Dog Obedience Training Command In the early stages of training, never tell your dog to come over to you for an unpleasant reason (he will associate "come" with negativity and be hesitant to do so). Start by standing a short distance away from your dog with food or a favorite toy in hand. Call out your dog's name and as his eyes zero in on the treat and he starts to walk towards you, say, "COME." When your dog reaches you, respond by doing a jig in celebration of his sheer genius and giving him a treat. As always, repeat this command until he is willing to come to you even if all you have to offer are your arms and the jig. During the weeks when you're training your dog to do any of these tricks, if he does an action without your prompting (like if he just happens to walk over to you and sit down), go nuts over his great accomplishment, even though you didn't ask him to do it. Make a big fuss and gush, "GOOD SPARKY! SIT, SIT! Good boy!" At first, your bewildering actions will confuse your dog and possibly make him fret over your mental state. But because his major goal in life is to please you, he will soon plant his furry butt on the ground (or whatever it is you want them to do), just to get that wonderfully exciting reaction out of you again. Any time a training session isn't going well switch to repeating a trick that your dog has already mastered, reward him for following your command properly, and end the session. Let's face it: with commands like "sit" and "come" under your dog's belt, you can take him out in public, but dog food commercial directors aren't pounding down your door. You want a dog that raises eyebrows, attracts comely (human) members of the opposite sex, and pays your bills. While all of these things may not actually happen, we can help you teach your dog a few more fun little tricks. Then reward him: Start doing without the treat occasionally (but still the praise) until he no longer needs the treat. Come: This useful command will get your dog to stop doing just about anything and come to you: | 
