# Recall and Emergency down.



## GusGus (Oct 24, 2012)

To make this short:

Gus has the attention span of a gnat. He is distracted by EVERYTHING. I want to establish 100% perfect recall and an emergency down one day. He knows what come and down means but he won't follow through all of the time. How can I start improving this. I'd like some training tips for these things from beginning to end. 

Thanks!


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Use a toy/tug, ramp him up~ give the command~mark and reward him with it after he downs or recalls to you, make it automatic in his head when he hears the commands. Repetition will instill it.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I think you have to teach him to focus first. Everything is done in steps and for any command the dog should be focused, so start there. We used to do auto check in exercises, follow me exercises, and watch me.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

^^^^ Both right of course.

As an amateur, here's what I did...

Focus is important, but let's assume you want to jump right into an exercise for now.

I would do everything on lead. I started with a basic sit / stay, a few steps back, then "come" command, and reel in. I kept adding distance over a very long period of time. (of course, treat and praise)

Then I reversed it....

Heel position on lead
Throw a high value toy in front of her
Recall her after getting.
I would also stop and recall. (recall while she was on way to get toy) I would also keep gradually adding distance.

Here's a video clip from 2 weeks ago. I started this very routine on a 15 feet lead, then 30, and up to 100 feet, until I felt that she got it. I do this exercise every day, in one shape or form. Whether in my home, or out while she's playing. She's always on alert for my recall.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

I wonder... would using another word for 'down' and 'come' in an emergency situation work 'better'? This is one thing I never taught before, and I also want to do this with Grim.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I would just teach it in whatever command is more familiar to the dog. When I say platz, Karlo platzes...he doesn't need to know whether or not it is an emergency. When I call his name, he should come running. When I say heir, that means come to front position. So I tend to only use that when we do more formal training.

And of course _teaching_ this on a long line is important, because obviously if you are teaching it, the dog hasn't been proofed and hasn't earned the right to be off leash.


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## Jag (Jul 27, 2012)

OK, thanks, Jane!


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## GusGus (Oct 24, 2012)

llombardo said:


> I think you have to teach him to focus first. Everything is done in steps and for any command the dog should be focused, so start there. We used to do auto check in exercises, follow me exercises, and watch me.


I've worked an lot with focus and NILIF. I started focus by holding treats In each hand and rewarding when Gus focused on me and not the food. Now we have progressed to when I feed him. I make him sit and lay his bowl down and focus on me before he can get it. I've been able to walk all the way across my house (within where he can see me still) before I let him have it.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

When you train with him, do you try to build enthusiasm(interaction with you?) That really helps to engage. And once they are in a higher state of drive, the positions tend to come faster. One reason I prefer to use a tug or ball on string over food. Food is great for the beginning stages of training something, but after that, the toy brings more effort.


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## andreaB (Nov 6, 2011)

Anthony, how long you have been working on recall, and after how long you felt you have solid one?


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

andreaB said:


> Anthony, how long you have been working on recall, and after how long you felt you have solid one?


I started asking "how to recall " questions at around 6 months. That's when she started to challenge me. Prior to that, she would always come back to me, under normal circumstances.

I would say that only recently would I trust her 100%. SO I would guess it took me about 6 months of testing her, to be comfortable. Kira is now 19 months.

On that note, I've recently started working with her off-leash heeling in public. I've been walking with her in the park (at heel) off lead. We would see duck, geese, cats and other dogs from a distance. Her recall, has transformed into enough discipline to stay at heel when walking. She won't run, because she'll get called back.


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## andreaB (Nov 6, 2011)

Thank you, my boy is 15 months and latelly his recall gets slower, he will come but sometimes he takes more time. Will try your way, and from scratch. I just tend not to be patient so time frame is helpfull.
Offleash heeling is still hard for us he wont run but needs to be reminded often. This is something i want to work on in future.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> When you train with him, do you try to *build* *enthusiasm*(interaction with you?) That really helps to engage. And once they are in a *higher state of drive, the positions tend to come faster*. One reason I prefer to use a tug or ball on string over food. Food is great for the beginning stages of training something, but after that, the toy brings more effort.


This ^^ is so important when working with a knat-dog! (Jane taught me that!!!)

With my knat-dog I found that (while training) if I stood still and asked for a come, he'd come towards me and then something would catch his eye and away he'd go. And and all vocalization on my part went unheard.

So (with him) I found that (while using a tug) when I ask him to come the MOMENT he moved towards me, I'd whip out the tug and begin backing away. He'd come 100 miles an hour, all focused on me an the tug. I'd repeat 'Come' right before he got to me and then I'd throw a party with the tug and him when he got to me. 

Once I knew this was the response I was going to get every time, I'd mix it up and not back up. Sometimes not even offer the tug till he got right to me and sat wanting the tug. 

On days where he is really wired and I know he is going to be difficult, I'll use a toy on a rope. So I can swing it and move it (big time) to get his attention and tire him out as well. Win/Win.

He is 13 months now. EVERY time I tell him 'Come' he comes. I STILL offer rewards EVERY time. Sometimes praise, sometimes treats and sometimes toys. I think with a knat-dog they can quickly learn that this isn't fun and find something else that is.


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## andreaB (Nov 6, 2011)

Thank you all. I do try build the drive, sometimes is working and some times not so much. I guess it is work in progress. Sometimes i feel i overdo it. how long you teaching/playing sesions lasts?


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

Can't help with recall, in our area our dog is seldom off-leash so we don't get much practice.

She has a great down. Our trainer had a "down stay clinic" a special class that just focused on down. Basically it was a two person training exercise using a prong collar. The trainer would walk away with our dog and we used hand signals to coordinate the trainer "popping" the dog at the same time we did a verb and hand signal down command. For those who don't like prongs, it usually took 1-2 pops for the dogs to get what they are supposed to do. Then we just kept practicing. My daughter also did private lessons in our neighborhood, a more realistic environment. We noticed some dogs perform great at the training facilities, but seem to forget everything in real life situations.


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## Anthony8858 (Sep 18, 2011)

Lilie said:


> This ^^ is so important when working with a knat-dog! (Jane taught me that!!!)
> 
> With my knat-dog I found that (while training) if I stood still and asked for a come, he'd come towards me and then something would catch his eye and away he'd go. And and all vocalization on my part went unheard.
> 
> ...


THIS^^^ is a terrific approach. I'm saving this


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## GusGus (Oct 24, 2012)

Lilie said:


> This ^^ is so important when working with a knat-dog! (Jane taught me that!!!)
> 
> With my knat-dog I found that (while training) if I stood still and asked for a come, he'd come towards me and then something would catch his eye and away he'd go. And and all vocalization on my part went unheard.
> 
> ...


While everyone has given me great advice I think this will work best for Gus. He LOVES toys and it sounds like an awesome way to train/play/wear him out. I want to thank you so much for this and also for going into good detail on how to do this. Actually. I have his tug toy with me now and I will give it a go! This makes me feel better knowing I still have other options besides an ecollar.


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## GusGus (Oct 24, 2012)

Anthony8858 said:


> ^^^^ Both right of course.
> 
> As an amateur, here's what I did...
> 
> ...


This video is absolutely amazing! You have such a good recall with her.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

GusGus said:


> While everyone has given me great advice I think this will work best for Gus. He LOVES toys and it sounds like an awesome way to train/play/wear him out. I want to thank you so much for this and also for going into good detail on how to do this. Actually. I have his tug toy with me now and I will give it a go! This makes me feel better knowing I still have other options besides an ecollar.


I can't take the credit for this one...it was a suggestion from Onyx'girl months ago....

Tweak it if you have to. Really watch him. Make sure you stop the game before he does. Leave him wanting more. Even if you only get to do it two times. Next week it'll be more. Next month he won't want to quit. 

I wanted to add that I also use squeaker toys too. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. But if I'm going somewhere that I know they'll be lots of distractions, I'll use squeakers.


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