If I had to only teach my dogs one thing, it would be a strong recall. It’s my personal opinion that this is the most important thing for any dog to know. It protects your dog on so many levels. If your dog doesn’t understand or respect you when you tell him to come, he could find himself in both physical and legal danger.
The supplies you will need include your training collar (I like to have a clear difference between when my dog is playing, and when my dog is working, so I use a different collar for each), a long leash (20 ft. training leash or a lunge line for a horse), plenty of treats, and a great attitude (and if your dog has yet to learn stay, which will be covered in an upcoming post, you will need a partner).
Like I always say, start small. Put your dog in a stay (or have your partner hold him if he isn’t that far along yet). Back away about five feet, holding the training leash. Tell him “come”, (if you’re using a partner, now is a great time for your partner to let go of the dog), and hold out a treat for him. If he hesitates, give a small tug on the leash. The moment he starts moving in your direction, give him an excited “good dog!” and treat him when he comes to you. Repeat until your dog can come to you at a five foot distance without you having to give him a tug.
When your dog runs to you on the “come” command, you can start backing away little by little. Next, try ten feet. When that’s solid, try fifteen, and so on and so forth, until you get to the end of your lead. If he misses the command, go back a step. Keep lessons short as to avoid distraction and discouragement. Ten to fifteen minute sessions will be perfect. Also, always end on a good note.
Once your dog can come to you from across the room or the yard, it’s time to introduce distractions. Start with a couple toys on the ground. Tell him come, and if his attention sways at the toys, give him that little tug at the leash again. You can also use this to teach the “leave it” command. Simply say “leave it”, and have him continue on his way. Even if he had a bit of distraction, he should always get a “good dog” and a treat when he comes to you.
After he can come without getting distracted by toys on the home front, it’s time to take his lessons into public. A park with a few other people hanging out is a perfect spot. Set him up, either with “stay” or your partner gently holding onto him, and step back ten to fifteen feet. Tell him to “come”, and nudge him along if he succumbs to distraction. When he masters this, you can then step back a few feet. Have him come a few times at each distance, until you can recall him at the end of the leash. Now it’s time to give him a fun car ride (or walk) home, and a well deserved rest. Tomorrow is a big day for him.
Since your dog can now come to you from a distance with distractions, it’s time to take his lessons off leash. Do this if, and ONLY if his on leash recall is solid (meaning he comes every time, the first time, no matter what is going on). When teaching an off leash recall, safety should be your number one concern. Begin in an enclosed area (like your living room, or a fenced in yard). Don’t make too big a deal out of it. Set him up, and tell him to come. Reward him when he does. If he takes advantage of not being on leash, go back to using a leash for a while.
Treat this the same way you did when you trained your on leash recall. When he learns to come off leash without distractions, great! Now add a few. Again, toys are a great way to start. Set him up for his recall. Find an appropriate distance (start small), and tell him to come. If he looks at a toy, give him your “leave it” command, and reward him when he gets to you. Continue this until he can come to you from a distance with distractions.
Even after your dog is coming to you every time, with or without distractions, on or off leash, the recall is so important that it’s something that needs to be practiced daily. Give your dog the “come” command when you go to put her leash on, or when coming inside from playing in the yard. Incorporate this is every day circumstances, and in future training.
In my next post, I will cover exercising your dog, and why it’s so necessary for poochy.
