Disapointing.

Im very disapointed in TOki. His a really good dog inside the house and comes when I call. But the moment he goes outside when I call him he runs away from me. I've tried it all. I yelled his name , I raise my voice high pitch but nicely, I 've lowered my voice and calm. He just runs away and I can't get him until I he gets distracted from smelling something. Any advice on how to train a yorkie to come when your outside. His really good at home. I take him out almost everyday so I don't think it's because I don't walk him enough.

Have you tried giving him a treat or making a big fuss over him when he does come?

http://www.chazhound.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5976&highlight=recall+training

Here's a great, helpful bunch of info too:

http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/dog.htm

Find one method which you like and don't flit around. Stick with one way for 3 or 4 weeks and be consistant. If you try something only a few times, then try another way, it will confuse your dog and he won't catch on. Use positive methods. With the recall, especailly, it's reward or nothing. Always motivate your dog to come to you. You and what you have to give has to be better than what the dog is interested in. Also, don't use a command you can't enforce. You dog will learn how to ignore you, which it sounds like he's getting a start. So, nip it in the bud. Good luck! Keep us posted.

We used to have the same problem. He would go outside and stay there 15 minutes before actually coming when we called him... We trained him more inside, with treats, and always gave him treats when he came to us outside. It took a month or two, but it worked, now he always comes when we call him. I think it just takes a lot of patience.

I only do it once in a while because he doesn't always run out of the house. So should I let him loose outside of my house everyday? I tried it with treats before but he doesn't care about the treats when his out.
I tried letting him loose but I see crossing streets without looking. Thank god I live in a tiny neighboor hood with gates and we barely have any cars in our neighboor hood. Speed zone in our nighboor is like 20.

Well without a fence it's a problem for sure Do you keep him leashed? Have you tried just getting him to come to you when leashed outside? If you just sit on the ground with a treat or something, he will come eventually, then reward him etc. I just think it takes a lot of patience, like all the rest, just don't give up.

I wouldn't let him off his leash ever, ever outside where there's a risk, even if small of getting hit by a car. What if he runs off further where there are more cars? When off leash, you have no control what so ever over whether he comes or not. Use a long line if you want him to be able to run around. Again, if you call him to come, and he doesn't come immediately (eventually is not good enough) then you can reel him in. I prefer to entice him with playful sounds, running a little the other way like you're having a marvelous time, and then treats. Use special treats. There's got to be something he likes. I use monzerella cheese or homemade liver treats. When he does come, praise him like you would not believe and give him a treat. Then let him play and run some more on his own. Repeat. When you do bring him inside, all the fun outside is over and that can also make him not want to come....naturally, so when you come inside, play some more for a while with a ball or toy...something he loves to do. Don't end the fun when you call him to come.

Toki responds to come when I have him on leash. His just a smart one. He knows when his off leash he will run and run. Im just worried because the past couple of days someone in my house has been leaving the garage door open and I noticed that he ran outside and he won't come so I just want to train him to come instead of me chasing him and you just never know what will happen. But I will try to train him to come and try to have fun instead of going inside home. Man that's going to take alot of patience to see him walk inside the house by himself. hehe He can stay out for 30 min and still not want to come inside.

The strange thing is that sometimes he will listen to me to come inside but most of the time he doesn't respond to me. He never leaves my sight if I let him off leash to an area were his never been to but I don't know that because I've only done that at the dog beach and dog park.

Keep three things mainly in mind:

1)Don't give a command you can't enforce.

2)Only give a command ONE TIME. Do not repeat yourself. He heard you the first time. Otherwize he's ignoring you and the command becomes a string of the same word. come come come come come....sit sit sit sit sit. You don't want that.

3)Make coming to you or in the house better, more fun than whatever it is which is keeping him from wanting to come.

The other thing, even though he knows when he's on the leash, and of course, will come, because he knows he has no choice, if he HAS to come every single, solitary time, never once getting away with disobeying, it will become habit to him to come as long as he's motivated and rewarded heavily for coming. It needs to become habit and then it WILL get to be as though he has no other choice.

I've done it this way with my Doberman and he is very, very reliable....not 100% but darn close.

I agree with Doberluv. I've been working a lot with my girls on "come". I get the yummiest treats I can--lamb and rice treats for now--and I go out into the yard with the dog on a long lead (15'-20'). I let the dog sniff and all that, and I tell the dog to sit, etc., the dog is always rewarded. I might throw a treat in the grass, and while the dog is searching for it, walk away, then suddenly yell, "COME!" (only once) and start reeling the dog in. Once the dog is near me, I make a big huge fuss over the dog, petting her, kissing her, and giving her treats. Tell me what dog wouldn't want all that? All they have to do is come and there's a party held for them.

Okay I practiced today but made mistake. I let him loose in our neighbor hood and I made sure I let him smell the treats and gave him just one for taste. Once he got outside he ignores me and the treats. He spit out his treats because he was so concentrated smelling stuff. I even praised him he just ignores me. He comes to me then passes me without stopping. I know he hears me because I can see his ears go up but his ignoring me.
The mistake I made is I repeated the same command Come here. Which I should correct this habit.
So when I caught him I talked to Toki and I said " TOki you have to slow down" for 3-4 times and I know he understands the word slow down because when I take him on walks I say that to him when I can't speed walk with him. So I let him loose again then I noticed that he started to walk slower instead of way up there. He also didn't take off and I would have to play hide and seek with him.
So in conclusion , I will train him on leash because now that is making sense to me. I don't know why that didn't hit me before. Thanks Doberluv.

Did I mentioned how smart and stubborn TOki can be. Yesterday I was playing fetch with him with out treats and when he doesn't see treats in my hand he wont give me his rope that I threw for him to fetch. So he will try to make me chase him so that we play tug a war. So then I just ignore him until he drops the rope so that I can throw. It's funny because he comes up to me with the rope and tries to trick me that his going to give it to me. After 20 minutes of me ignoring him he gets bored so he lies down and he makes sure that his rope is next to his side. So then I pretended that I threw something in the air so he had a reflex to go fetch but only took 2 steps away from where he was then looked back, he then picked up his rope and went to see what I threw. Can you belive this dog? His very stubborn, He won't play fetch until I offer him treats.

Toki is a yorkshire terrier, right? Terriers are pretty stubborn dogs, there has to be something good in it for them, which is usually a yummy treat. I train my neighbor's westhighland white terrier for them, and she could care less when I say, "Good Lucy!" and give her a pat on the back, she wants a yummy liver treat, not a "good girl," I mean, am I crazy?

What kind of treats do you use? My dogs will eat anything, but meaty treats are most rewarding. Make sure that when he comes you make a big fuss. He'll want to come when you tell him to if you praise him a lot. Terriers generally aren't too good off-leash because they turn off their ears easily and play "deaf dog" when they catch a good smell.

I had that Problem with Brownie and thats what brought me to this site....I got some great information from everybody...First I started out with brown on her leash just calling her name(wise peoples told me to never say come unless I knew for sure she was going to)When she was leashed and she came she got some hotdog(her fav.)after a couple of days doing that I took her over to the ball fields,,,,let go of the leash...and just practiced on her recall for about 15-20 mins...And today almost 3 weeks later shes doing alot alot alot better....just be patient....shell eventually get it....ooo and it helped when she did accidentally got out....And i was able to get her I gave her a treat and let her loose again(Wise peoples also told me about that)

Thanks everyone for the great info. Im gonna get Toki a retractable leash then I can start to practice. Im using a 45 inch leash and I don't think that will give him enough space

Hey doberluv, your training techniques are almost exactly the same as mine, where did you learn?

LOL. I didn't. I just experienced, trial and error and have had dogs and trained them and horses for about 40 yrs and had reasonable success with them. (I'm old as dirt. LOL) No....I've read a little bit too and a loooooong time ago studied animal behavior in school. I get really obsessed with something that I'm passionate about and I spend a long time reading, compulsively...like 6 -8 hours a day for the last several years.

I do the same with my piano. I practiced for a wedding once for 8 -10 hrs a day for 3 months and ruined both of my wrists. I tell you....I didn't get paid enough for that!

Lol.I'm like that too. But i think a little obsessive compulsive! I had a mentor, she knew an amazing amount.It was good because i got the negative/positive argument from a lady who had done both for years and switched in preference (I won't say to which though, dont want to cause an argument)
Anyways, i think you've done great for someone without a mentor, geez i would probably still have been pushing down on my chihuahua's butt whilst saying "sit" if it hadn't been for her. (I tried to train my chihuahua when i was five!)

Wow, that's great Bridey! Yes, many, many people have gone from the old, compulsive training techniques to using positive methods instead because they find out how like day and night they are, just like we did. You were very young like I was when getting interested in dogs.

I used to steal peoples' dogs on my walk home from kindergarten. My mother would have to find out who they belonged to. I was a real problem child. Finally, my parents got me a dog from the pound when I was 5. I was so into animals. I was one of those weird kids who didn't want to watch cartoons with my friends, but would leave their house to go train or play with my dog. I was a little older....like 10.

Then I got my first horse and spent all my free time with him. I had Guinea pigs, which we bred and ended up with 22 of them at one time....huge cages and we'd take them outside in the grass in a big chicken wire enclosure. I can remember going to the grocery store with my Dad and getting free lettuce and stuff from the produce man. I also had parakeets, canaries, tropical fish, two dogs and a horse.

I am so thankful to my parents for promoting my interest in animals and allowing me to have these great pets. I was one of those kids who didn't have to be reminded to clean cages or fish tanks or take care of my horse. I loved doing it all. There's just something about animals.