Teaching recall is crucial

1. The owner has ‘taught’ the dog to disregard the recall.
2. The owner has ‘taught’ the dog that he does not need to listen to his owner.
3. The dog has learned that it is not in his best interests to return to the owner.
4. The owner is giving confusing, contradictory signals to the dog.
5. The bond between dog and owner needs strengthening.
6. The dog does not live in an environment which has an easily understandable set of house rules.
7. The owner has never seriously and systematically taught the dog the recall.

Starting with the last reason, it is surprising how few people do this, as a recall is one of the most important things you can teach your dog. Most puppies immediately run up to their owners if they are called, especially if they have been bred by a responsible breeder who has done much of the initial work. However, when the puppy gets older, particularly when he reaches the ‘teenage brat’ stage, owners are surprised when their perfectly behaved puppy suddenly starts to ignore their increasingly desperate calls!

Confusing signals to your dog

The recall sound people often use of the dog’s name followed by ‘Come’ (such as ‘Rover! Come!’) is fine if you never use a sound that can be confused with ‘Come’ when talking to your dog but I guarantee that most dog owners will, at one time or another, say ‘Come on!’ to their dog — often when he has stopped to sniff an interesting smell when on a walk.

In this way it is so easy to destroy all your previous hard work in a few thoughtless moments without even realizing it! Another way owners inadvertently teach their dogs to ignore the recall is when the dog stops to investigate a smell while on a walk and is almost 100 metres away from his owner. The owner realizes, quite rightly, that this is too far away to be safe, so shouts the recall sound. The dog immediately returns and the owner is delighted and congratulates himselfon having a well-trained dog. Once the dog has caught up, the owner walks on but what has he really communicated to his dog? Think about it!

To my dog her name means: ‘Get back to ‘Mum’ as soon as possible because something wonderful is going to happen!’ but this means it must happen every time she hears her name and particularly when first teaching the recall. The dog’s name should never be associated with recriminations, for example: ‘Rover! You naughty dog! Look what you have done to my wallpaper!’ and it should never be used if you are going to do something which your dog perceives as unpleasant, such as cutting his nails or giving him a bath. Never tell him off if he returns to you in his own time (which may take a long time!). You should stop and think ‘Why did that happen?’ and then take steps to address the problem.

Don't remonstrate your dog

Discretion is always the better part of valour where dogs are concerned and to begin with it is much more sensible if, say, your dog has his head down a rabbit hole or some other fascinating place, to walk calmly up to him and attach his lead. If you know that he is unlikely to return, calling him is pointless; it will only teach him that he can ignore your recall sound. Make it obvious to your dog that if he comes back he will receive titbits.

When recalling your dog he should never know how many titbits he is going to get. As he can smell that there are plenty in your hand he will stay close in case another one is on offer. This will prevent your dog from grabbing a single titbit from you and running off again before you can do anything about it!

Play the game with your dog

When out on a walk and your dog gets distracted, you will just have to do the best you can but remember your dog ‘sees’ the world through his nose, so if you take him to a field where you think there are no distractions it may appear differently to your dog who can smell that a rabbit has been running around just a few seconds earlier!

Trailing line

If you are worried about your dog’s safety should he not respond to your recall, you could use a long line, about 40ft long, left trailing on the ground. Never hold it in your hand as it could cause injury both to yourself and your dog. Always recall your dog well before he gets to the end of the line so that he has time to react. If he does not
respond — and (unless a sudden distraction appears) this is unlikely if you have followed the instructions carefully, slowly and systematically — put your foot on the end of the line to stop him moving away from you, not to make him return.

Introducing distractions

Distractions have two components. The first is the severity of the distraction. Make a list of anything that you feel may distract your dog and put them in order of severity. The second component is the distance from the distraction. No matter what the distraction, if you are far enough away from it, it will cease to be a distraction. Start with the easiest distraction at a distance you know your dog will not react; then add on a few paces and gradually get closer and closer to it. After three consecutive successful attempts at each distance, move closer. Take your time over this. Remember there must be high-value reinforcements on offer and stop at the height of the excitement so the dog continues to enjoy the game.

The extra effort spent in ensuring that your dog will return to you when called is very worthwhile and it could also save his life.