We all want to be able to let our dog off lead at the beach or the park, but it can be both frustrating and dangerous if they don’t come back when called. Recall is one of the most important obedience commands, but can be one of the hardest to teach because it takes time, patience and a consistent approach.
Dogs are not pre-programmed to come when called. They must learn it. We are often lulled into a false sense of success when our dogs are young puppies because they don’t tend to move too far away from us and they respond readily when we engage them. However, once they hit adolescence (generally 6 -18 months), become more curious, confident and more easily distracted, it seems they no longer even hear us (just like our human teenagers!).
10 Tips for a good recall:
1. Make sure your dog has name recognition. It may seem like a no brainer, but making sure your dog knows her name is critical to a reliable recall.
2. Don’t use your dog’s name to reprimand her. If she associates her name with getting into trouble or an unpleasant consequence, she may be reluctant to come to you when called. It can be a difficult habit for us to get out of, but try substituting her name with a growly “ah-ah” if you need to reprimand her.
3. Never call your dog to you to punish her. A recall should always be a positive thing and your dog should ALWAYS be rewarded for choosing to come back.
4. Think about what you are offering. Is it better than following a good scent or chasing another dog? Dogs usually do what is most rewarding for them. If it’s more rewarding for her to continue playing and exploring at the park than to come to you, then its pretty obvious what her choice will be. Dogs will always weigh up the costs and benefits (consequences) of their behaviour, just like humans do. Would you keep going to work if you stopped getting paid?
5. Your dog gets to decide what a good reward is. The environment will also affect the value of the reward to your dog. While your dog might be happy to work for her kibble at home, she may not be interested when out and about where there are lots of distractions. You will most likely have to step up the value of the treat by exchanging it for some cooked chicken or liver or something you know she loves. Maybe it’s a favourite toy. What will she work for?
6. Call your dog back to you regularly, not just when you want to leave. If you only ever call her back when it’s time to leave she will quickly learn that “Molly, come” really means “playtime is over and we’re going home”. While off lead at the beach or the park, call your dog to you at various intervals and reward her for coming EVERY time. Sometimes put the lead on, reward with food or a pat then take it off again (always use a release word, like "free" or "release" to let her know she can head off to play again).
7. Try making recall fun by playing games that make you interesting to your dog and makes your dog want to come back and see what else you’ve got up your sleeve (see the video for a simple game you can play). Don’t worry about things like getting your dog to sit when she gets to you. Start simple and just reward her when she comes to you. You can always add a sit later once the recall is reliable.
8. Don’t chase your dog. You may be grumpy because you have to round up your dog, but chase is a fun challenge for her and she will outrun you anytime. The best thing you can do is turn around and start running the other way (make sure she has seen you first or you could be in this game on your own). Make some loud, fun noise so that your dog will want to see what’s going on and follow you. The faster you run and more noise you make, the more fun it will seem to your dog (maybe use a favourite squeaky toy).
9. Don’t set yourself up to fail by going to the off lead park at the busiest time and expect your dog to come to you when called. You must build up the recall starting in a familiar environment with no or low distractions and work up to high distraction external environments.
10. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition is critical to successful training. You want the recall to become so ingrained that your dog doesn’t even stop to think about whether she will or won’t come – she just does.
For a reliable recall you must work up to it, taking as much time as you need at each step. It may mean no off lead time while you’re getting the foundation right. Remember that no one is perfect – human or dog – and sometimes it’s safer to keep your dog on the lead.
Jacqui Triggs, Trainer
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