How do you train a dog to obey off leash?

Answer 1

Make coming back to you exciting and rewarding. Lots of praise, treats, etc. They will learn that coming back is better than exploring. Dogs are very reward oriented. You just have to figure out what drives your dog and work with it.

Answer 2

Step one is to stop letting your dog off leash until she is completely reliable on both a leash and a long line. She needs to know an emergency drop and to be proofed (taught to ignore distraction). Proofing especially is not the sort of thing you can learn from a book. You need to enroll in a class taught by a good instructor. Look for a competition obedience class rather than a family dog class, as the competition people do more proofing. You will also need to discard your "come" command. She already has a reward history for ignoring that command. You'll need to start over teaching her to come with a different command, but use the new command ONLY when she is on a leash or a long line and you can enforce the come. Teach her "the cookie game." This is an informal recall. You call out a word that means she will get a treat. If she chooses to come to you, put your hand on her collar and give her the treat. Then release her to go back about her business. With an informal recall she always has a choice whether to come or not. If she comes, she gets a treat. If she doesn't, you walk her down and praise her for being caught, but don't give her the treat (because she didn't keep the deal and come when you offered the cookie). The cookie recall can be used to call her back until the formal recall is established. Remember the cookie recall will never be as reliable as a formal recall because she has a choice whether to come or not. Expect this retraining to take a few months.