This boy sure likes his name..

[Rip's Girl]

Well, the pup is only 4 months old and already puzzling me...

He is doing wonderfully in his OB training (I credit a lot to his breeder, who started him on sits and downs as soon as he started walking.) but I've encountered a problem that I want to nip in the bud..

Several days ago, I was testing him, and I said "Dakota -", stopping before "COME". Dakota jumped up and ran towards me and finished a perfect recall. So, I took him back where we started, and tried again, but this time standing much closer to him, only about 3ft away. Again, when he heard his name, he came to me. I've been making that the focus of our training sessions, but this boy just does not get it!
I have tried corrections, 're-directing', even having a friend hold his leash while I called his name (When I did this, he lunged at the end of the leash and barked, and dug up the ground to try to get to me.) and he still comes running when he hears "Dakota." I don't know why he anticipates "COME" after his name and not "sit" or "down".

Any suggestions would be appreciated, I'm at a loss for how to start working with him like this. I certainly don't want to correct him for coming to me when *I* don't know what I'm doing, and I'd like to get a couple of opinions before I start working on this problem again. Thanks.

[Lessica Jake]

I would say that he figures he should come because that's when he gets to be with you.
Sit just doesn't have that same effect.

Suggestions, as soon as he starts moving in a way that you don't want him to, tell him NO! Then when he waits for the rest of the command, praise him lots.

[Rip's Girl]

I've tried a different version of what you suggested, but I didn't think of praising him when he waits for the rest of the command. I'll give that a try. Thanks Lessica.

[Moo]

All my instructors (Obedience, Agility, other...) have said that we should refrain from over-using the names. Use the name if you want the dog to come, or if he is headed in the wrong direction.

Basically, their name means "I want your full attention", and naturally, if you come closer you can pay better attention.

[HeartSong]

Make sure that you don't use his name as the come command at any other time. So if Dakota is outside and you want him to come in, don't call his name to have him come inside. Instead use a command like come-in or something. If you use his name to call him to you in one situation, he will think it's okay in another situation, like training.

Also, you can try changing the tone of your voice when you say his name to get his attention. Dogs are generally good at taking different tones to mean different things. So he could think that his name in one tone is for him to come to you while in another tone it just means to pay attention to you.

If you follow his name with a different command other than come, then soon enough he won't be so quick to assume the command come is next. Try saying his name and the down, or speak, etc.

When I worked on my dogs with this, as soon as the started to get up at their name, I would command a sharp "sit." Praise them and then do it over again. Eventually they realized that if they tried to get up at the sound of their name they would be sharply corrected to do something else. If they continued to get up and not sit on my command, I would walk over to them and place them in their sit, then go back to my position. I wouldn't let them continue with an incorrect command. Patches will actually do this with the speak command. If I have food and say "Patches" she will just start barking . . . she didn't do this before she learned how to speak. Unfortunately, it's harder to stop her from barking at her name and it's too funny to make her stop, but she won't get a treat for it.

[Rip's Girl]

Thanks for the advice. I think I am guilty of doing what you both said.. I over-use his name and I substituted it for the "come" command. I didn't think of that until now, but when he was younger, I would start off and say "Dakota-" and he would be at my feet before I could even say "come".

Well thanks for the help, I'll work on it today with a change in tone and see how that does.

[ChandraRae]

We have a similar problem with Harley and Scooter. Harley knows sit, down, stay.. just the basic commands.. and when I try to to work with Scooter on those same commands, Harley follows along and then wants praise, as is his due, when he completes them.. Scooter was doing really well with "sit" but then Harley came over and sat on him and that was the end of that..

I guess I will have to put Harley in another room..

Also, they both answer to either name, which is confusing. LOL