Having a dog who will reliably come when called is one of the best things in life. This means FREEDOM for your dog. Here my version of the popular Recall Game to teach your dog to RUN to you each time you call it.
NEVER call your dog unless you are CERTAIN you can enforce the command. Each time you call your dog and he does not immediately come to you to receive a food reward, you take a step backwards in his learning to come when you call. It is important not to make mistakes when teaching the recall. DO NOT CALL YOUR DOG if there is ANY chance you cannot enforce the command. EVER.
NEVER call your dog to you for anything unpleasant. If you need to interrupt a play session, or you are going to trim nails, or if you are about to do anything to your dog that he does not enjoy, GO GET THE DOG. Do not call him to you.
FOOD REWARD every single recall. EVERY SINGLE ONE. This means keeping treats in your pockets at all times.
Smiles are required equipment when calling your dog. NEVER EVER call your dog in anything but a praise tone of voice. Correction will NEVER help a recall. Your dog must WANT to come when you call.
To play the game you need at least 2 people, and several is great. Each person is given a handful of very small soft treats. I prefer tiny pieces of hotdogs or string cheese. Pieces should be VERY small,
even for a larger dog or puppy. I slice a hotdog in half and cut the pieces the size of a nickle. Once people have their treats, they should take a seat around the room with as much room between them as the room will allow.
One person takes the puppy or dog and points him towards the person who is going to begin the game. This person may do anything to get the puppy to come towards him except say the word COME. Clap hands, smile, laugh, show the treat, run the other way, call PUPPPY PUPPPPY PUPPPPY, or the dog’s name. When it is CLEAR that the pup is committed to going to the person, and ONLY THEN, say the pup’s name, and come. For example, Bailey, COME! It does not matter if the puppy is almost to you, as long as the pup hears his name and the word COME while he is going TOWARDS the person calling.
Hold the hand with the food right up next to your body so that the puppy has to come all the way up to you and touch you to get the treat. Do not feed the treat until you are holding the puppy’s
collar. This prevents the “snatch and run” game. Praise and pet the puppy cheerfully while he is getting his treat. Once the pup has had his little tiny treat, it’s time to point him towards another person who does the same thing.
It is extremely important that the participants understand they are NOT to say the word COME unless the puppy is already doing just that.
Play as long as the pup is interested. Main rules, Do not say COME unless the puppy IS coming, hold the treat up CLOSE to your body, and you must be holding the collar to feed the treat.
This simple game does more to build a reliable recall than any other training you can do. Your pup will quickly learn that his name and the word come means TREAT. Each time you call the pup and reward him for coming quickly to you, you build a more ingrained and reliable response. If you are consistent and train this game at least 2 to 3 times per week, you will have a dog who will ALWAYS come when you call it. Most owners list this as a top priority for their dogs. Here is a fun and simple way to attain this goal.
Important rules of the game:
*Only ONE person may call at a time.
*NEVER say the word COME unless the puppy is doing just that.
*NEVER reach out to the puppy. Pup must come all the way up to you, and you must be holding the collar, for the pup to get the treat. Hold the treat right next to your body.
*Always BE QUIET when another person is calling the puppy. If the pup goes to the wrong person, that person should fold arms, and look at the ceiling, completely ignoring the puppy, and saying nothing.
Puppies figure this game out rapidly, and learn to really enjoy it. Most of the time it is also great fun for the participants. Work to get the puppy to RUN to the person who is calling it.
Once the puppy is reliable in the house, then you graduate to outdoor work in a safe area.
USE A LONG LINE. Very important. Even in the safe area, USE A LINE. Take the pup out, with your delicious treats in your pockets. Let the pup get just SLIGHTLY distracted, and then call his name so he will look at you.
WHen he looks at you, immediately move backwards, while smiling, clapping hands, and in general encouraging the pup to come towards you WITHOUT SAYING THE WORD COME. Once the puppy shows clearly that he is coming in to you, THEN say come, and when he gets there, really load him up with treats.
Work up to stronger distractions and more distance gradually. When your dog or puppy is RUNNING to you in the house, begin outside training. IMPORTANT: USE A LONG LINE ON THE DOG. Training generally starts from the beginning again outside, but instead of other people calling the dog, you will be the one to call. Wait for the dog to look at something and get minorly distracted. Then call the dog, using the line to bring him to you if necessary. Reward with MANY delicious treats the first several times you call the dog in. Work up to more intense distractions. Find a fenced area to work in to get the dog off the long line eventually.
