The Recall

The secret behind a dog that comes when his owner calls him is that the dog wants to come back to the owner.  The people interacting with the dog make the recall fun and rewarding.  This means the people training the dog never punish the dog, under any circumstances, when the dog returns to them.  One of the most successful ways to train a dog to come when called is to train with positive reinforcement.  Every time the dog comes back to the owner, the dog is rewarded with food, praise, lots of petting and love, or a favorite toy.  This will set the dog up for success, and the dog will really enjoy coming back to the owner when called.  Before we discuss some tips on a reliable recall, let’s take a look at some “common human mistakes.”  These are listed only so we can be aware of them, and to help avoid these situations.  These situations will also help us keep in mind that the recall has to be fun from the dog’s point of view.

Common human mistake: The dog is getting into the trash, or chewing on the $90 pair of shoes.  The owner gets mad and calls the dog over to yell at him.

Dog’s reaction: “It’s not fun to come when called.  I’ll do it this time because I’m scared when you get mad.  I slink over to you, with what you mistake as guilt, but what is really submission.  I don’t understand you are trying to punish me for a behavior that happened somewhere else, and probably about 2 minutes before I got over to you.”

Reality: The dog will think he is being yelled at for coming when called.  This is in no way fun for the dog.  Next time the dog will avoid the recall to avoid the yelling.

How to avoid this situation: Don’t let the dog have access to “no-no’s.”  Have a trash can with a lid, and put the shoes in a closet.  Teach the dog basic obedience like “leave it” and “drop it.”  Talk to a qualified trainer about house destruction.  Never call the dog over to punish him.

Common human mistake: A dog has run away from his owner outside and takes his time coming back.  The owner becomes angry that first the dog got away, and second that the dog didn’t respond to the first “come” command.  The owner begins to chase the dog.

Dog’s reaction: “Wow, it’s fun to run around outside.  Is that a squirrel?  I need exercise.  Look, there’s my owner.  Oh, fun, he wants to chase me!  I can out-run him!”

Reality: Chasing a dog only makes the dog run away faster.  Dogs usually love the chase game, and this will teach the dog to run away.

How to avoid this situation: Make sure the dog is reliable with his obedience in a distracting situation, like the great outdoors.  If the dog has never practiced his obedience around distractions, it’s really not fair to think the dog should or would respond in this environment.  Also, instead of chasing the dog, some dogs will gladly chase their human.  Try and run in the other direction.  The ideal solution is to make sure the dog doesn’t have the opportunity to get away outside.  Teach the dog to wait at doorways, and teach proper leash manners.

Common human mistake: While playing in the dog park the dog is called to “come.”  The dog does respond to the command, but not with enthusiasm.  The owner then leaves the dog park, or crates the dog for the day.

Dog’s reaction: “I understand what ‘come’ means.  Sometimes I even get treats.  Lately though, I seem to leave all my friends at the park, or have to be in the crate for a while.  Next time I may want to play more, or not go into the crate.  I wonder when I’ll get food again.”

Reality: Remember the recall has to be fun in the dog’s point of view. Leaving doggie friends and crating up for the day isn’t as much fun as food or play.

How to avoid this situation: Don’t consistently call the dog to leave fun situations.  Instead, call the dog, and send him back out for more fun.  If the dog is getting more praise and permission to play almost every time he comes back, this will out weigh the final “come” when it is time to leave.  If this is a crate situation, pick a word that means “get into your crate please” like “crate,” “kennel up,” etc.  Talk to a qualified trainer about crate training if the dog is having trouble.

Now let’s discuss how to train the dog to love being called to “come.”  Think for a minute what your dog really loves.  Most dogs love food, food, and more food.  Some dogs really like to play or have a special toy.  While other dogs love to be pet and have their belly or rump rubbed.  Other dogs love praise like “good boy” when the owner says it in a high pitched voice, like when you talk to a small human baby.  Whatever makes the dog happy is what you want to use to reinforce the behavior.  Meaning, if the dog likes food, give the dog food when the dog comes when called.  Keep in mind if the dog likes food, praise and petting, use all three of these.  If the dog thinks he is better than sliced bread, the dog will race over to see what goodies are in store for him.

Practice and consistency are huge when teaching a reliable recall. Owners should practice ten recalls per day, every day, at different times of the day.  The more you practice and consistently reward the dog for the recall, the more the dog learns “good things are here for you,” and the behavior of returning to the owner will happen.  Think for a minute if there are already cues in the dog’s life that the dog comes running for.  Some may be sounds, like hearing the crinkle of a treat bag, or the can opener.  Other cues may be sayings like “Let’s go bye-bye in the car,” or “want a treat?”  Sometimes the cue is visual, like seeing the leash to go out for a walk.  However, what do all these have in common?  The dog associates these sounds, sayings, or sights with fun things.  The dog wants these things to happen.  Therefore, the dog runs over as fast as he can to eat the treat or go for a ride in the car.  Use these situations to your advantage!  If you can guarantee the dog runs to you when they see the leash, say “come.”  This way you are practicing a rewarding recall, and you can guarantee success.  This will teach the dog “come” means you get dinner, go for a car ride, go out for a walk, get to play ball, eats treats, get your belly rubbed, etc.  This will also help teach the dog food is not always involved.  Yes, food treats are a very powerful motivator.  They are used a lot during the learning process of teaching the recall.  However, after the dog has an understanding of what “come” means, if the recall is always practiced with food, the dog will always expect food.  If the dog knows there is no food around, sometimes the dog decides not to respond to the recall.  Also, if you own a specific breed of dog and know the breed traits, use this to your advantage.  For example: Retrievers usually love to play ball.  The owner throws the ball, the dog gets it and comes back to the owner, drops the ball, then waits for the owner to throw it again.