We were definitely having the same problem with Linus. If we had a treat, he'd come right away, but if we didn't, there was no way he was going to come. A dog trainer friend of mine told me it could be that he was getting spoiled and thought he was in charge. She suggested that we stop allowing him to just jump up in our laps and if he did jump up, we push him back down, wait a few seconds, then ask him to "come," and greet him with kisses and a belly rub when he did. She also suggested that we try to spend a little less time with him in our laps for a while, so it's a real treat when he does get to "come."
It's definitely a hard technique to go through, because I love when he jumps up to say hi and I love nothing more than to have that little furbaby all curled up in my lap while I'm working or watching TV, but it really has helped. Now, when we say "come," he's right there because he wants that attention!
It's still difficult outside, because all the stuff to explore is sometimes more exciting than my attention, but it's definitely improving.
Hope that helps!! |