VIDEO: How do I teach the recall command?

Charlie Clarricotes is an educational director for the Cambridge Institute of Dog Behaviour & Training. He has worked closely with dogs for the past twenty years and currently sees nearly 4,000 dogs and their owners each year at his training centre near Cambridge. In addition to writing books and appearing on television, Charlie also has the time to be our resident dog behaviour and training expert.

The recall is the most important command you can teach your dog and is also one of the simplest. To start with, you will need to place your dog in front of you and repeat the recall word usually ‘Come’ while giving your dog treats. This is generally known as reward based training and simply instills a positive association related between the command and a potential reward. This will allow the dog to associate the word with a treat and will make it far more likely to come when he’s called.

Top tips on recall:

• Make sure you only use the recall word when you have your dog’s attention.
• Try not to repeat the command several times when the dog is not listening, as this will detract from its usefulness.

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