There are several ways to teach a dog the "Come" command so I will concentrate on one. Put your dog in the sit position beside you, give him the "Wait" command (this is done exactly like the "stay" command) and leave him to the end of the leash. You will be stepping off on your RIGHT leg for this exercise. Hopefully by now you have him steady on his stays and this exercise shouldn't be hard at all. Turn and face your dog and give him the command "Doggie Come" (or Front) and begin hopping a few steps backward. Be HAPPY calling him to you and once he gets there PRAISE him a lot, use the YES or CLICK/TREAT!!! In the beginning you just want to get him coming to you so work on this for awhile. Once he's coming to you reliably, you want to add the "Sit" command for him when he gets in front of you. The end result is getting the dog to come to you and sitting directly in front of you. Give the "Sit" command a few steps prior to him getting to you, then be quick and get him into the sit position. Once he is there use the YES or CLICK/TREAT. Work on the "come" "sit" for a week or so then you will add the "heel" to this exercise. You want the dog to return to the heel position after he is in front of you.

FINISH

There are two ways to "finish" your dog...one where the dog goes behind you and back to heel position and another which is called the "flip" finish where the dog flips around and winds up in the heel position. "Normal Finish"... Once the dog is sitting directly in front of you, you will give him the "Heel" command and get him to go around you and back into the heel position. To start this, use a treat to lure him back past your right leg while your leg is extended backwards and then back up to the heel position and then have him sit. Once the dog is around you, you will bring your right leg back into position. When just starting this exercise, I would treat the dog as soon as he is around you and then again when he "sits" beside you. (You are switching the leash from the right hand to the left behind you) Your left leg never moves in this exercise. The reason your right leg does, is to get the dog to go "around" you. Once the dog is there, expect him to stay there until you release him with a "Good Boy" or "OK" or whatever you choose.

"Flip Finish"...With the dog sitting in front of you, you will lure him to your left side and he will turn "into" you and sit in heel position. Start out by moving your left leg back a bit to get him to move towards you and then your left leg will move back into normal position while you sit your dog. Once this finish is learned, a lot of dogs will "flip" into the heel position, sort of like a pivot from their sit in front. Some will actually flip up into the air! This isn't necessary they do it that way, but it makes for a great looking finish! If they just walk into the finish, that's fine. This is an exercise where you may have to break it down into "pieces" by treating when the dog goes back behind you and again when he's beside you. Be patient and treat as often as you need to in order to get the dog to move where you want him to go. Once the dog seems comfortable and is going around you with the lure, then add the command "Doggie HEEL" when you want him to finish. Some trainers use the command "Doggie Finish" or "Doggie Place" instead of HEEL as they prefer using the heel command only while walking. Any of the commands is acceptable in a show, it is your choice.

If you have followed the lessons in sequence, you should have a lot to vary by now. Keep things interesting for the dog and yourself!!! And remember, don't let him anticipate what's coming.

Things to remember:
...Don't use the dogs name on the "wait" command.
...Step off on your right leg when leaving him.
...PRAISE...YES...CLICK/TREAT when he comes to you!
...Practice the footwork for the finish holding the leash, without your dog to be sure you are comfortable with it.