5 Tips | How to achieve the perfect recall with my dog

A solid recall means more freedom for them and peace of mind for you! Whether you're at the park, on a mountain hike, or just in the garden, these five simple tips will help make recall training fun and effective.

5 Tips to the perfect recall

1. Make It Worth Their While

Would you drop everything for a boring old dry biscuit? Probably not, so don’t expect your dog to! Use tasty treats, a favorite toy, or heaps of praise to make coming back to you the best decision ever. Mix up the rewards to keep things exciting. If your dog never knows whether they’re getting a tasty snack, a game, or their favorite squeaky toy, they’ll be much more eager to run back to you every time.

Stella's Tail : This is where we went wrong initially, we weren't consistant enough with having treats on hand and Stella started to make it clear that she was not interested in just a cuddle or praise! 

2. Start Small & Work Up

Before expecting your dog to listen in a busy park, practice recall at home or in the garden. Once they’re nailing it there, gradually add distractions like other dogs, people, or exciting smells!

3. Use a Fun & Clear Cue

Pick a recall word or sound ("Come!", a whistle, or even a silly noise) and stick to it. Keep your tone happy, your dog should feel like running back to you is the best part of their day and not that they're in trouble! If your dog doesn't respond right away, don't start repeat the command over and over as this might make your dog think they don't have to respond on the first call. Instead, assess what they're doing (are they distracted?) then calmly try the command again in an upbeat tone. You could also try to add clapping your hands with the cue or showing a treat.  

4. Never Punish Slow Returns

If your dog takes their time coming back, don’t tell them off otherwise, they’ll think recall means trouble! Always reward them, even if they took the scenic route.

5. Practice, Practice, Practice!

The more you practice, the better they’ll get. A long training lead is a great way to give them freedom at the start while keeping control in tricky areas.

Stella's tail - Once you think you've nailed it, don't stop practicing! We thought we had recall sorted when she was a puppy! She'd come running back almost instantly so we slowly stopped practicing and eventually her recall got worse and worse. Of course Stella isn't really the adventurous type is never more than about 5m away from us due to sheer laziness but it's so important to keep working on it and keep provinding the rewards.   

Conclusion

If your like us, and recall performance has taken a bit of a dip, go back to basics and start again. Start at home and work your way up. A reliable recall takes time, but with patience and positivity, your dog will be running back to you in no time! Keep it fun, stay consistent, and enjoy the journey together. 

P.S. We have something coming out VERY shortly that will help with all those treats!