# Recall Training



## DaniCh07 (Mar 10, 2016)

What is the best way to teach recall? I have tried using treats, and even on leash I have to almost drag her back to me. It is like everything around her is 100x more interesting than I am!


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## DaniCh07 (Mar 10, 2016)

Oh and for context she is 4 months old!


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## nezzz (Jan 20, 2013)

Your treats might not be valuable enough, or you yourself might not be engaging enough. Your puppy is ignoring you because you're not interesting enough.
For a start, feed your dog its entire meal via hand. If she is ignoring you, walk away and only feed when she comes to you. Never approach her, always have her come to you. Make sure you're doing this all while on leash.
Also, you might want to give a more valuable treat, I suggest chicken, pork or beef liver.
If you want to take it even further, leash your dog up even at home, eventually she will learn to walk with you wherever you go.


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## DaniCh07 (Mar 10, 2016)

nezzz said:


> Your treats might not be valuable enough, or you yourself might not be engaging enough. Your puppy is ignoring you because you're not interesting enough.
> For a start, feed your dog its entire meal via hand. If she is ignoring you, walk away and only feed when she comes to you. Never approach her, always have her come to you. Make sure you're doing this all while on leash.
> Also, you might want to give a more valuable treat, I suggest chicken, pork or beef liver.
> If you want to take it even further, leash your dog up even at home, eventually she will learn to walk with you wherever you go.


I will try the meal trick as well as higher value treats. She never has trouble once she realizes I have food or treats its just pulling her attention away from whatever she is engaged with to show her that I have them. 

I would leash her inside but she is leash reactive. As soon as she is clipped on the leash shes rolls over on her back and starts chewing on the leash so I am not sure what to do about that one.


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## Niexist (Feb 19, 2016)

If you have someone to help you restrained recall worked pretty well for teaching it to my pup. This is where you have someone else hold the puppy and you run about 20 feet away and then call them while the other person encourages the puppy to look at you, but doesn't let them go until you call.


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## girardid (Aug 13, 2015)

@Niexist I did the same with my pup. 

When they got to me i had a tug or a ball or a treat too. It really helped with his recall we started that at around 3 months. Granted we have done engagement and focus training since i got him. Either way i highly recommend this


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## cdwoodcox (Jul 4, 2015)

Practice recall every chance you get. Start off in an enclosed area where she knows you have treats. Whatever you have been saying don't use that. Shes already used to ignoring that. Wait until she is 10 feet away or so and show her the treat while saying whatever phrase you use for her new recall. When she gets to you have her sit. I would say sit while moving the treat up towards my eye level. This gets her to associate that hand movement with sit so you can use it at distance eventually. Practice practice practice. Once she associates that phrase with coming for a treat make games out of it. Myself, my kid, my wife would all grab some treats and go to different parts of the house. We will take turns randomly sayin (Rosko come) and he will haul butt to get his treat. He likes it cause he gets to run in the house I like it because he never knows where he's going next. With just 2 people you may have to hold the dog until the other person calls or the dog will just turn and run before the recall. But find something she really likes. Freeze dried liver, freeze dried lamb lung, or tripe all work great for my dog.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

It sounds like your dog has no idea what it is you want from her. I would start teaching recall in a less stimulating environment (indoors), from a very short distance. When she comes to you, reward, reward, reward. Keep her on leash for this so you have a way to guide her to you if she is ignoring you. Do this for a while until you are confident your dog knows what a recall is. Then, up the distance. Once that is solid, move outdoors (somewhere quiet, like your backyard. Not a busy public park). Go back to doing recalls at a short distance and start from square one. Increase the distance once she is solid in that. Eventually, move to a more public place and start from square one again. She will generalize that "come" means to run to you wherever you are.


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## GSDkid (Apr 19, 2011)

How I start off with recall is:
- Keep them on a short leash
- Run backwards while tugging lightly and calling them to follow (be extremely encouraging).
- When they follow, reward physically with a toy/treat as well as verbal praise, "Good come!!!"
- Practice this even during walks, nature hikes, etc... to help proof the command.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Maybe even just start with the name game in close proximity to the pup. Never call pup for anything that isn't awesome. Time to stop playing and go somewhere boring? Don't call, go get pup. 

Got pup's dinner ready? Wait for it to wander away then call, when pup comes surprise it with a meal.

I agree restrained recalls are good but don't think it will work until the pup has a clue.


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## voodoolamb (Jun 21, 2015)

Something else to keep in mind is what language do you use with the pup in the regular day to day life? 

Sometimes I say "come here mako" just while chilling in the living room. Or when I need to put his leash on. Just random stuff I say to him. Not giving him a command just talking to him.

As such I cannot use the words "come" or "here" as his recall commands. He hears them too often, they aren't consistently reinforced, and sometimes bad stuff happens when he hears them.

I taught our recall by building a lot of drive for the tug toy. I would have someone restrain him and I would tease the living day lights out of the dog with his tug toy. Dancing around with it. Waving it juuuust out of reach. Happy sing songy "OMG I have the best toy EVER and you can't have it". When he was frustrated and struggling to get away from the helper to get at the toy. I would give the recall command and the helpers would release. When he got to me we played a game of tug and i let the dog win and have the toy for a while. Eventually you don't need to build frustration and you can add structure.

You can also do it without a helper. You just need a long length of rope and a tree or sturdy post. Just step on the rope. Have it looped around the tree and move off it when you are ready to release.


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## leanne1601 (Oct 6, 2015)

Make recall fun. Have someone hold your pup back while you shout and make crazy noises, once your pup is concentrating only on you have them let her go and she should come straight to you. Don't give the opportunity for your pup to get it wrong. You could try hiding from her and shouting so she has to come find you. I also learnt off my trainer to use somehing other than their name as a recall. They hear their name so often, and sometime for being naughty, that it might not be reliable. Try using a silly high pitched noise (if you won't get embarrassed doing that in public!) I myself have a whistle. 

Top tip - make yourself interesting and unpredictable. Your dog will follow and watch you if she thinks you're unpredictable, she won't want to lose sight of her owner. 

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


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