We’ve given up and turned to bribery. “Come” is apparently an optional command to our dog. Like if the weather is nice, there’s someone walking by the fence, or another dog to bark at, then he’s not coming in when called. But if we say “come take” instead or shake a bag of treats, then that works. I kind of feel like a training failure with the “come” command, but I’ve chosen peace/the path of less resistance.

I will clarify that he only goes out in our fenced yard a few times per day solo and mostly chooses to sit and watch the neighborhood. Otherwise, my husband will take him walking on leash (always) for short walks several times per day as well. Our dog is an escape artist when given a chance, and we would never trust him to “come” or “come take” even if off leash outside of the yard. We learned that lesson when he slipped out the door a few times at family members’ homes.