Recall

648117

648117

Honored Member
I haven't let Holly off the leash off our property yet so I was going to start practicing by using a "long line" (I don't have an actual long line so I just clipped a longer leash to her usual one). She's 6 and a half months old.

So I took her to the park today and let her walk off so I could call her back, but...

she wouldn't leave, if I walked away then she walked next to me like she does during loose leash walking and if I stopped she just sat down next to me. O_o

So I tried throwing a treat so I could call her from a distance, this worked twice and then she thought the game was to run to get the treat and then run back to me (without me needing to call her). Then I stopped throwing treats so she thought the game was to run away and then turn and run straight back :LOL:

I kept giving her treats everytime she ran back to me because I guess even if we didn't get to practice recall it is still making her like running back to me so that when she does figure out that she can walk off it will be easier to get her back.

I guess I will just have to find a fenced area and actually let her off the leash and see what she does.
 
sara

sara

Moderator
Staff member
Ha ha ha smart dog!!!

I used the ping pong game to teach my deaf terrier Scout recall. Now she has perfect recall!

I started doing what you're doing. She ran away, then came back, and got a treat every time! I began spacing treats with petting and tug toy games. Eventually I started only rewarding her if I called her (waved) and she eventually learned that she could explore, but mommy gives awesome things if I come back! So she'd check in every few seconds, to make sure I wasn't calling her.

Go buy a piece of thin rope and a clip, it'll cost you no more than $10 and make a long line yourself. They have the added benefit of being dragged along the ground, but you can let it go... so the dog thinks you're still tied to her.
 
southerngirl

southerngirl

Honored Member
I taught Missy by having her sit than stay while I walked a short distance away than I'd say "here" and pat my knees, slowly I increase the distance. Once she had it down I'd walk with her and because we were in the woods she was smelling everything and walking ahead of me, every once in a while I would say "here" in an excited voice, when she came I clicked and treated.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
my dog has razor sharp recall, (except for bunnies)
but i tricked my dog by teaching him the word "come" means "treat".

I started inside the house, right beside him,
then overtime, moved room to room,
then in his yard,
and slowly advanced to longer distances (i stepped away from him while he sniffed at things or wasn't looking at me, etc)
and then, slowly advanced to around distractions,
and then,
slowly advanced to long distance around distractions.

I totally fooled my dog,:ROFLMAO: and my dog became convinced that "come" is the word for "treat". So that by the time i ever finally faded out the treats, his brain was already wired to run when he hears "Cheese!" i mean "come".

i did not start at long distance, i started right beside him,'..

and i was extremely slow to fade out the treats and big praise when he arrives. I made that moment the best moment of his day.
Even to this day, i still occasionally give a prize for Buddy showing up. Buddy never knows if this might be the time he gets a prize for showing up. My dog zooms instantly to me when i call over "Buddy, COME!"

ALSO, i think using a dog's name as his cue for "come" can backfire, cuz dogs hear their name all day long....it weakens the cue, imo.

also, try to never call your dog when he is doing his pre-urination sniff. Few dogs will come when they are about to pee, when you gotta go, you gotta go. so wait til he is done, then call to him, then you both win.
Calling a dog when he will NOT come weakens the cue, so try hard to avoid doing that.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
64118,
after your dog is solidly coming to you every time from across your own yard,
when you take him places, (i just used fenced in places, as my dog can tell when he is on a line)
then
you could try placing items you know will interest your dog, all around. As dog sniffs the items, then you step back away from dog,
and then call to him.

I started very short distances, like 10 feet, then 15 feet, slowly slowly building up the distances, etc.

good luck!!!
 
648117

648117

Honored Member
I use "Holly, come" as her recall because I sometimes say her name to get her attention but I know other member's of the family sometimes growl her name when she is naughty but she should be able to tell the difference from the tone.

Her recall was really good in the house/backyard for a while, even if she had something she knew she shouldn't have she would still slide to a stop and run back to us when we called her but I think my sister started to call her too much and when she was going something that there was no way she would come back when called (eg, chasing the cat or playing with Paris).

But I do need to try and remember to start at a short distance so I guess it's not so bad that she doesnt think she is allowed to explore. I just can't walk away from her because then she thinks she has to walk next to me.
 
Ripleygirl

Ripleygirl

Experienced Member
Short distances to start are ESSENTIAL! And also in a house environment just calling whenever she is not expecting it and then when she comes treat. Do the washing up and she is settled down, 'come' and when she does click and treat, putting the washing out, call and when she comes click and treat, anytime and everytime do it until it is just second nature then expand the distance - then you have subliminary recall - as natural as us knowing that seeing a red light means stop! You can do this with any everyday task around the house. Then expand, do not take two steps ahead, take your time with it and you will get really good recall, you can also add distractions in house recall when your ready... Have someone else in the family have a little tit bit that she knows about, you call while they wave the (really tasky) tit bit and if she comes to you she gets a click and treat and then gets the other tit bit too once the 'tit bit person' comes to where you and she is. So double whammy for her! You can then do this with other distractions. Toys, moving objects etc. When she comes away or even better ignores the other distraction and comes to you she gets a double whammy. Then expand from this.
 
Zsu-Zsu

Zsu-Zsu

Well-Known Member
Thank you everyone for all the great advice, I do follow many of the same techniques. In our house no problem, fenced area away from home, a friend’s house with her two dogs, Zsu- Zsu always recalls with no problem. (Hahha, what can I say she loves to eat and she knows she gets treats.)

My problem is my own fear in an unfenced area. I fear the “one time” that a cat or bunny distraction will outweigh my command. So I continue to reiterate her recall commands but I need to work on my own trust level that I can learn to trust she will come.

 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
//So I continue to reiterate her recall commands but I need to work on my own trust level that I can learn to trust she will come.//

Well, ZsuZsu, perhaps your mind IS right,
i can not recall my dog off of prey, and i KNOW this, for a fact. I continue to work on it, but, it's not i don't trust Buddy, i KNOW he won't come if a bunny goes by...not even in his own yard, usually.

but, there is great thread somewhere, with RunningDog giving some great advice for dogs who won't recall around prey, and i am following her advice, and i am seeing some improvements in Buddy now, but, he's not cured of it.........yet.
 
running_dog

running_dog

Honored Member
Recall incident from today...

Other family member (OFM henceforth) calls "Gus! Gus! Gus come! Gus! Gus Come!"
Gus (now 6 months oldish) gallops around with 3 other dogs playing and more or less oblivious though he does lollop over in that direction but veers away at the last moment.
Somewhat maliciously I call, "PUP-Peeeeeeeeeee!"
Gus stops playing, hurtles to my feet and sits expectantly for a treat.
OFM says, "Well I'M not going around putting on a silly voice and calling pup-py!"
Gus hurtles away from me through milling dogs to OFM's feet and sits for a treat. OFM struck speechless while rest of us fell about laughing :D.

Maybe now OFM will believe me that there is no point using a word that children call 10, 000 times a day as a recall cue ;).

Pity loose leash isn't as straight forward for Gus as recall so far :(.
 
tigerlily46514

tigerlily46514

Honored Member
i totally, completely 100% understand every single word of that post!! mmmHmm!! oh boy, do i ever know just what you meant there, Rdog!!

still, that had to be hilARious!!! i would have loved to see lil Gus demonstrating the recall word he DOES know so well, the recall word that no one else has "messed up" yet!!! WAY TOO FUNNY!!

AND NICE WORK ON TEACHING
AND PROTECTING
ONE RAZOR-SHARP RECALL WORD FOR A PUPPY!!!, RUNNING DOG!!
 
Ripleygirl

Ripleygirl

Experienced Member
running_dog said:
Recall incident from today...

Other family member (OFM henceforth) calls "Gus! Gus! Gus come! Gus! Gus Come!"
Gus (now 6 months oldish) gallops around with 3 other dogs playing and more or less oblivious though he does lollop over in that direction but veers away at the last moment.
Somewhat maliciously I call, "PUP-Peeeeeeeeeee!"
Gus stops playing, hurtles to my feet and sits expectantly for a treat.
OFM says, "Well I'M not going around putting on a silly voice and calling pup-py!"
Gus hurtles away from me through milling dogs to OFM's feet and sits for a treat. OFM struck speechless while rest of us fell about laughing :D.

Maybe now OFM will believe me that there is no point using a word that children call 10, 000 times a day as a recall cue ;).

Pity loose leash isn't as straight forward for Gus as recall so far :(.
Click to expand...
LOVE IT... I can picture exactly everything you said there, Runningdog!!!!:D:eek::ROFLMAO:
 
648117

648117

Honored Member
Hey Zsu-zsu, I'm like you in that I am scared to let Holly off the leash, so she had never really been off leash out side of our house, backyard and at dog class.

So today I decided I have to be brave, especially if Holly is going to do agility (so far everything at agility class has been on leash) I took Holly (some treats, and Paris, who does not have a good recall and refuses to eat outside of the house) to the dog park to find out what she would actually do off leash. It is a big dog park without any roads near it (Holly can fit through the gaps in deer fences which is what they use in the large dog parks so I was concerned that she could escape a dog park and get hit by a car if there is a road near it).

The only other dog there was a female black lab. So I let Holly off the leash and.... she was excellent :D . When I called her she ran back to me at full speed everytime with a big grin on her face :LOL: . My mum and sister were also there and Holly would run past them if I called her, they said they could hear her feet thumping on the ground. She was just sooo funny and she hardly took any notice of the lab.
Although the lab took notice of me and kept leaping all over me and got me muddy (it had just walked through a muddy puddle) and slobbery.

She even recalled to me when I couldn't see her and without Paris and when she was over 50 meters away from me. And she loved the freedom so now I think we are going to have to go to the dog park more instead of just going for walks.

It will still be a while before I take her to a completely unfenced park especially near a road and she needs to be tested with more dogs around so she doesn't run off to meet them but it definitly gave me more confidence in Holly's recall (y)
 
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