How to Improve Your Dogs Recall

A reliable dogs recall is most important command you can teach your dogs .Reliable recall means when you call your dog to come, you want to be 99.99% sure they are going to enthusiastically respond on your call. Dogs are not robots, so there is never any guarantee that they will listen to your call, but with a lifesaving skill like recall, we are working towards them being as consistent as possible.

Let me guess, your dog doesn’t always come when you called? Or does your dog out the door as soon as it’s opened and run away? Does your dog take off & chase anything that moves? Trust me guys you’re not alone. It’s happened to all of us mostly, and this can be really tough during a dog rebellious adolescent stage.

If you want to train your dog to reliably come when called this post is for you. These simple tips will help improve your dogs recall.

When Training Recall Use Consistency & Be Patient

Consistency and patience is the important key when it comes to training a dog. When you start teaching your dog to “come here” the rewards must be given readily & excitedly to dog. Clearly communicate to your dog regularly that coming to you was the best choice they’ve ever made.

Well don’t rush out and try to train a new behavior in a 3 hour long session. Dog’s don’t have the longest attention spans so keep the training sessions short and sweet. If your dogs start to show signs of growing bored pack it in for the day and start again tomorrow.

Method

First of all ensure that your dog must know their name. To teach this have your dog very close to you, always say their name and reward.

Choose a special word or sound as your recall cue for your dog that you use ONLY when you want your dog to return. It should be short and sharp, for example verbal cues like ‘come’, or a whistle.

Start in your garden or another enclosed space with some tasty treats in a pouch or your pocket always. If you need to, get your dog’s attention with their name, then you use your recall cue and take a step away from them.

As return to you reward with praise and a tasty treat. Gradually increase the distance between you and your dog and the level of distractions you call them away from.

Recall Games

Catch Me: While walking your dog on-leash, get their attention, then turn around & run a few steps. As your pup moves with you, say “come!” or whichever verbal recall cue you’re using. After a few steps, stop & reward with something like a treat or a toy. Make sure that your dog is paying attention before you run, to ensure they don’t get yanked by the leash.

Find Me: Once your dogs have gotten the hang of recall, a fun game to play to build speed is to call them from another room. When your dogs find you, offer lots of praise & rewards. This hide-and-seek-like game is a lot of fun for both pets and people!

Hot Potato: Well take two or more family members or friends and give them high-value treats. Next, stand apart & take turns calling your dog b/w you. Reward your dog every time they come to the person who called them.

A most common training mistake is to recall the dog, put the leash on, and go home. Dogs will likely learn to view recall as a sign that the fun is over. One good method of practice is to recall, praise, & treat, then release your dogs to return to whatever fun thing they were doing before.

How to Improve Your Dogs Recall – Dogs and Dog