Teaching Recall

Hi Guys,

Just wanting to get some advice on teaching recall for my little one.

She's just over 7 months now; and I've started letting her go off-lead at the park when there's not many people around - her behaviour's been heaps better since she's started to have a little more freedom! So I' m keen to try and keep it fairly regular...

When it's just us, she's usually pretty good with recall - although a bit stubborn at times!

However, when there's any distractions around (either people or other dogs) - I have no chance of getting her attention! She not a menace by any means... just wants to play and say hello - but I'm conscious of always needing to have control of her.

Has anyone got any tips or ideas as to how I can teach her better recall?

I don't want to limit her off-lead time, so the sooner I can get her behaving the way I want the better

Chicken!

Mav although in a different stage as only 15 weeks, is really good with recall if he knows I have chicken, walks fine, doesn't stray too far but that's a puppy thing, and happy to come back if he sees people coming to chicken, to slip a lead on even though he's super excited to meet/see them, and will pull on the lead after.

getting him used to the command "this way" for if I don't want him to come back but to just carry on the walk if he's straying too far, pestering people too much.

She is beautiful !!! Sorry am no help, I don't trust my boy off the lead other than at home ! Someone with some good advice and experience will be along soon I'm sure

I'd suggest two things. The first is that you start your recall training at home so that she knows that 'come' in fact means 'come here and get something yummy'. Just start pairing the word 'come' with a treat when she's standing next to you until just saying the word gets a reaction. You then call her from nearby, and then further so from another room or in the garden, each and every time giving her a treat. You can do this at random times and when she's not expecting it.

Then do the same thing out and about. Call her when you don't need her to come for a specific reason, just to consolidate. In fact, I'd say don't call her if you don't think she'll come otherwise you'll end up calling and her ignoring you, which then teaches her that ignoring you is an option. You want to set her up to succeed each and every time.

That might mean, for the time being, step two in the training process - using a long line. I know you don't want to restrict off-lead time but it is something that necessary sometimes, and for the purpose it should be temporary. The idea is to use a long training line to still give her the freedom to make a choice to come from further away and get the reward for it, but at the same time limiting how distracted she can get (and also how much of a pest to other people!).

Whether you use chicken, cheese, dried fish... find a treat that's a big one for your own dog. Some dogs even work better for toys. The aim is that the treat should be the best thing ever and outweigh other fun things. Just do be aware if you are giving a lot of treats that they should be a part of daily rations and shouldn't be too fatty or full of rubbish.

You need a special recall word, not the dogs name, ours is Look. When you call it they always get a really good treat, save their favourite treat just for this.

'Come' is the most commonly used command, and it's not a word that is easily confused with another. 'Look at that' is another command that's very useful if you hit a worried period so I personally wouldn't use 'look' for 'come'. However, you can really use any word you like as the dog has no idea what it means until he starts associating it with a reward for a specific action.

Just remember dogs only understand basic and specific things using one word commands will work best than a sentence soon as she does what you want give her a treat

Thanks for the advice everyone!

I do have a 5m line, that I use when I take her to the beach - so I'll try that or get an even longer line to practice her recall at the park.

I'll have to put the training on hold for a bit though, as the poor things picked up kennel cough this week

Aww what a shame hope shes better soon.