Once you have your Bulldog puppy's attention, call him from a short distance: "Puppy, come!" Use your happy voice and give a treat when he comes to you. If he hesitates, tug him to you gently with his leash. Grasp and hold your dog's collar with one hand as you dispense the treat. The collar grasp is important. You will eventually phase out the treat and switch to hands-on praise only. This maneuver also connects holding his collar with coming and treating, which will assist you in countless future behaviors.
Do 10 or 12 repetitions 2 or 3 times a day. Once your pup has mastered "Come," continue to practice daily to imprint this most important behavior into his puppy brain.
Never tell your dog to come to you and then correct him for something he did wrong. He will think the correction is for coming to you and will hesitate to come to you in the future if he thinks he's going to be scolded.
Next step: Training Overview
Reprinted from Breeders Best: Bulldog © 2004. Permission granted by Kennel Club Books, an imprint of BowTie Press.
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