Recall….again
Step 1: Give your dog a place to go.
Get that hand down at muzzle level every time. That’s the target. At first, there is going to be a treat in that hand. A VERY high value treat. Will you always have to have that treat in your hand? NO. But for a young dog training this for the first time YES. There’s two reasons for the hand. It is the place for your dog to go. Putting your hand in this position is a visual cue and can cut through the distractions. Second, when your dog comes to the hand, guess what, their collar is right there for you to grab.
Step 2: Call your dog
Give them a loud poppy cue. “Sam COME”
Rule 1: Only call them once.
This is SUPER IMPORTANT, You’re only going to say “Sam Come” once. Let me repeat that. YOU ARE ONLY GOING TO SAY “Sam COME” ONCE. So it has to cut through ALL the background noise and get right in their brain. It has to have some “Pop”. It has to be high pitched. Dogs rely first on smell, second on sight and only third on sound. So pronounce every letter, hard C, make it pop. Make it high pitched. “Sam COME”
Step 3: Make sure your dog knows what you want
Start with a regular 6’ leash at home with no distractions. If they come, treat them with a handful. If they don’t come, don’t call again, simply reel them in and give them a tiny treat. Why? Because coming to your feet always needs to be a good thing. Do this over and over until they are 95%+ successful. Now you are sure they know the command.
Rule 2: Use high value treats
You know what your dog loves. Now is the time to splurge on some cooked chicken chunks or beef cubes. This is a hard behavior to train so make sure the motivation is as high as possible.
Rule 3: Don’t get angry when they don’t come
It just makes them want to stay away. Be patient. Always be a good place to be.
Rule 4: Release them after they get the treat 9 times out of 10
If you always end their play when they come, it makes them want to avoid coming to you.
Rule 5: Every repetition has to be successful
Do I say come 10 times before he comes? Does he ignore it when he’s doing something interesting? Does he get away with just coming close? I have allowed that to be the recall. When really what the recall is, is coming right here to my feet, when I call, no matter what he is doing. What we settle for is what becomes habit. Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. They are on a leash. You are in control. Every rep can be perfect.
Step 4: Increase distance
In your yard or a quiet park:
Move to a 15’ leash. Work up to 95%+ success, then…
Move to a 30’ leash. Work up to 95%+ success, then…
Step 5: Add distractions (still on a long leash)
Add a person. Work up to 95%+ success, then…
Add more people. Work up to 95%+ success, then…
Add a dog. Work up to 95%+ success, then…
Do it in a busier park. Work up to 95%+ success, then…
Step 6: Remove the leash (in a fenced area).
We’re going to give them the place to go and the poppy cue. If they ignore us we are going to walk after them until we can get them by the collar. Be patient. Don’t get angry and don’t talk to your dog. Eventually, your sternness and determination will un-nerve them and you will get your hand on the collar.
Walk them calmly back to where you called them. Small treat (Rule 3)
Release them (Rule 4)
Work up to 95%+ success, then…
Step 7: Increase distance (Still in a fenced area)
Find a larger fenced area. Work up to 95%+ success, then…
Step 8: Add distractions (Still in a fenced area)
Add a person. Work up to 95%+ success, then…
Add more people. Work up to 95%+ success, then…
Add a dog. Work up to 95%+ success, then…
Do it in a busier park. Work up to 95%+ success, then…
You are done.
Our goal is to convince our dog that they will end up at your feet 100% of the time when you call. This is a form of learned helplessness that could save their life. Arguably the most important behavior you will train.
