come command is to introduce him to a new area that he has never been before.

Once you are confident that he has mastered the come command on his leash and through a variety of distractions, it is time to try it without the leash. However, before you unhook him, make sure you are in an enclosed area where he can not wander off, just in case, of course! Part of the training process is providing a safe, secure area in which to learn. Because your dog is still a puppy, he will still be mischievous. He may have mastered the come command, but tasting that freedom from the leash may prove too hard to resist. If this happens, let him romp for a few minutes and then try to call him. Chances are that he will make his way back to you. If it takes him a little time because he is unencumbered by the leash, you may have to reinforce the commands.