Training a Successful Recall

The first step to training a solid recall is picking your cue word. “Come!” is an obvious choice because it makes sense to us humans. Our dogs could care less about what word we choose, just make it concise.

Now it's time to give that word meaning. Have you ever had to spell the word W-A-L-K instead of saying it to prevent your dog from exploding into an excited frenzy? That's the kind of reaction we want when we say this magic word. Using your extremely desirable treats in a low-distraction room in your home, say the word and give your dog a treat. Sound’s too easy, right? At this stage, your dog doesn’t have to do anything to get the treat, you are just associating the word with the best treat EVER. Repeat this 10-20 times a day for a few days in a row. You will start to see your pup perk up when you say the word -that means you’re doing it right.

Always keep recall positive.
When your dog has a choice to come or not, you always want returning to you to be their best option. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you are recalling your dog.

Say the Magic Word… and then don’t.
When you say your magic word, only say it once! The more you say the word, the more your dog will ignore it. If they expect that you will keep saying it, there’s no rush for your dog to engage. You can always follow up with some leg pats, kissy sounds or baby voice to get them excited.

Recall Wisely
During the training phase, make sure you are not calling your dog when you are sure they are not going to come. If your dog loves chasing squirrels or is in a play-wrestling match with their best puppy friend and you know they won’t listen to you, don’t waste your time with recall. This not only gives them an opportunity to ignore the cue but allows them to decide if it’s actually worth it in a situation where it's probably not. Set your dog up for success by calling them in the moments in between activities. The more practice they get, the more reliable it will be when you need it.

Don’t Trick your Dog
Don’t use recall to call your dog into a situation they don’t like. This goes for bathtime, dogs that don’t like getting in the car, or crate time after they were out running around having fun. This is the way to quickly build up the opposite of recall -avoidance. Instead, give your dog a few minutes between playtime and crate-time to relax and adjust, better yet, teach them a crate specific cue. Use treats to lure your dog to the bath, they may still be upset, but at least your recall isn’t associated.

Oops…. Did I ruin my dog?
Are you guilty of some of these? Is your dog completely ignoring their recall? Its okay! The best thing you can do is introduce a brand new recall word that doesn’t have any previous associations. Make sure you go through the complete training process with your new word and you’ll be back to recalling in no time.