For the next few days, anytime your dog is near you, tell him "Come" happily and give him a treat. Or "Come" and hand him a favorite toy.
Now, you think, "Hey, that is stupid! He didn’t come!" Ah, but you are teaching him that when he hears the word “Come”, something good happens right next to you. Read on, it will make sense.
Once he is looking happy and wagging his tail when he hears "Come" start saying it when he is not looking at you or is a step or two away. Be sure to say it happily and try taking a couple of steps backward and praising him right after you say it. It would sound like "Daisy, Come! Good girl!" When Daisy arrives, give her a treat or a toy or a romp. Basically, "Come" means hustle over to my person because something delightful is about to happen.
HINT: When you give her a treat for coming, hold your hand against your leg and make her reach in to take it. This will ensure that she comes all the way to you on "Come" and that she does not start standing three feet away and staring at you. That can happen if you hand her the treat instead of holding it next to your leg.
Once she is responding eagerly to this, start adding in a "Sit" before you dole out the goodies. When that goes well, start working her on lead. As you’re walking along, say "Come" then walk backward. As you walk backward praise her merrily. As she approaches, slide your hand down the lead so that when she arrives your hand is near her collar. Have her sit, then reward with praise, play, food, and petting. Vary the rewards so she never knows what is going to happen, she just knows it will be something good.
Once she is convinced that "Come" means good things don’t ever confuse her by saying "Come" then scolding her for something else when she arrives. The rule is that she is ALWAYS safe and ALWAYS forgiven if she comes to you. Nothing is more important than that; not a chewed shoe or tipped over trash.
Also, don’t call her to do something she hates like trim her nails or bathe her. Instead, in those situations, go get her. From now on, "Come" only means positive things.
For more help, go to Teacher's Pet at www.petliferadio.com and listen to Sarah's episode on Come When Called: Right now, thank you!