Try Teaching This Easy Dog Recall Method

Does your dog blatantly run away from you? Do they look at you and then go about their business? There’s nothing more frustrating than a dog that won’t listen to you when you call for them. This isn’t just an annoyance, it’s also a huge safety hazard for the people around. It’s important that your dog comes back to you, especially in a situation that is distracting or even dangerous. In order to change your dog’s behavior, try teaching this easy dog recall method.

Why Won’t My Dog Come When Called?

There are a number of reasons why your dog won’t listen to you but let’s cover some of the common pitfalls dog owners go through.

Not Properly Rewarding Behavior

Sometimes, we under-reward our dogs when they do listen to a recall. A simple scratch behind the ear or pat on the head will not work. Dogs are typically food-driven animals. They will respond best with a treat as a reward.

A Recall is Seen as Punishment

This DOES NOT mean that you only punish your dog when their name is called although if you do yell or spank your dog as punishment for a slow recall, this is only the slowing the process.

If you recall your dog while they are playing with another dog or having fun in general, they will associate the recall as a punishment.

Too Difficult Too Quick

You want to start your training in a low-stress environment where they can take baby steps and not be distracted by other variables. 

Let’s Get to Teaching!

Now that we know the “don’ts” we can start teaching the easy dog recall method. Let’s break each step down. 

Step 1: Choose a word

If you have been using the word “come” for a long time, your dog will most likely not listen to it the first time. 

Choose a new word. Something like “here”, “back” or “now” are all great options. People have also used other languages or names from movies! Make sure it’s something that everyone will use. 

Step 2: Association

For this step, you want the dog to associate the word with a GREAT prize. Something like dog treats will not cut it. Hot dogs, string cheese, fish, or shredded chicken are prizes they will be intrigued by. Now, follow these steps:

• Say the dog’s name followed by the chosen recall word. 
• Right after daying the word, encourage them to come forward. Keep praising them until they do it.
• When they come, reward them with a high-value treat. Do not give them any other command such as “sit” or “lay”. 
• Repeat this 5 times, take a 5-minute break, and then do it another 5 times. 

Step 3: Continue Training Indoors

While it can be exciting to see progress, continue doing this indoors. Think of this as learning a new language, it takes time. 

Step 4: Take it Outdoors

When we say outdoors, we mean a low-distraction outdoor environment. This means no dog park as they will be too distracted to listen. Try doing this in your backyard or another low activity environment. 

Need More Recall Help?

If your dog needs more help learning this dog recall method, we’re here for you. We’ll make sure that your dog knows how to properly recall and more! Visit our contact page to see how we can help your dog!