Training your Dog to Come Using Dog Recall Command

Training your dog to come when called is one of the most important, if not the most important, training commands because it is ultimately a life saver. Don't believe me?

Imagine opening your door one day and your dog bolts out towards the upcoming traffic totally oblivious to your calling or imagine taking your dog to the park when he takes off to meet a dog that is clearly demonstrating a "Cujo" personality. Or what about a potential lawsuit if your dog jumps someone and ignores your call to come back?

These cases demonstrate why a serious recall is a must to save your dog from serious injuries or worse (the come command is also known as recall). A solid recall, therefore, is the most important command your dog will ever know.

The dog recall command definitely requires a reward-based approach. Try to scold your dog for coming too slowly towards you or try to call him with a threatening tone of voice, and you will end up with a dog hesitant to come when called.

Positive reinforcement training, a reward-based training method employing scientifically-based principles, is ultimately the best way for training your dog to come. Let's review some of these reward-based methods.

Dog clicker training is a very effective training method where a dog learns to associate the sound of the clicker with treats.

This noise-making tool, when introduced properly, becomes a signal for the dog announcing he has performed a behavior we were looking for.

The noise of a clicker may be somewhat comparable to a "good boy" or "good girl" pronounced in a timely matter. However, it has been scientifically proven that a dog's neurons respond better and faster to a neutral tone, rather than voice, which may have variable tonalities and ultimately carries a person's emotions.

A solid recall can be easily taught with the aid of a clicker. Training your dog to come when called requires you to arm yourself with tasty treats and obviously a clicker. Following are some steps for training your dog to come when called:

Start in an area with little distractions such as a living room or other quiet indoor roomStep a few feet away from your dog and say your dog's name in a happy voice followed by the cue "come"Walk quickly backwards enticing your dog to chase youClick the moment your dog starts proceeding your wayDeliver a treat the moment your dog catches up with you

In order to train a solid recall, your dog will need to show an ability to respond despite distractions. Failing to do so may lead to the common cliché of "my dog obeys well at home but when he sees another dog nothing will stop him".

This is one of the main reasons why dog training classes are helpful: your dog will learn to pay attention to you despite having other dogs around.

If you are not taking your puppy to a dog obedience training school, you are very likely missing the distraction element. This means that you would have to find a way to practice recalls around other dogs and distractions. In order to accomplish this you would have to gradually expose your dog to increasingly higher levels of distractions.

Distance is another element that you will have to add so to proof your dog's recall. This means that you will have to start training your dog to come at increasingly farther distances. Therefore, if let's say you started with your dog 8 to 10 feet away, now you will try at 10 to 15 feet, then 15 to 20 feet and so on.

You may also add a special twist to the challenge and try to hide calling your dog to come look out for you! Of course, when he finds you throw a party and give him a jackpot of treats!

Following are some important tips to keep in mind:

Always call your dog in a fun, happy voiceAlways make coming to you a rewarding experienceAlways go get your dog if he does not come to you the first timeAlways appreciate your dog coming to you

"What should I do if I must call my dog for something unpleasant such as putting his leash on at the dog park and leaving?"

This is a very good question. We certainly do not want the dog to associate the recall command with something negative such as snapping the leash on and leaving the park. After some time, your dog will very likely start hesitating in coming because it is no longer convenient.

To remedy this, make it a habit to call your dog and reward him with some treats followed by a game of tug or a walk around the park before leaving. Just make sure the recall does not become a predictor of bad things.

A wide array of benefits derive from training your dog to come. Dog recall training may prevent your dog from: Chasing an animal into the woodsGaining access to some tempting delicacyBolting out of a door and escaping

As already mentioned, training your dog to come can potentially be a life saver and should be an essential part of your dog's repertoire of learned behaviors.

Here is a brief video that talks about some of the things we just covered in this article...

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