Picture this: you’re at your favourite dog-friendly beach, your pooch has decided to take off for a wander, and, try as you might, you just can’t get him to come back. You repeat his name time and time again, but you know he’s flat-out ignoring you in favour of whatever he’s sniffed out. Frustrating, right?
This is where recall comes in.
Recall is the ability to come when called. You may also hear it referred to as “reliable recall”, which is a term often used by dog trainers.
If the above scenario sounds exactly like you and your pupper, we’ve put together some recall training tips to help turn the situation around.
Why is recall important?
Among all the easy dog tricks and commands you can teach your pooch, recall might just be the most important.
If your dog is ever roaming off-leash, being able to come on command is crucial. It prevents your dog from running off and getting into trouble, especially in an area that isn’t fenced off.
You can use recall at the dog park, beach, or in social settings with lots of dogs and people. In these environments, recall can help your dog avoid clashes with other dogs, or get them out of sticky situations.
Recall training tips and tricks
Ready to give reliable recall a red-hot go? We’ve put together a few recall training tips so you can teach your dog to come on command.
As with most skills, it’s easiest to teach recall when your dog is still a puppy. However, it’s not entirely impossible to teach an old dog new tricks. It’ll just take a bit of extra time and patience.
Settle on a command and be consistent
The first step is to decide on the command you’d like to use to recall your pupper. Common ones include ‘come’, ‘here’, ‘close’, or the dog’s name.
Whatever you pick, the key is to be consistent so your dog associates the word with recall. You should also ensure you only use the command when it’s likely to work. If your dog is distracted and you keep repeating the word over and over, your pooch may start to ignore you and the command.
If you find your doggo isn’t responding to a certain cue or ignores it after some time, they may not be associating it with recall. The solution here is to start recall training from scratch using an entirely new cue.
Use your doggo’s favourite incentive
The next step is to pick a training incentive that works for your dog. Perhaps they like a particular toy, yummy dog treats, or simply a big rub on their belly.
Whatever the case, you want to make sure the incentive is something they only get during training. This ensures your pupper can differentiate between regular and special treats, and is more likely to respond to the command. After all, why go the extra mile if they know they can get the very same treat any old day?
Start indoors
The first time you try recall training, do it indoors. This stops your dog from being able to run off, potentially into a dangerous situation – like oncoming traffic! Try to get rid of distractions, too, so your doggo can focus on the training.
Position your dog, move away from them, then show them the treat you’ve prepared. Use praise as they start to move towards you, and when they come over, reward them for their good behaviour.
Repeat this a few times before adding your command. When you notice your dog is moving toward you, you can say ‘here’, ‘come’, or whatever word you’ve picked. This allows your dog to build an association between the word and the action.
Eventually, you can hide the treat until they come over and then phase out the treat entirely. With a bit (or a lot!) of practice, your pooch will only need the verbal command in order to respond.
Then, move outdoors
Once your dog is confident with indoor recall, you can take your training outdoors. Start in an enclosed area like your garden or a fenced-off dog park, in case they get distracted and run off. You can also use a long lead when training outdoors. This allows you to control your dog should they try to bolt.
One thing to note when doing recall training outdoors: never chase your dog if they start to run. They may see this as a game and take off, or worse, head straight into a dangerous situation. Instead, run away from your dog using your chosen recall command, in an effort to make them chase you.
Keep things positive
No matter what kind of training you’re doing with your pupper, the key is to make the experience a happy one.
Positive reinforcement training means rewarding any kind of progress, whether it’s merely looking at you (hopefully with the intent to come on over) or successfully plonking themselves down at your feet.
Never punish your pooch, even if they take a long time to come or if they don’t come at all. You want your dog to feel excited and motivated to keep doing the trick, not deterred.
Also avoid using recall only when you need to go home from somewhere like the dog park or beach. Your dog will start to associate recall with what they perceive as a negative experience: ending their fun. Instead, use recall a few times throughout their activities so they can go back to enjoying themselves. That way, they’ll see the command as a neutral one.
Recall training games
If you’d like to make recall training a little more fun, there’s a bunch of games you can play. Here are some of our favourites.
Hide and seek
Level-up your recall training with a game of hide and seek at home. All you need to do is slip into another room and call your dog using your chosen command. As soon as they find you, reward them with a treat or belly rub. Then, you can hide in a different room to continue the game.
Collective calling
If you’ve got friends and family keen to get in on the fun, this is a great game to play. Get the group to stand in a circle, each with a treat in hand. Take it in turns to call your dog using your chosen recall command. Then, get whoever called your dog to reward them with a treat. Not only is this game very entertaining for your dog, but it also gets them used to being called by other people.
Run and catch
This activity is ideal in a fenced-in outdoor area. Grab a bag of your doggo’s favourite treats and place a single treat on the ground. As they’re gobbling it up, run away from your dog and use your chosen recall command to get them to come over to you. When they do, place another treat on the ground, run away, and repeat the command. We can guarantee your pooch will get a real thrill out of chasing you around!
