Training Good Recall

[Dame Aussie]

Hi all,

I'm just wondering if anyone can give me some ideas on how to train my puppy to have a good recall.

I really want to be able to take her everywhere with me and want to feel secure that she will come when called.

When we call her she will look at us and seems to recognise her name but she only comes when SHE wants to.

We have played a recall game where OH and I go to different parts of the house, call her and give treats and then move to another area of the house and call again and she picks it up in no time, but when shes outside in the garden and we call her, she will either stare at us or run away and try to make it into a game

She is only 15 weeks so I'm not expecting too much right now but I just don't know a good way of teaching her this!

Any ideas??

[Tonymc]

Aussie, the outside world is full of distractions and exciting things for your pup, hence her reluctance to come to you.

I would initially put her outside and for a little while ask nothing of her,while she lets off steam or go's exploring.Worse thing you can do is to set yourself and the pup up to fail.

Is the pup motivated by food or an object?For example if she has a healthy drive,I would walk out in the yard but not call her.I would wave the prey object around.This gets her attention.Then I would move away or back still waving the object.This way she is attracted to you and she takes action to come to you.Once she is coming to you, then call her.This makes you attractive to her and reinforces recall.

Once you know beyond any doubt that she understands what is being asked of her,you can reinforce recall by some work on a longline.

The other thing playing a part here is the pup's developing drive and confidence.When pups are very young, they tend to stick very close to the owner, but as they get older and more confident they will venture further afield and thus encounter more distractions. Tony

[Dame Aussie]

Thanks Tony,

Yes she's motivated by food and toys, most definitely!

I'll try what you suggested and see how we go!

[Luke W]

"Really Reliable Recall" by Leslie Nelson

Some things I've done - my 6mo is on his way to having an excellent recall.

In no particular order...

Set your dog up to succeed.

Never call your dog unless you are sure he's going to come

If you think he might not come - go and get him

Always reward your dog when he does come - even if you didn't call him

Play retreive games

Get two people with treats - get dog to run from one to the other for a treat - start with small distances and gradually increase

Never call your dog for something the slighest bit unpleasant

Never call your dog to put on his lead

Never call your dog for punishment !!!!!

Never call your dog to go back in the car, have a bath, etc, etc, etc

Call your dog - then send him off again..."Come Rover....quick treat...Off ya go" - do this lots and lots and lots - it's called the Premack principle.

Don't walk toward your dog when calling it...walk away. At the minimum, turn your shoulders away from the dog.

Your dog should see coming when called as being the best thing in the world - he comes and gets a treat and then gets sent on his merry way - nothing bad ever happens - it's only a tiny interuption to his fun - but he gets a free treat.

Edited September 15, 2008 by Luke W

[Vickie]

Great advice by Tony (eta and Luke who posted at the same time as I wrote this).

LOL, after Noah I think I could write a book on how not to teach a good recall but we got help & I learnt a lot from him.

It is so hard to remember not to call your dog when they don't know what it means, but well worth it to only say "Come" when they are in fact coming, otherwise you are teaching the exact opposite of what you want. I also use a distinctive whistle right from day 1 with my dogs now, so when they are coming towards me I whistle & then say the word come. Now that they are grown up, I have the choice of either the word or the whistle & there are often times where the whistle is easier for them to hear & respond to.

Another thing I find helpful is to take them to a safe, unfamilar area when they are small & just walk. I am not teaching a recall as such, but I am teaching them to watch for me & be aware of where I am going. This is much easier in an unfamiliar area as pups will usually feel a little insecure & watch for you anyway. And it is a great feeling to be able to walk with your dogs offlead & not have to constantly watch them since you know they will be watching you.

A couple of mine have also hit a point at about 6 months where they decided they didn't have to come after all. I used a long line for one & for the other it was enough just to walk over with no emotion nor harshness, take her collar gently & help her to come in the direction I wanted & then let go straight away & praise for the right choice. Using either of these methods they learn that come is not an optional word. The other thing I like about these methods is that while I use food & toys all the time, there will come a day when something else may be of more value & I need to know my dogs will come, out of 2nd nature, not beause they will get something for it.

Hope this helps

Vickie

Edited September 15, 2008 by Vickie

[poodlefan]

LukeW:

Never call your dog to put on his lead

Sometimes you have no choice about that.

I'd suggest it read, "don't only call your dog when you need to put on his lead". You see that played out a bit in offlead areas.. dog won't come because he knows it means "playtime over".

[Dame Aussie]

Thanks everyone, that's all really helpful.

It's easy to assume they know exactly what you're talking about sometimes

[Erny]

Great advice by Tony (eta and Luke who posted at the same time as I wrote this).

I agree. I also like to keep the pup's name 'valuable' being as mindful as I can be that it too is a 'command' (for attention). So I only use pup's name when it means something and when I know I'm likely to get the reaction (ie look at me) that I want.

If you're needing to draw your pup's attention away from something, then use another sound or movement (eg) make a noise or russle the grass with your hands. If your pup takes no notice of this, then you have not undone any 'training' or rendered commands meaningless and you can simply go over to your pup to distract, pick up or whatever you need to do. When pup does give attention to it and makes the moves to investigate it, you can then pop in your pup's name followed by 'come' (or whistle, as per Vicki's post).

Don't forget to act in a motivating fashion so that pup won't be able to help herself other than to 'check you out' .

I love this age - pups are so curious about the simplest of things (so many things that we take for granted and don't even consciously acknowledge). But that also includes a leaf being picked up by a breeze and this in itself can be a big enough distraction. So be aware of these things in your environment at the time and when you see a (eg) leaf blowing that might likely cause a distraction during a recall, be even more amusing to your pup than that (eg) leaf might be.

Edited September 15, 2008 by Erny

[Wobbly]

You already got some awesome advice - lots of practice is the key.

One thing that isn't mentioned that I've found really good (it was taught to me by a malamute owner - by reputation the mals don't have a great recall, but this one did) is to wave your arm over your head when you call. You don't have to do it all the time, but often enough so the dog can associate it with a recall. I find this one is great because sometimes when Jarrah's offlead and there are other people around, she's not to sure exactly which one I am (she's no sight hound) so if she's looking a bit confused as to who to run to, I'll give her my wave when I call and she knows instantly which person is me.

For the lead one, I often call her, treat her, put her on lead for a few minutes then let her offlead again, so being put on the lead doesn't necessarily mean the funtime is over.

[Vickie]

One thing that isn't mentioned that I've found really good (it was taught to me by a malamute owner - by reputation the mals don't have a great recall, but this one did) is to wave your arm over your head when you call. You don't have to do it all the time, but often enough so the dog can associate it with a recall. I find this one is great because sometimes when Jarrah's offlead and there are other people around, she's not to sure exactly which one I am (she's no sight hound) so if she's looking a bit confused as to who to run to, I'll give her my wave when I call and she knows instantly which person is me.

I've never heard of that one before. Sounds like a great idea. My arm up actually means stop, but I like the concept of a visual signal as well.

Edited September 17, 2008 by Vickie

[Kavik]

Arms up is also the hand signal for a formal recall in obedience.

[corvus]

Yeah luke! RRR is the greatest! Kivi Tarro is 6 months and currently his recall is good enough that he will stop in the middle of wrestling or chasing a doggy pal to tear across the entire dog park to us. He often runs before he even really knows where he's running to, so waving the arms over the head has become a must for him. We find we often have to give him a few nonsensical calls to tell him where we are when he's running, too, but we don't use our emergency recall more than once.

I would further the idea of taking pup to strange surroundings by suggesting you take it not only to strange surroundings, but strange surroundings with a limited line of sight from the pup's level. It's great for teaching them to pay attention to you and stick close. Use that desperate puppy desire not to be left behind to your advantage while you have it! Long grass with tracks through it, or the bush, is great.

Also play hide and seek and play the game where you toss them a treat every time they make eye contact after you say their name.

[Luke W]

Yeah luke! RRR is the greatest! Kivi Tarro is 6 months and currently his recall is good enough that he will stop in the middle of wrestling or chasing a doggy pal to tear across the entire dog park to us. He often runs before he even really knows where he's running to, so waving the arms over the head has become a must for him. We find we often have to give him a few nonsensical calls to tell him where we are when he's running, too, but we don't use our emergency recall more than once.

I would further the idea of taking pup to strange surroundings by suggesting you take it not only to strange surroundings, but strange surroundings with a limited line of sight from the pup's level. It's great for teaching them to pay attention to you and stick close. Use that desperate puppy desire not to be left behind to your advantage while you have it! Long grass with tracks through it, or the bush, is great.

Also play hide and seek and play the game where you toss them a treat every time they make eye contact after you say their name.

I haven't even finished watching the DVD yet!

But I've taken on board some of the early ideas, plus other methods I've read about elsewhere.

My pup, also 6mo has a recall similar to yours...it's a reflex action. He simply spins around and bolts in the general direction of the call...it could be 45degrees off track though!!!! Like you, hands up and "barklybarklybarklybarkly' in a high pitched voice to get him to work out where he's supposed to be running to! I put it down to lack of directional hearing attributed to his floppy, furry ears

It's quite comical!

I also play the hide and seek and click for eye contact games.

I recall him alot and send him on his way.

"Barkly...Come"

treat and off you go.

It's quite something to see a conditioned reflex in action.

I'm going to finish watching the DVD tonight!