5 Cardinal Rules of Recall
A mash up of clips showing successful recalls with 2 pups & 1 kitty. The first two clips show the result of my working with separate clients whose pups needed some recall help. The last clip is of my cat, whom I also trained in recall.
One of the top training requests I receive is training a reliable recall. My clients recite a common dream to have their pup 1) off-leash in a public space and 2) come back 100% of the time. Recall is often not great with our pups because our expectations and understanding of the behavior are unrealistic. We think we’re “training” a recall when, in fact, we are training the opposite - keep away or stay away.
I like to use the analogy that letting a dog off-leash without proper training is like letting a teenager take the car out the first day they learn to drive. Driving on one’s own and being off-leash are skills and privileges; they both require a lot of practice, proven competence, and trust.
Also, recall is actually an expensive behavior for the dog or person coming when called. Think about having to stop what you’re doing (and it could be very engaging or important to you), go to your partner/friend/colleague, every time they asked you to come for something…. Then what if that something (you name it) is not what you would judge as worthy of the effort it took to interrupt your activity and attend to what they called you over for…!
That said, teaching recall is pretty easy when done correctly. A lot of recall is knowing when to call your pup over and how to reward them for the effort. Recall is also a critical safety skill for a pup parent to have with their dog.
The 5 Rules of Recall
Pick your moment
Don’t call for a bummer
Say it once
Cheerlead!
Fabulous recalls get fabulous rewards
Pick Your Moment
Be judicious when calling your pup back to you. When we ask them to come back to us from something super fun or engaging (playing with other dogs in the park, or the intense smells of a dead seal on the beach…), we’re setting them up to fail. Part of positive reinforcement training is supporting our pups to succeed. If our dog loves to play with other dogs, calling them away from that is punishing unless we back it up with something as equally fun and reinforcing. Often, our good looks and winning personality don’t compete well with the once a day/week visit to the dog park for play. Believe it or not, we’re boring in comparison. And when they fail to come, we get frustrated. Also, we humans tend to call our pups for random and arbitrary reasons. Because we want to pet them. Because we’re bored. Because we think we’re the most important person to them in the world, when actually, the dead seal wins the day. Recall is a special request that we need to learn to use only when we really need them to come to us at critical moments such as for safety (oncoming car or aggressive animal).
Don’t Call for a Bummer
You may have seen this play out at the dog park, and you may be guilty of it yourself (don’t worry, this is a judgement-free zone!): A dog parent calls their dog and the dog comes only to be leashed up and led out of the park. The dog went back to their person only to be punished for it by leaving the park, which is, for most dogs, a very fun place. What a bummer! If the dog didn’t learn from that one instance, then she will quickly learn that coming to her human is not always in her best interest. If we need to end the fun, don’t expect your dog to come to you. Walk over to your pup and calmly leash them up and then leave the park/beach/fun zone. And then when you’re out of the dog park or back in your car, give your pup a special treat to end on a positive note.
Say It Once
“Fido, come! Come, Fido, come!” The more we repeat ourselves, the more the cue, “Come” or any other, fades into the background. It loses meaning. Or our dogs start to think that he has to hear the cue multiple times before actually doing what you’ve requested. It’s hard not to repeat ourselves, I know. I catch myself doing it sometimes, but if we pick a moment in which we think we’re likely to succeed, aren’t calling our pup away for something punishing, asking our pups to come to us once, should work.
Cheerlead!
Especially when we pair the cue of “come” with some enthusiastic encouragement. “Fido, come! That’s it, good boy! Over here” paired with clapping our hands, making fun noises, and generally being more exciting than whatever we’re asking our dog to leave in order to come back to us.
Fabulous Recalls Get Fabulous Rewards
And, of course, hard work, deserves a nice paycheck. Pay your pup EVERY single time she comes back to you. If she knows she’s going to get paid with something yummy or fun (a game of tug or fetch), then that increases her desire to come back to you. If you call your pup back from something that is challenging to leave, then make a big deal of the success. Reward her with pets, praises, and a fabulous reinforcer. Something special that you reserve for fabulous recalls!
Practice, Stay Positive, & Be Patient
When we’re training our pups, we often have to re-train ourselves in how we interact and communicate with them. We also have to adjust our own expectations as we’re learning to train them better. Good luck! If you need help, let’s chat. Schedule your complimentary 15-minute discovery call with me below!
