How to Train Your Barn Dog to Come

If you are planning to use your dog around the barn and your livestock, it is imperative that he learns the basic commands. This includes the all-important 'come' command. Your barn dog needs to know that when you give him the 'come' command, you expect him to stop what he is doing immediately and come to you. No time to hesitate or run away--the ability to obey this command could save your dog's life or that of one of the other animals you have on your farm.

Remember, the younger you start working with your pup on basic commands such as 'come', the faster he will learn them and the more useful he will become as a barn dog. This a vital command as you never know what could happen. His leash might break, a gate or a door might be left open, who knows? But if you have successfully taught your barn dog to come, you will probably be glad you did at some point in the future. 

The plan is to teach your barn dog to come to you immediately after you give him the "Come" command. It is important he learns to do this as it can help him avoid being injured by other animals around your farm or cars going past on the roads near your farm. It is a relatively easy command to teach your pup, but it can take several weeks for him to master this skill to the point at which he will obey your command at any time in any conditions.

Some breeds are more naturally inclined to come when called than others, but with the right training, you can teach virtually any dog to come when told to. You can start training your pup at a very early age, in fact, the earlier you start, the easier it will be for your pup to learn this important skill. Bear in mind that most dogs will never learn this skill to the point where they will respond to the 'come' command 100% of the time. 

Since 'come' is considered one of the basic commands, you don't need much in the way of training supplies to get the job done. However, there are a few things that might make your training sessions go more smoothly. These include:

• Treats
  
• Leash
  
• Quiet
  
• Patience and time
  

Getting your dog to come doesn't sound like it should be that hard, after all, your pup should want to come running up to you when you call his name and tell him to come. Unfortunately, it never seems to work out that way. You will need to invest a significant amount of time and patience to teach your barn dog this trick.