Teaching the recall command

Make sure your dog is on a 20-30 foot long line (can be purchased at most pet stores like PetsMart or Petco). Begin in a familiar location with no distractions (such as your back yard). Walk your dog so that he feels he has ‘freedom’, and when the dog reaches the end of the long line, give your dog the command, "Come", (it’s a good idea to say your dog’s name first, such as “BAILEY… COME!)  and guide the dog to you, using the leash to pull the dog towards you, with LOTS of praise. DO NOT EVER PUNISH THE DOG WHEN IT COMES TO YOU WHEN CALLED. (If you call your dog and the dog comes to you, and you punish the dog, that is giving them the signal that coming to you yields *punishment*). Don’t use two commands together such as “COME HERE”. Use one-word commands if at all possible, and put the dog’s name in front of the command, which should help get his attention. When the dog gets to the front of you, ask the dog to sit and lavish him with yummy treats. All the while you are reeling the dog in to you… be verbally praising the dog.. “good boy! Good boy! Good come!”…

Variations should be practiced with this exercise. One is going to the end of the long line, turning, and calling the dog. Another is going to the end of the line… calling the dog, and walking or running backwards, stopping after 5 -10 feet - this will give the dog incentive to come to you faster. Use the long line to guide/pull the dog in front of you. After the dog reaches you, and you have praised them for coming to you, tell the dog to "Sit" and place the dog in a sit directly facing you at your feet. Again, praise the dog. DO NOT EVER LET YOUR DOG OFF LEASH ! Until they are trained and come to you every time when called, the dog is always in danger when off leash. The dog does not understand that a car can kill; if they run off they might not be able to find their path back to you; there are other animals or dogs which can also hurt/kill. If there is an accident and the dog runs away, such as bolting out of your car/house/ backyard, until they are trained there is no guaranteed method to get the dog to return to you.

A couple of hints, which might help...

Do not run after your dog when they are bolting away from you. The dog will think it is a game of chase and try to run farther. Call your dog, but run the opposite direction. The dog will possibly think it is a game of chase and you are the object to chase. Then stop and sit on the ground and let the dog "catch" you. If your dog likes to ride in the car, open your car door, and invite them to get in to go for a ride. Entice the dog to you with their favorite toy, a ball, a treat. Again, there is no guaranteed method to get your dog to "Come", until they are trained to come to you every time when they are on leash and have ingrained this command. Practice this each day in your yard with no distractions for only about 5 minutes. Once your dog comes every single time you say your dog’s name and “COME” you are ready to take the dog to another location and begin again.

I took Bailey to the local high school baseball field. There were some distractions but not many. I took him every day for 2 weeks and practiced this for 5-10 minutes a day. You can also take your dog to a dog park if you are close to one… but still do not take your dog off lead. All training at this point must be done ON LEAD. Take him to various locations and gradually add distractions. (people and other dogs).   Always train with a calm attitude. If you are not 100%, your dog won’t be either. Remember that your dog is looking to you for guidance and will respond in the manner which you project to them. If you are upset, your dog will not respond to you in a positive way. Dogs are not humans and do not think as humans do. They learn from repetition and discipline. The key is for the dog to WANT to come to you because what you have to offer is much better than what the dog may be focused on at the time. Use YUMMY treats such as itsy bitsy pieces of chicken or stringed cheese…unlike commercial treats or kibble, these are food rewards that are hard for a dog to ignore! You can train a dog to come to you on lead because he/she HAS to… but if you do this, I can almost promise that the minute your dog is off lead, he/she will run wherever he/she wants to, and will not heed your cries or yells for them to return to you.

Once you have spent SEVERAL months working on the recall command in various locations with your dog always on a long line… take the dog to a safe, fenced in area (such as a ball field) and begin working with him off lead. Again… start slowly where there are few distractions and always make sure you are in a safe location. Work only 5-10 minute sessions a day. The key here is to reinforce OFF lead what you’ve been spending months teaching your dog on lead. Always keep training exercises interesting and mix the training up. Occasionally toss the second treat behind you as your dog runs up. Or turn sideways and crouch down, cheering and encouraging your dog as he comes toward you. Give him enthusiastic praise and set up for another repetition. Your dog WILL become more focused on you, as you slowly add distractions and set your dog up to win. Patience and practice are the keys to teaching an effective recall.

You are not going to call your dog out of mid-flight-squirrel-or-bird-or-rabbit pursuit right away. It takes time to introduce distractions in training. Dogs do not generalize. And remember It is important that the dog is still rewarded for the correct behaviors. Would you want to stop getting paid as you got better at your job? Remember to ALWAYS use powerful incentives (i.e. a ball or special treats) to keep your dog’s attention and to reward the correct behavior.

Be patient in establishing a solid foundation before moving on to more distracted environments. It is a common error to expect more from our dogs than they are ready to give; training routines should be carefully set up so that the dog wins at each level. Regardless of the age of your dog, spending the majority of time at an off-leash dog park can have a disastrous effect on the recall. Instead of spending that special time training and establishing a true bond, such ventures imprint upon the dog a lack of attention and a greater joy in other dogs. Freedom should be earned, and doled out in small portions. By making training fun, you'll end up with a dog who finds YOU to be the greater enjoyment and who comes racing when called.

Words alone lack in conveying to your dog the complete meaning. Humans have a silent language, or body language. We too communicate with facial expressions, body postures and movements as well as touching. Dogs are experts in reading our body language and in understanding the meaning without confusion. They study our movements, postures and facial expressions constantly. So when you say “COME” make sure your body is extending the invitation to your dog as well as your verbal command.  Dogs pick up on our body language MUCH faster than they do our verbal requests.  So mix the two together!

Thank you so much for taking the time to type this out Nora. We are going to start practicing tonight. The great part is we have a high school field right by us to so I am going to use that to my advantage!! I will keep you updated on our progress, and I am sure there will be many questions too.   Thank you again.

I actually have a testimony to this... 

We have a pest control company that comes every 4 months to spray around our house.  Each time someone comes it's always a different guy.  On Friday a guy came to spray and I told him... "Please make sure the gate is closed when you are done in the backyard.  I have three dogs. OK?"  He says "Sure."  So he does his thing, gives me my reciept, and leaves.  Shortly after I let the dogs out.  Now you can't see our gate because it is actually around a corner of the house so you can't tell right away if the gate is open or not.  Anyway, the four of us go out and I was watching Emma play with her ball.  The boys were awfully quite, so as I thought.  So I go to check on them.  Yup, you guessed it!  My gate was wide open and my two boys were out in the road.  So I yell "APOLLO COME.  INDIE COME!"  Both boys come running to me in an instant.  Thank goodness for the come command.  I was kicking myself the rest of the afternoon for not checking the gate before I let them out.  I know that, that is MY fault.  I'll never forget what Nora told me... "The come command is one of if not THE most important commands you can train."  Thank Nora.

GOOD BOYS!  ( Apollo & Indie )  Last night at the dog park,   I called for Max   ( since the entrance/exit  is pretty muddy and I didn't want him get too dirty  ,  MAX  TREAT!   He came ,  grabbed the treat , and ran away to the mud   BRAT!

 Jenny, I'm afraid Ernie is like that too.

I actually have been working with him with the "come" command. I'm tired of calling him with the word "treat".   Teaching an old dog new tricks...

I started letting him go ahead on our walks (retractable leash) and stopping and saying "come", then I give him a piece of his dog food. Eagle has small bites, so it's perfect. He's doing good. I know the lead will be next. Now that I have the instructions... Nora.

  Max says you didnt specifically say he had to STAY! 

  Treat usually works better than stay for a food lover like Max .

I just thought of something............when you have your dog on the lead in the backyard, how do you get them to go away from you so you can call them toward  you? I tried this when I went home for lunch and in the yard Alice will follow me anywhere!! Doesn't she know when NOT to come LOL.

I always used a KONG because my pups especially Apollo are obsessed with it.  I would throw it and my pups would go after it, but as usual ( unless we were actually playing fetch )  something like a bird or a squirrel would always catch their attention.  I'd let them "wonder" for a little then when they least expect it call them. 

Just walk around with her... allow her to wander.... I'm thinking eventually she will wander off on her own. 

Does she have a particular toy she's fond of? Throw a treat out for her to go get....let her go get it. Once she goes and gets the treat and eats it, THEN say 'ALICE! COME!" Have another treat ready for her. I bet she comes running toward you!
If you are working with a favorite toy... (such as Bailey's air kong)... throw it to where she can go out and get it. Once it is in her mouth... say "ALICE! COME!" Encourage her to come to you... have the treat ready. What should happen is she will come to you with toy in her mouth... she'll drop the toy and you exchange the toy for the treat. I don't know how obsessive she is with a toy... but if you play fetch with her, you can turn this game into reinforcement of the "come" command.

With Bailey... COME means COME.   BRING means "bring me whatever you have in you mouth!" LOL

Okay with Lilly I am going to try these methods after I get that lead on Thursday.  But what do I do about the fact that I have a few barn cats and they tend to distract Lilly and there isn't anywhere to really go where they aren't at unless I take Lilly up the road a bit.  Or maybe in the basement.  Lilly has a very high prey drive so she is easily distracted by the cats. 

Great post, Nora.  Where do you train?  Just a couple of additional come tips/games. 

Give family members (at least two, but three or four works best) treats.  Begin by standing in a circle in an enclosed area (we use the kitchen).  Take turns calling the dog to you, encouraging the dog with your voice, and giving him a yummy treat  and praise like crazy when he comes.  The person who called the dog gives a release command and the next person calls the dog, mixing up the order.  When the dog is solid when everyone is in sight, start moving people to the next room.  Eventually, we will have people up and down stairs and spread out throughout the house.  After the dog is solid with that, then we begin hiding from the dog by stepping  behind a door, or for the younger kids, hiding behind the bed, etc.  The trick is to be sure that there is ALWAYS a release command, everyone uses the same "come" command, and the next person doesn't call the dog until he'ls been released. 

I usually use a high, happy voice when I want my dog to move i.e. come, and a lower, sterner voice when I want my dog to stay.