# 20 months old GSD - Recall training



## Stronghart (Feb 22, 2011)

I have a great 20 months old GSD; we love him. He is very good at all the basic commands (usual sit, down, stay, heel, etc.) but we have a tough time with recall. We have a great trail park close of our home. When we take him there, if my wife and I call him back, most of the times, he comes back when he feels like. Same when we take him to the dog park. And sometimes when he is distracted by other dogs or birds, etc, he doesnt come back at all. Any suggestions how could we teach him to come back to us when we call him? Or if there is a great book or something that you could recommend, that would be nice too.

Thanks,


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

He really should not be offlead in situations where he can choose to fail to comply until he has a solid recall. I think this is really important. What he is learning right now is that if he does not have a leash he does not have to listen.

As a start you work with him on a long line andand call him, particularly when he is distracted. Pop the line to get his attention if he does not immediately comply. You may decide to use a prong. Treat or play when he returns. You do this enough and it becomes 2nd nature to him and over time you can gradually wean him off of the long line. Offlead freedom is earned, not given.

If you don't want to use a line there are methods with the ecollar. Lou Castle has a good site but a good ecollar is expensive and ecollar training really requires precision on your part and should be done under the mentorship of someone who knows what they are doing.


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## jb_pwrstroke (Jul 9, 2007)

Id try a electric collar


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

You can get in real trouble with the collar if you don't do it with some level of guidance, particularly where you are in a dog park situation and the dog could redirect onto a nearby dog. They have to know what the stim means first.


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## Franksmom (Oct 13, 2010)

jocoyn said:


> He really should not be offlead in situations where he can choose to fail to comply until he has a solid recall. I think this is really important. What he is learning right now is that if he does not have a leash he does not have to listen.
> 
> As a start you work with him on a long line andand call him, particularly when he is distracted. Pop the line to get his attention if he does not immediately comply. You may decide to use a prong. Treat or play when he returns. You do this enough and it becomes 2nd nature to him and over time you can gradually wean him off of the long line. Offlead freedom is earned, not given.
> 
> If you don't want to use a line there are methods with the ecollar. Lou Castle has a good site but a good ecollar is expensive and ecollar training really requires precision on your part and should be done under the mentorship of someone who knows what they are doing.


 :thumbup:

I worked Frank on a long line before he earned the right to be off lead and I still go back to it at times if I think his recall is slowing down or he might be thinking about not coming the instant I call. He's almost 2 and sometimes he gets the idea he knows more then I do.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

I wouldn't do off lead until recall is 100%. Simply to much danger to the dog's safety.

Formal training, use a long lead, call and if he doesn't comply, a quick tug for correction. There isn't an option, he can't think about it, when he comes to you, praise and party.

Throughout the day, carry treats, and randomly call him to you, treat and praise. Tighten up your criteria as you progress through this. After a couple of days, if he is slow or wanders before he comes, no treat. Once this is 100%, begin under small distraction, gradually increasing.

It will feel like you backed up to ground zero and starting over, but somewhere your dog missed he doesn't have an option when you give the command.


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## Stronghart (Feb 22, 2011)

Thank you all for the suggestions. I also found the following online article - would like to hear what your thoughts are about this:

Training Your Dog to Come When Called | Dog and Puppy Training

Thanks,


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## Bomber (Dec 20, 2010)

I struggled with this for a long time, my dog is about 1.5 yrs old. Out in the fenced in back yard he would never come in.. Just play "catch me if you can". TOYS.... he can not resist them. I take his favorite ball (Holy roller extreme) and throw it in the house... and then say tell him "inside".. if he pauses I say in a lower voice "dont make me come get you".... and he walks right in.


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