Tips For Working On Recall
Do you have any tips for working on recall?
Answer: Recall work... it is one of the single most important commands we put on our dogs...
Having a good recall on your dog hopefully starts when they are puppies, however, for various reasons not every adult dog has a good recall. Sometimes this can be breed specific, as in Northern breeds often like to "run" in the other direction, Beagles (or mixes with this breed) also like to put their nose to the ground and off they go, not much stops them except a leash.
So, depending if your dog falls into a breed specific lack of recall or just one of those dogs that demands a "higher" value to come back, it needs a lot of work and patience on the part of the owner. I suggest all dogs be on long lines at least ( not flexi's) if they cannot be trusted with their freedom.
Some tips are to start in small safe areas that are enclosed with your dog on a long line, call them and reward, every time! This needs to be done in a very low distraction area to start then building up to bigger distractions. But remember to "walk before you run"..giving dogs that are not proofed too much freedom will result in dogs that come back on their terms..if they think the fun has ended, they will stay away until they are ready...
There are so many variations on teaching recalls, too many to list and each is personal to the handler and dog. But the biggest piece of advice I can give is , however frustrated you are, NEVER tell your dog off when it finally comes back to you..otherwise you are punishing the very thing you are asking of the dog and then the incentive to come back at all is gone.
If you need help learning the best recall method for your dog, check out our Dog Training Services!
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