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.
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
☝️
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.
☝️
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.
☝️
Don’t wear your dog out so they loose interest too quickly. Remember, if they poop out and blow off a recall, you just lowered your success rate of the next recall. Better to have 5 successful reps versus 20 successes with 1 failure.
☝️
Careful with overly frustrating dogs and a helper the dog doesn’t know. A frustrated dog can boil over excitement can turn into a frustrated bite redirected at the helper. Again, you know your dog.
☝️
If your dog isn’t motivated by toys and you’re using food rewards, consider doing this before mealtime. It may sound obvious but dogs with full bellies are less motivated by food. And this exercise requires high food motivation.
Exercise: The Ping-Pong 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
☝️
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.
☝️
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.
☝️
Don’t wear your dog out so they loose interest too quickly. Remember, if they poop out and blow off a recall, you just lowered your success rate of the next recall. Better to have 5 successful reps versus 20 successes with 1 failure.
☝️
Careful with overly frustrating dogs and a helper the dog doesn’t know. A frustrated dog can boil over excitement can turn into a frustrated bite redirected at the helper. Again, you know your dog.
☝️
If your dog isn’t motivated by toys and you’re using food rewards, consider doing this before mealtime. It may sound obvious but dogs with full bellies are less motivated by food. And this exercise requires high food motivation.
Homework
10-15 MINUTES • 2-3 TIMES A DAY
Both exercises can be practiced at once in the same training session. Remember, keep training sessions short and fun!
The Bigger Picture
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
Luring with food
Directional luring is an important concept in dog training for several reasons:
Speed of learning other skills: When we eventually teach your dog to stay in a heel position, do a spin, rollover, or jump through our arms, we'll need a way to guide their body. Luring helps us show them how to get into position easily and quickly.
Silent teaching: Luring lets your dog focus on the movement without the distraction or confusion of having to worry about a word or command. Once they understand the movement of a behavior, then we can "name" that movement with a command like "rollover!" or "spin" which pairs a word with a behavior they've already practiced a bunch with luring.
Low stress: Luring is a low-stress, fun way to teach new things. Dogs, just like humans, learn more quickly when stress is low.
Remember, the goal with luring is to eventually fade the lure so your dog performs the behavior without needing the incentive every time. It's a tool for teaching, not a permanent crutch.
Introducing the heel position
We want a dog that will heel next to us whether they're attached to a leash or not. Once we get to the "loose leash walking" lesson, things will be easier if we have a dog that's already eager to get into the heel position and is comfortable hanging out there.
This also gives you the opportunity to stack two fundamental dog training skills: mark-and-reward and directional luring. If dog training was basketball, this drill is like practicing walking and dribbling the ball; we'll get to shooting baskets later.
The really big picture
Zoom out again and there’s something else we’re shaping–your relationship with your dog. Dogs really do like to learn, they enjoy completing tasks, and they want a job to do. By setting boundaries and expectations for them, you’re setting yourself up as the teacher in their life and the person they look to for leadership. You’re the one they should look to if they’re confused, they’re scared, or otherwise in need. You're the person that provides constancy and stability.
Dog training is so much more than teaching tricks and rigid obedience. Through training we’re strengthening our bond. If they stick with us and follow our lead, the world makes sense.