Raising Puppies

Getting your puppy to come when you call her is one of the most important things you can teach her. Not only will it save you the trouble of chasing her, but it could save her life!

Coming to you must always be pleasant for your puppy. And her idea of what's pleasant is the one that counts. Let's say she's been rolling around in the dirt and smells awful, and you want to give her a bath, but she hates baths. If you say "Fluffy, come!" and she races to you, only to be plopped in the bathtub, she'll remember it was an unpleasant experience. The next time you say "Fluffy, come!" she'll probably think, "Eek! Bath time!" and run away. Instead of teaching her to come when you call her, you just taught her to run away from you. If you ever have to do something to your puppy that she will find unpleasant, get some treats and go to your puppy, instead of calling her to come to you.

Many puppy owners also make the mistake of calling their puppies to punish them. "Come over here so I can yell at you!" Why would they do that? This only