Tips For Teaching Your Dog A Reliable Recall

Having a reliable recall (being able to call your dog back to you no matter what distractions are around) is something that most pet parents want.

Knowing that your dog will come when called means that you can give them more freedom safely, like letting them off lead while playing at the beach or the bush.

There are a lot of aspects to training a reliable recall and it can take some time and patience, but here are some tips to help commonly made mistakes while you teach your dog a reliable recall:

1. Don't just use your dogs name as their recall command. You say your dogs name all the time, so to your dog their name probably doesn't mean "come to me in all situations".

It can be a good idea to teach your dog that when you say their name you want their attention, but if you then say "come" it means that you want them to come to you.

2. Don't only or mostly recall your dog when they are in trouble or the fun is ending. If your dogs recall cue means something bad is going to happen, they are very unlikely to listen to it.

3. Don't give your dog too much freedom and hope for the best. If you aren't certain that your dog will come when you call them when you can't control the outcome, like at the beach, keep your dog on a long line so if they don't listen you can set them up for success.

4. Reward heavily for coming to you when you ask. If you call your dog away from an awesome play session with another dog and give them one piece of kibble, they are going to think that they are being stooged and will be less likely to listen the next time.

5. Sound fun, not angry. If you sound mad your dog is going to be less likely to want to be near you, so when you are calling them try to sound happy about it.

We hope that these tips help you and your dog!

- Sarah and the Team