Recall - coming when called

One of the questions we are frequently asked is how to persuade or command a dog to come when called. In training we call this recall, but why is it that so many people have trouble with this exercise? Some people become accustomed to their dogs running a mock and eventually returning to them when the dog are bored. You could say that from a dogs point of view most owners of difficult dogs simply bore or have bored their dogs to death during walks and that’s the main reason and though there is much truth in that more often than not it’s because we don’t understand the basic psychology of a dogs’ nature. Yet we ourselves would pay little attention to a family member who ignored us most of the time, not unlike a dog.

Firstly let's look at it from the dog’s point of view. As a dog develops from a puppy, through adolescence, and into an adult dog it explores all the marvelously varied smells in it's environment, plays with all the dogs it can, and generally investigates everything that is happening in the vicinity. These pleasures are constantly reinforced by enjoyable repetition, and of course while all this is going on, you are the last thing on your dog's mind - or should I say you become so if the dog has not been trained to come. When you call your dog it's simply a matter of whether the motivation to obey you outweighs the attractions and distractions of where the dog is at that moment - and that's the crux of the problem. The majority of people love letting their dogs run free in the park chasing other dogs. This is important for your dog to socialise and learn other dog language for future temperament. However, these actions have to take second place to your commands and therefore you have to provide the motivation for the dog to find you more interesting than what it is into at that moment in time. Not an easy task with some people who want the least effort when walking the dog.

Alternatively your dog may be dominant and wish to make sure all other dogs within sight are aware of his presence. This often results in your dog marking territory with urine and subsequently tearing around the park pestering dogs and asserting his importance. There are other reasons for poor recall, but the methods to improve recall are similar. The consultation for recall problems varies. Once the problem is clearly understood by us, we go on to discuss the most suitable methods for your type of dog and the how embedded the behaviour is. It may also involve going to practice and demonstrate the methods in the park and a dog training course may be also recommended in addition to further gain control.