Recall is truly the single most important skill your dog will learn in their lifetime. It’s not an overstatement to say it could save their life. But more than that, a reliable recall brings freedom to you and your dog. When you know your dog will come running back to you, every time, you’ll find yourself giving it new freedom outdoors and in more situations.
Learn: Recall is Game
Your mentality when approaching recall is that it should be one of the most fun, rewarding things your dog does every day.
Make it fun
The recall command should be the signal for fun. I can’t stress this enough. The single biggest mistake people make is that they really only recall their dog to signal the end of fun – leaving the dog park, getting out of the pool, etc. They’re inadvertently punishing their dog for a successful recall.
Make it rewarding
Whatever your dog is motivated by, make that the pot of gold at the end of the recall rainbow. For my dog it’s cheese and I joke that the recall whistle around my neck is really the “cheese whistle.” Before most off-leash trail walks, I throw a stick of string cheese in my pocket reserved for rewarding recall.
Make it consistent
There are two places where it’s critical to be consistent (especially during the learning phase). First is in the enforcement of the recall. We’ll use a long line for this and take care not to ever let them “blow off” a recall once the command is given. Second, we’ll need total constancy with the rewards. We won’t give the command unless we’re ready to reward.
Practice. Practice. Practice.
Like an athlete, we want the kind of repetition that builds muscle memory. We want an instant, almost involuntary reaction to hearing that whistle. My own dog gets recalled about 3 times every walk and we typically do a couple walks a day on our local trail. She’s four years old. 3 * 2 * 365 * 4 = 8,760 recalls so far.
Learn: Incremental Learning
Everything we teach our dogs must be broken down into smaller, clearer steps. Before we jump into the exercises, let's take a moment to talk about what we're building up to through the eyes of our dog and their relationship to this new sound (whether it's a whistle or a specific word you call out).
The sound is relevant and valuable. "Wait, was that for me?" Just like a human, your dog is going to hear lots of whistles, sounds, bangs, bells, and words in their lifetime – only a few of which have meaning for them. The very first thing we need to do is show them that this is one of the relevant ones."Whoah! Every time I hear it, I get to __. I love this sound!" By pairing it with a high value reward, your dog quickly learns it's not just relevant to them, it's valuable to them. It always predicts fun.
Following the sound is the game. "Oooh, run TO the sound! I get it." It's likely that after the first few rewards, your dog will naturally want to move towards this new sound. The sound is the beginning of the game.
Following the sound is required. "Ah, looks like I MUST run to the sound." Once we start moving into areas with more distractions and competing sources of fun, there will come a moment where we have to communicate that this isn't actually an option. We'll use a long line to enforce the recall so they get the picture that this isn't actually an option.
Following the sound is habit. "I can't remember a time when I didn't run to the sound." With enough repetition the habit of following the sound will become "classically conditioned" – they hear the whistle and their body just moves in response like it has a thousand times before.
Exercise: The Slingshot Game
Our goal with this exercise is to get your dog very excited about someone they can’t reach. We’ll hold them back to generate some drive and frustration, issue the recall command, and then release them to go get their reward (usually a toy, a ball, but sometimes a high value food reward).
Recommended equipment:
A recall whistle, a 20ft+ long line, a harness, and a high value reward (toy, ball, or treat).
The setup:
On one side, a helper is holding your dog back with a short line (or holding their harness itself if it has a handle). You’ll be standing at the other end of the long line, ready to pull in the slack as your dog runs to you. You’ll also have the reward in hand and the recall whistle in your mouth.
Steps:
Dance around and throw a party with the toy. Bounce the ball, smack the tug toy on the ground, do whatever it takes to get your dog’s toes tapping!
Your dog will pull on their harness, bark, and try to break free and join the party. Imagine your dog’s drive/desire as a pressure valve getting higher. You know your dog enough to know when the excitement is boiling over into frustration. Be sensible and safe.
Blow the whistle and have the helper release your dog.
As your dog is running towards you, bring in the line and run backwards. Dogs have a natural instinct to chase during play. Make fun noises but try to avoid repeating their name or saying “come”. We really want that whistle to be the signal they associate with this game.
Once they get to you, mark (“Yes!”) and reward.
Reset.
After a few repetitions, when you’re sure your dog understands the game, raise the difficulty level gradually by increasing the distance.
TIPS AND TRICKS
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If your dog loses interest on the way or gets distracted (it can happen with puppies especially) try decreasing the distance, switching rewards, or increasing your silliness level as you rile them up.
Note about high-drive dogs and harnessing frustration
Careful with overly frustrating dogs and using a helper the dog doesn’t know well. A frustrated dog can boil over and excitement can turn into a frustrated bite. Be safe and consider the dog you're working with.
Watch for frustrated "redirection" back on the volunteer restraining the dog. If you see even a whiff of a nip or bearing of teeth back your helper, then skip this exercise.
If your dog is so amped up to get at the toy and they're launching at you like a missile, make sure they first understand "bit targeting" and you know how to properly and safely deliver toy rewards to dogs that love to bite.
If your dog has any resource guarding around toys, building frustration with a toy reward may not be a good option. We'll either switch to food or skip to the more low-key "Ping Pong" exercise.
Exercise: The Ping-Pong Game
We're building on the previous exercise here. Now that your dog has some concept that the whistle (or your verbal command) means something to them and always predicts something great, this exercise teaches introduces the the idea of running to the person who blew the whistle.
Recommended equipment:
Volunteers (two is okay, three is better), a recall whistle for each volunteer, a 20ft+ long line, a collar, high value rewards (toy, ball, or treat), and lots of space. This one is a little more fluid and active, so put some comfy shoes on!
The setup:
In a field, you'll set up in a triangle position with the other volunteers and generally move in a clockwise rotation. As one person interacts with the dog, one of the other volunteers should situate themselves at the other end of the long line and be ready to reel the dog in if needed. They blow the whistle, wave at the dog (so they understand who blew the whistle), and reward the dog when it lands at their feet.
On one side, a helper is holding your dog back with a short line (or holding their harness itself if it has a handle). You’ll be standing at the other end of the long line, ready to pull in the slack as your dog runs to you. You’ll also have the reward in hand and the recall whistle in your mouth.
Steps:
Move in a circle so the dog drags the long line around.
Each volunteer should try and get at the other end of the line. If that's you, make sure you have the line in hand and…
Blow the whistle, wave at the dog (so they know who gave the command).
As your dog is running towards you, bring in the line and run backwards. Dogs have a natural instinct to chase during play. Make fun noises but try to avoid repeating their name or saying “come”.
Once they get to you, mark (“Yes!”) and reward.
While steps 4 and 5 are happening, the next volunteer should be getting in place at the other end of the long line to repeat the game.
After a few repetitions, when you’re sure your dog understands the game, raise the difficulty level gradually by increasing the distance.
TIPS AND TRICKS
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To ensure success, always have that long line in hand. It's tempting to feel like you can skip this step but don't! If you do need to reel them in, still give them a reward but consider stopping the exercise for the session.
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If you have to use the long line to reel them in, it's important that you do this quickly and do not give the command again. What you're going for is a single command and one continuous movement all the way to your feet.
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If you have to reel them in, continue to give them a reward when they land at your feet. However, consider that it may be time to take a break for a while or for the day. What you don't want to do is press on and keep reeling them in with the long line, decreasing their affection for the sound and their desire to run to you when recalled.
Adding reliability
Once your dog is recalling 20-30 times in a row in multiple environments without having to be reeled in with the long line, then you're reaching a level where you might be able to trust them off leash in new scenarios (hiking, camping, etc). It's the dream!
However, many dog owners want some measure of extra safety even when their dog has rock solid recall. Especially conscientious owners may want to reassure others that they have some sort of physical connection to their dog. This is where we can discuss introducing the e-collar! I don't write lessons about e-collar training here but I'm happy to teach this skill in an in-person lesson. I use the "lowest perceptible level" e-collar training for people who want off-leash reliability and who are committed to compassionate and mindful training. When used correctly it's an amazing, low impact tool that has the potential of opening up a world of off-leash freedom for many dogs.
Homework
10-15 MINUTES • 2-3 TIMES A DAY
You can practice each of these exercises in succession. However, once your dog starts understanding the recall game, most people find that the "Ping Pong" exercise is the most fun for everyone to practice.
Just make sure you keep your sessions short and fun. If you have to reel your dog in with the long line more than once, then it's very likely time to finish the session.