Incorporate your dog's recall obedience training into everyday life
As pet parents, we do a lot of things right. But, since we're all striving to better ourselves for our furry friends, let's touch on something that can be a sticky subject to tackle in dog training.
The Recall. Come. Get over here. COME BACK NOW. Yep, that dreaded moment when, no matter what, your doggy just won't come. Commands/cues (sit, come, down, etc.) always seem to work beautifully in our backyard or our nice quiet kitchen, but as soon as you add a few distractions, it can feel like all Hell broke loose.
A solid recall isn't only necessary to save you from the "Sorry, my dog is totally out of control!" walk of shame, but it's vital for your pup's safety.
Below are a few easy-to-incorporate dog training tips that can become part of your daily routine and help build a better, beautiful recall.
Don't say it if you can't enforce it. This one is hard because we hardly use the word come unless we need our dog to come here right now. But each time you give your dog a cue (like come) and they don't respond, you're making that cue less effective. Think about when someone says your name over and over, but they never really want anything or have valuable information to relay. They just say your name a bunch (if you're a mom, imagine all the times a day you hear 'mom mom mom mom' for no reason). You eventually just start tuning out the word that you're hearing constantly because it has no value to you. So if you always shout at your dog to come but you aren't offering a reward and you can't enforce it, it just becomes obsolete in your pup's brain. The way you avoid the nightmare of having an ineffective and sloppy recall is by controlling the situation and practicing without the option of failure. Set yourself and your pup up for success by attaching a long line to their collar. With a long line attached during dog training, you'll be able to control how far your pup goes, reel them back to you, then offer them a high-value reward.
Start training without distractions. Training the recall doesn't start outside with a gaggle of wild pups running around; training a solid recall starts in your quiet, empty kitchen. Grab a handful of your pup's breakfast before he's had a chance to eat, put his long line on (yes, even in the house), and say his name in an extra happy, excited voice. Then, while facing your dog, start running away backward. The second he starts to follow you, go ahead and cue, "Come!" and reward him once he gets to you. If you choose to do marker training, you can mark the behavior (your pup running toward you) with your clicker and reward.
Go over step 2. Again, and again, and again. Your dog doesn't need to eat his breakfast out of a bowl. In fact, turning mealtime into training time is an excellent way to build engagement and work on training new skills. Keep the training sessions fun and engaging, and stop before your dog seems burnt out. Remember, your goal is to teach your dog that coming to you is the best, most fun thing in the world.
Give the command/cue 'come' one time only. You should never give a command repeatedly. I know how tempting it is, but it's not productive. If you tell your dog to come five times and they finally listen on the sixth, all you've done is taught your pup that it's okay to ignore the word 'come' five times first. If you have the longline attached, say the word once (and use an extra happy tone of voice!), and if they don't respond, give them a tiny bit of pressure on the leash to direct them you're way and reward the heck out of them with a treat party when they get to you.
Add in distractions bit by bit. Don't go from zero to sixty. When dog training, it's essential to add in new challenges slowly. Meaning, that once your pup is running to you from any corner of the house, don't go right into a crazy dog park. Instead, move to your back or front yard and increase their reward value if they seem less interested in engaging with you. So, if kibble isn't generating excitement, try small bites of shredded chicken.
Recall training your dog involves reading your dog's body language and consistently rewarding the correct behavior. Be prepared to offer a high-value reward for a job well done. Suppose you move outside to work on your pup's recall and notice that they're not overly enthusiastic about paying attention to you, or they seem more interested in the birds around them than their kibble reward. In that case, you need to make the game of 'come' more fun than the new distractions. Increase the reward value, and act so freaking excited when they get to you. The more enthusiastic you are, the more your dog will believe that engaging with you is the best thing ever.
Proof your recall dog training. When you proof your dog, it means you are testing how your pup will respond to your command under distractions. A proofing situation is one that you can control so that you have the ability to redirect your dog to the right behavior. To proof your dog on a recall, head into an open field or large area with their longline attached (the longer, the better). Have a friend help you out on this one, and ask them throw to throw a ball, or bring their dog out (on a leash) or jog by - whatever you know will create a challenge for your dog. Arrange a signal ahead of time with your friend, which means they should stop all movement and freeze...something like waving your hand around works well. As soon as you see your dog shows any interest in the distraction (your friend), use a really excited voice, say your dog's name, and then firmly say 'Come!' If your dog's attention doesn't redirect to you, and they don't start running your way, use the signal to tell your friend to stop. Don't say anything else to your dog, but keep your hand on the long line and start backing away and making fun, happy, playful noises. The combination of lack of movement from your friend plus increased movement from you, and a little pressure on their leash will encourage your dog to turn toward you and come your way. As soon as they are facing you, say, 'Good come! good come!' and reward your dog with their high-value treat. Chicken breast again works great for this. If your dog is toy driven (meaning they'd rather tug on a toy than have a treat) you can offer a toy as well and a few seconds of play. Start incorporating this style of proofing into your dog training, but keep sessions short and continue to continue to train their recall in areas that have no distractions. It might seem unnecessary, but remember that each time your dog hears the cue and offers the right behavior, then gets a reward, you're training your pup's muscle memory to respond to the cue without thinking. By making 'come' something that your dog does every time without question, you create a safe, off-leash buddy who will listen to you regardless of what other exciting things may be happening around them.
The more you practice your recall correctly, the more reliable your dog will be in off-leash and distraction-filled settings.
Below is a clip of Kinley and I practicing her recall. She's already thoroughly trained with the cue 'come' and has been proofed (meaning I know that she will respond to my 'come' cue every time, even while under distraction). In this video, you'll notice that I get her attention first by saying her name, then once she's engaged with me I start to back away from her. Then I add the word, 'Come!' while backing away. This movement increases her desire to get to me.
Try an exercise like the one we're demonstrating, but make sure you're in a low distraction area with a long line attached. Are you looking for feedback on your recall training? Drop us a comment below, and we'll make sure you're headed in the right direction! Happy training! Give that Best K9 of yours a cuddle from us!
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