Enjoying the Recall
If I had to pick only one thing my dogs and I could do well together, “come when called” would be my pick. A good recall is your dog’s ticket to outdoor freedom and your key to her safety. I can’t say enough good things about this skill. Just thinking about it makes me want to call my dogs and give them little bits of steak!
Recall in Baby Steps
Any dog can learn to come when called, though some dog-human pairs will have more trouble with this skill than others. As with training any skill, you take baby steps, starting with preschool. Here’s one way to divide the levels:
- Preschool: Play the name game. Call your dog’s name. When she makes eye contract, give a treat.
- Kindergarten: Have someone hold the dog while you run away, and then call her as the other person releases her. The key is that the dog wants to follow you. When she gets to you, give her a treat and some good loving. Change it up by holding the dog yourself and having the other person run away and call.
- Elementary school: Play hide-and-seek. Disappear, call your dog, and reward her when she finds you.
- Middle school: Work toward calling your dog when she’s thinking about something else. Stick at first to your own house and property.
- Add distractions, starting with ones that aren’t too tempting, such as a less-favorite toy that isn’t nearly as attractive as a treat and praise from you. Build up to better distractions.
- Start going off your own property. Keep the dog on a long leash. Call her and reward when she gets to you.
- High school: Take it off property and off leash. Then allow some mild distractions.
- College: Work up to being able to get a good recall when you’re off property and the distractions are new dogs and people.
- Graduate school: At this level, your dog will come to you in an alarming situation such as another dog displaying threatening signs—first on your own property, then off. The final PhD level is being able to resist the dog’s own #1 biggest distraction, whether that’s a deer leaping away, Dog Poppa going off in the opposite direction, or a roaring forest fire.
What’s hard for one dog can be easy for another, so tailor your levels to your dog’s strengths and weaknesses in this area.
Do’s and Don’ts
We’re on a positive reward system here, which means essentially that you must encourage the dog to want to come when you call. You must never call her when you know she is likely not to come.
Do:
- Make it fun and rewarding to come when called, each and every time. The reward should be fresh and exciting.
- Practice recall when you know your dog is ready to come to you.
- Use consistent cues—the same words, the same hand signal, the same tone of voice—every time.
- Keep practicing throughout life.
Don’t:
- Don’t call your dog when you know she won’t come.
- Don’t call more than once.
- Don’t yell or act frustrated.
Smiling Recall
If Your Dog Doesn’t Come When Called
It’s your problem, not hers. You’ve pushed her too fast. Take a step back for the next time.
Right now, you’re dealing with a dog who has not come when you called. There’s no point in punishing, yelling, or getting angry. If you’re in a hurry and need to go, walk over quietly and get her. No drama.
If you have a few minutes, take this opportunity to reinforce your position as pack leader. Your dog isn’t paying attention to your cue, so you aren’t going to pay attention to her. Ignore the dog and make your world seem very interesting. Squeeze a bag or an empty bottle, play with whatever you happen to have handy, look closely at something—show the dog that you’re having a great time without her. If she starts toward you, call and reward her. If not, just move on—and start with an easier step next time.
Every dog can learn recall, but some dogs find it harder than others. The more difficult it is for your dog to learn this skill, the more you need to be on your game. Keep working on the do’s and don’ts, and always be consistent. The upside to training a difficult dog is you’ll both feel like a million bucks when you improve.
