One of the most sought after behaviors from dog guardians is the recall (come when called) and this, of course, makes perfect sense. It is soooo annoying when you are calling your dog to come in from the backyard for dinner, or away from your neighbor’s cat only to find your dog so focused on that much more fun activity than whatever you happened to have in mind. There are certainly other very valid reasons why we want and need our dogs to come to us when called: safety. In their wild past, dogs did not have cars zipping by in their environment, and before domestication they didn’t have a guardian to return to for an all prepared meal.
As much as our request is valid there are also misplaced expectations and lack of know-how when it comes to having a pup respond with the same enthusiasm of the chance of a second date with just the right person!
People expect their dogs to come to them just because they have a particular need at that time. The need to move inside, leave the dog park or to keep the pet safe. Dogs, on the other hand, would almost always much rather do their thing: chasing aanyything that moves, follow a scent (so that they can find it and chase it…) investigate a noise or a potential pal or just plain lay in the sun. So the bottom line is this: you must find whatever motivates your dog so that when you want him/her to come to you they will. No motivation to come -from their point of view, remember? No recall- it's that simple!
Trainers, like guardians, also need to have their pets come to them. And as you probably guessed it, we also need to practice and practice with our pups if we want to stand any chance of a recall. Once a dog is not a puppy any longer (and a very young puppy) the natural tendency of coming when called goes by the waist side.
I practice recall with Deuce every day. We have a new “game” as part of our recall repertoire. Yeah, make it a game for your dog and you will see better results - you will see rocket-speed recalls.
What I love about this form of recall is that it incorporates some very powerful reinforces for dogs: predation and anticipation.
Predation – A food acquisition behavior which is one of the strongest motivations in dogs. Every dog has it. Period. Learning to work with predation is not only a lot of fun but very smart because when it comes to “natural” behaviors (the pre-wiring in dogs brains) it is wiser to acknowledge it and work with it rather than to "attempt” to extinguish it. No luck here.
Expectation. Ahh… I can relate… I don’t know about you, but so many times in my life the expectation (thinking about, imaging it and the planning aspect) of a desired upcoming event has been much more satisfying than the actual event.
I use expectation a lot in my training with my own dogs and my client's dogs. I can create a pins & needles scenario by the use of my voice (changing the pitch to a high pitch is one way of doing it) by my movement here -- direction and a random pattern are helpful. I love to watch the dog waiting, waiting for your next move, the next throw or release cue.
If you too would like to have a super reliable recall while you have fun working with your dog, follow the plan below. A couple words of caution though: be mindful that once your dog is coming at ya with rocket speed to get to the toy/ball it might be wise to let go of the object otherwise your arm holding the toy might be bent backwards causing discomfort or pain. In my case, I need to hold on to the toy instead of releasing because Deuce still loves to keep the toy for himself. If I hold on to the tug toy, then we can engage in a quick game of tug before resetting once again.
Secondly, please use common sense when practicing this game or any other activity with your off-leash dog. Be realistic about what your dog can handle and the potential dangers of your pup not coming back to you and getting into real trouble.
The Rocket Speed Recall:
See video link below.
• Hold your dog’s favorite toy or ball. Show the item to your dog and move it around to grab your dog’s attention. Do not use your recall cue just get the dog interested in playing with the toy.
• When he is focused on the toy and close to you, open your legs and hold the toy behind your open legs so that your dog goes thru as well.
• Repeat over and over to get the dog going through the legs.
• When the dog is going thru your legs with no hesitation, put the dog on a sit/stay about 10 ft. away.
• Call the dog with whatever verbal cue you are using in a happy tone (high pitch tone of voice).
• When saying the verbal cue send the dog through
• Delay the throwing until you're sure that the dog will go through your legs. If the dog attempts to go around, delay the throw.
• Only throw when the dog has gone thru the legs.
• Throw the object behind you (and thru legs) as horizontally as possible (instead of upward) to maximize on the chase aspect of it.
• Take it on the road by asking your dog when he/she less expectant to come to you, as you produce the toy/ball and open your legs.
• Practice where you want the dog to perform. And do practice often!
As much as our request is valid there are also misplaced expectations and lack of know-how when it comes to having a pup respond with the same enthusiasm of the chance of a second date with just the right person!
People expect their dogs to come to them just because they have a particular need at that time. The need to move inside, leave the dog park or to keep the pet safe. Dogs, on the other hand, would almost always much rather do their thing: chasing aanyything that moves, follow a scent (so that they can find it and chase it…) investigate a noise or a potential pal or just plain lay in the sun. So the bottom line is this: you must find whatever motivates your dog so that when you want him/her to come to you they will. No motivation to come -from their point of view, remember? No recall- it's that simple!
Trainers, like guardians, also need to have their pets come to them. And as you probably guessed it, we also need to practice and practice with our pups if we want to stand any chance of a recall. Once a dog is not a puppy any longer (and a very young puppy) the natural tendency of coming when called goes by the waist side.
I practice recall with Deuce every day. We have a new “game” as part of our recall repertoire. Yeah, make it a game for your dog and you will see better results - you will see rocket-speed recalls.
What I love about this form of recall is that it incorporates some very powerful reinforces for dogs: predation and anticipation.
Predation – A food acquisition behavior which is one of the strongest motivations in dogs. Every dog has it. Period. Learning to work with predation is not only a lot of fun but very smart because when it comes to “natural” behaviors (the pre-wiring in dogs brains) it is wiser to acknowledge it and work with it rather than to "attempt” to extinguish it. No luck here.
Expectation. Ahh… I can relate… I don’t know about you, but so many times in my life the expectation (thinking about, imaging it and the planning aspect) of a desired upcoming event has been much more satisfying than the actual event.
I use expectation a lot in my training with my own dogs and my client's dogs. I can create a pins & needles scenario by the use of my voice (changing the pitch to a high pitch is one way of doing it) by my movement here -- direction and a random pattern are helpful. I love to watch the dog waiting, waiting for your next move, the next throw or release cue.
If you too would like to have a super reliable recall while you have fun working with your dog, follow the plan below. A couple words of caution though: be mindful that once your dog is coming at ya with rocket speed to get to the toy/ball it might be wise to let go of the object otherwise your arm holding the toy might be bent backwards causing discomfort or pain. In my case, I need to hold on to the toy instead of releasing because Deuce still loves to keep the toy for himself. If I hold on to the tug toy, then we can engage in a quick game of tug before resetting once again.
Secondly, please use common sense when practicing this game or any other activity with your off-leash dog. Be realistic about what your dog can handle and the potential dangers of your pup not coming back to you and getting into real trouble.
The Rocket Speed Recall:
See video link below.
• Hold your dog’s favorite toy or ball. Show the item to your dog and move it around to grab your dog’s attention. Do not use your recall cue just get the dog interested in playing with the toy.
• When he is focused on the toy and close to you, open your legs and hold the toy behind your open legs so that your dog goes thru as well.
• Repeat over and over to get the dog going through the legs.
• When the dog is going thru your legs with no hesitation, put the dog on a sit/stay about 10 ft. away.
• Call the dog with whatever verbal cue you are using in a happy tone (high pitch tone of voice).
• When saying the verbal cue send the dog through
• Delay the throwing until you're sure that the dog will go through your legs. If the dog attempts to go around, delay the throw.
• Only throw when the dog has gone thru the legs.
• Throw the object behind you (and thru legs) as horizontally as possible (instead of upward) to maximize on the chase aspect of it.
• Take it on the road by asking your dog when he/she less expectant to come to you, as you produce the toy/ball and open your legs.
• Practice where you want the dog to perform. And do practice often!
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