Dr. Dunbar’s 28-Day Good Dog Challenge

Come-Sits

Day 2 · Coming when called starts with one simple step.

Today’s challenge

How many 1-step Come-Sits will your dog do for just one piece of kibble? By midnight tonight, text me your record. Bonus: send a video!

Why start with just one step?

When learning a poem, most people learn the first line first, and later on, that’s all they remember. It’s much more effective to learn the last line first, then the last two lines, then the last three. That way, you’re always working toward a position of strength.

It’s the same with dogs. When teaching a long string of behaviors, always start at the end. For a recall, the end is the last step and the Sit in front of you. So that’s where we start: one step and a Sit, over and over, to build both mental and muscle memory.

So much can go wrong with long recalls. Your dog looks up the moment you call and races toward you, 50 yards across the park, past other dogs and squirrels, right through a child’s birthday picnic… and then, two dog-lengths away, catches a whiff of a McDonald’s wrapper and tears off. The recall was 97% perfect, only to fail in the last couple of steps.
— Ian

Step by step

  1. Get ready. Hold a piece of kibble between your finger and thumb, with your dog in front of you.
  2. Step back and call. Take one step back and say your dog’s name and “Come”: “Rover, Come!”
  3. Lure them in. Hold the kibble at your dog’s nose and draw it toward you, so they come right up in front of you.
  4. Lure the Sit. Say “Sit” and move your hand, palm up, upward and slightly back over your dog’s muzzle. As their nose goes up, their bottom goes down.
  5. Praise, and reward. “Good Dog!” Then give the kibble.
  6. Repeat. Step back again, call, and lure another Come-Sit.

Now go for a record

Once your dog is getting the idea, ask for two Come-Sits in a row with lots of praise but just one piece of kibble. Then three, then four, five, and more. Praise every single one. How many will your dog eagerly do for one food reward? That’s your score.

Keep it close

  • Lure your dog to Sit right in front of you, close enough to touch, not a few feet away.
  • Keep it quick and bouncy. Lots of short repetitions beat a few slow ones.

If it’s not working

My dog won’t follow the kibble.

Try again later, when your dog is hungrier. Keep your hand close to their nose and move it slowly.

My dog jumps up instead of sitting.

Your hand is probably too high. Keep the lure just above their nose, and move it back over their head slowly.

My dog sits too far away.

Draw the kibble all the way in toward your body before you lure the Sit.

My dog loses interest.

Keep sessions short and fun, and stop while your dog still wants more. A few sessions of a minute or two work better than one long one.

Never call your dog for something unpleasant

If you call your dog and then scold them, end their fun, or do something they don’t like, they’ll be less likely to come next time. And if you sound annoyed when they’re slow to come, the same thing happens. Make coming to you the best thing in your dog’s day.

More than a recall

Short Come-Sits are also the best way to help a dog bond with someone new, and to make up if you think your dog is upset with you. A dog who comes promptly and repeatedly is cool with you. One who doesn’t, isn’t.

What’s next

  • From Day 7, 5 Come-Sits are part of your daily warm-up.
  • On Day 16, we’ll call from farther away: across the room, from another room, and from the yard.

Filming tips and prizes: Videos and Prizes.