Dog Recall
Your dog might sit, lie down or give a paw on command, but these things mean little if he does not come back to you when called off leash. Good recall is the single most important aspect of dog training, and the absence of this control over your dog means you can’t or shouldn’t (if responsible) let her off the lead. Having a dog that will return to you when called, even in the face of the heaviest of distractions, is vitally important and nothing less than this will do if you are to let ‘Rover’ off the leash in public places. Not only does it ensure responsibility for your dog, but also consideration for other people and other animals. Recall training may even save the life of your dog one day.
- Your dog might sit, lie down or give a paw on command, but these things mean little if he does not come back to you when called off leash. Good recall is the single most important aspect of dog training, and the absence of this control over your dog means you can’t or shouldn’t (if responsible) let her off the lead. Having a dog that will return to you when called, even in the face of the heaviest of distractions, is vitally important and nothing less than this will do if you are to let ‘Rover’ off the leash in public places. Not only does it ensure responsibility for your dog, but also consideration for other people and other animals. Recall training may even save the life of your dog one day.
- There are multiple methods to train or teach a dog anything and recall training is no different. I believe I know the ones that work, or at least work for me and I’ve also tried many that didn’t work. I will share with you, the reader, my experiences and many of the methods I have tried and you can decide which to implement into the training program for your dog. I will also explain the psychology behind what I believe works, and what does not.
- This section of the book is divided into two categories; one for puppies up to around six months old, and the other for all dogs over six months. A lot of both sections overlap and apply to dogs of any age. It’s important to read everything, whether you use all of it or not, as it will deepen your understanding of dog psychology that applies to the recall. As most people will know or could guess, young puppies are more easily trained than older dogs. But do not despair if you’re in the latter category, all dogs can be trained, even older dogs that have had bad experiences with recall training in the past. It just takes a bit more time with some dogs.
- Many dogs have poor recall due to them having negative past experiences that they attribute to coming back to their owners. A common scenario, and one that most people have been guilty of in the past, is that the dog has wandered off and been slow to come back. The owner grows more frustrated the longer this ensues and gets angry. Then the dog comes back at his own pace and faces an angry owner who may shout at or punish the dog further by hitting him. Even if the owner doesn’t shout or punish, if they’re angry, the dog will almost always pick up on this and this has a negative consequence that the dog may attribute to returning to the owner.
