"angel" wrote in message
...
Our 5 month old Standard Poodle Ella has been
with us for 5 days now. Although she doesn't
always come when called, I've been letting it
slide because I wanted to give her time to adjust
to her new home. However, the general consensus
seems to be that this is setting a very bad
precedent!

So my question would be: how the heck do I train
her to come when I call her? She knows her name
now, and she knows what "come" means, but often times
she ignores me.

We will be enrolling in a puppy obedience class next
week, I'm just wondering what to do here at home in
the meantime.

I know that using a leash and prompting motion while giving the command
works well with some rescue dogs. Its usually used as a combination
technique for stay & come. Using at least a 6' leash, give a stay command
and walk out to the end of the leash then praise. If the dog breaks the
stay then start over. When the dog is holding the stay, give the "come"
command and if necessary a little tug forward on the leash, then praise.
Repeat until the dog has both commands down in a controlled environment then
start working on those same commands in a disruptive environment (at a park
or wherever there are people/dogs/noise). Repeat that until the dog has
those commands down well and then you can try the off-leash. To keep the
training from becoming nothing more than predictable repetition, toss out
the commands here and there around the house when its not a designated
training time. Always remember to praise. I find that giving the command
after the dog is already performing the action to be beneficial. Dogs are
always coming to you in the house so being vigilant and praising the
behavior, while giving it a name, also works.

--
Tara