Why does recall so often fail?

The main reason is that we are the ‘fun Police’… come in from the garden and stop barking at the birds.. stop chasing leaves and get put on lead… stop playing and get put on lead… stop rolling in fox poo etc… This is because we inadvertently teach come FROM something which they are already enjoying. You can see this when the dog looks at you and then runs off or carries on doing what they were.

So, we are going to reverse this as a come TO game so that fun continues (mostly)

Elastic recall

  • Start with some games of keep an eye/off you go initially in a quiet location with minimal distractions
  • With your dog at your side, throw a treat out away from you – taking a step forward in the same direction (like throwing a bowling ball) – the dog will run out to get it
  • As the dog looks back at you as they have eaten that piece click/mark and then rotate 180 degrees and throw the food with the same arm so the dog runs back to towards and then past you
  • Repeat 5-10 times

This is teaching the initial stage that looking at you makes the game continue…

  • On the final repetition, stay facing the dog and encourage them into you – throw multiple treats on the floor one at a time to keep the dog with you and cushion the disappointment that the game has stopped. Or hand them over one at a time.

Next stage: start to increase how far the dog turns and starts to come towards you before turning and throwing the next treat

  • Repeat the game, but start to delay that your click/mark so that they are already on the way back
  • You can start to add in your recall cue at this time – as they look up and start to come back – call out ‘come’ and then toss the treat in the other direction

Repeat over and over until you use the final repetition step above.

Extending the learning

  • Build this up in repetitions in a quiet location, using your long line to get more distance from the dog
  • Start to add in ‘not that.. this’ when the dog is a short distance from you – build this up with your long line
  • Start to practice in increasingly difficult situations – remember that if it fails, your dog is highly likely to be overwhelmed emotionally and literally doesnt hear you. Go and retrieve them and unpick why this may have happened so you can build your practice towards solving this