All dog owners want their dog to come when called, and a solid recall (as the command is known) is certainly an essential tool to have. But while it's fairly easy to get your dog to come to you most of the time, it takes great dedication to have a recall that works in challenging circumstances. Even then, you can't guarantee 100-percent reliability — don't bet your Yorkie's life on the power of your recall. Use a leash to keep your dog safe.

Opportunity Recalls

To start, you do things a little differently with “Come” than you did with “Sit” and “Down.” Rather than using a lure in formal training sessions, you start adding a cue in circumstances where you know your dog is going to want to come to you anyway. So think of all the things that make your dog run to you — filling the food bowl, opening a bag of potato chips, jingling car keys, taking a leash down from a holder, whatever works for your dog. Before you do any of those things, say “Angel, come!” Then jingle the car keys (or whatever you choose), praise your dog when she appears beside you, then go for the ride you were planning on anyway. Your Yorkie gets rewarded with praise and with the original motivation — dinner, a walk, or whatever else.

Collar Grabs

Having a dog that reliably runs to you, but then shoots on by or dances out of reach isn't all that useful. You want to be able to attach your leash, or hold your Yorkie out of the way for a minute, or pull a twig loose before it gets tangled in that lavish coat. So you want to practice collar grabs as a separate exercise. The sequence of events is important. Reach out and gently take hold of your Yorkie's collar, say your marker word (“Yes”), and give a treat. If you are consistent about the order of things, the collar grab will come to predict a treat, and your Yorkie will be less shy about having you reach for her.

After you've done opportunity recalls and collar grabs separately for a week or so, you can occasionally include a collar grab in your opportunity come sequence. So it's “come,” jingle car keys, dog comes, collar grab, yes, treat, praise, go for a car ride.

The “Real” Recall

Your Yorkie has had a chance to hear your recall cue (“Come” or whatever you're using) quite a few times. Now you can start using it a little more as you'd like to.

Enlist another family member or a friend to help. Go into a rather uninteresting semiconfined part of the house — hallways work great. Each of you should position yourselves at one end of the hall, with the dog between you and with a good supply of treats. Whichever person the dog is facing should call the dog. Don't worry about being formal — you can be squatting, sitting on the floor, or kneeling. Smile and call as if you were greeting a friend. Pat the floor, wiggle a toy, or do whatever it takes. When your Yorkie gets to you, mark (“Yes”), give a treat, and praise and pet your dog. When you stop petting, the other person should call the Yorkie and do the same thing. Move the dog back and forth between you for several repetitions.

Next, move to a more open, more interesting room with more options and do the same thing. Sometimes throw in a collar grab. After you've practiced in various rooms, go outside, in a safely fenced area, and do the same thing again. The more successful repetitions you build up, the more likely your recall is to work out in the real world.

Now practice on your own. When your Yorkie is nearby somewhere, mildly engaged in doing something else, call your dog. Be ready to praise and reward. Gradually make it more challenging — you're in another room, or your Yorkie is watching birds out the window. Try not to make too big a jump, because you want to set your Yorkie up for success.

Some “Come” Cautions

A wonderful result from your dog can be ruined if you insist that your dog sit straight in front of you. Unless you're going to compete in the sport of obedience, you should be delighted that your dog comes when called and leave it at that. Reward the act of coming to you without putting unnecessary details and delays between the response and the reward.

Don't use your recall to get your dog to you for something the dog considers bad. If your Yorkie doesn't like his nails trimmed, don't use your recall and then trim his nails. He may see this as punishment for coming when called, and he will not be so eager to comply the next time. Instead, go and get your Yorkie without saying anything.

Also, don't use your recall to end good times such as playing with other dogs, running in an off-leash area, or playing in the yard. If you only call your Yorkie to come when play time is over, he'll quickly figure that out and will be less and less likely to come. Instead, call him to you several times during play, when you can praise and reward him for coming, and then send him back to play some more. If “Come” only ends play a small percentage of the time, it will be more likely to remain a strong skill.