9 Essential Recall Training Steps for Dogs

As a dog owner the most important thing that you can teach your furry pal is the ability to make him come to you faithfully whenever called. It can be very frustrating as a dog owner if your furry pal only comes to you whenever he feels like or never comes at all. Many a times, dog owners get frustrated when their furry friend does not understand their command and reprimand him. But that does little to train him, rather it makes him associate your calling with negative thing and he will never come when you call irrespective of how much you try.

It is not that easy to catch a dog that you have lost your temper with and it can further damage your camaraderie with him. This can take a downward spiral. Hence, it is very important to inculcate a routine in your doggy’s life when he should actively participate.

Let us now look at the essential recall training steps for dogs:

Steps For Dog Recall Training

• Choose a recall command. But ensure that it is not the dog’s name. Use the command only if the dog is running towards you or can be enticed towards you because you are worth running towards. It can be an alluring reward that you are carrying which entices him to follow you.

• Commence the training in a low distraction environment like your house or garden.

• Call the dog only if you are sure that he will follow your command or you can bring him back or go to get him. In case he is ignoring you, never use the recall command.

• Allure the dog to come towards you by using his favorite food or toy. Use the reward as a surprise. You can use food kibble sometimes or real chicken, hot dog, cheese or liver. Always make him keep guessing about the reward and deliver it in a fun way. Never push it into his mouth. Rather, toss it, drop it or roll the food/toy.

• While you are doing this training in the long run ensure that the dog has your complete attention. This means that even if he is on the long line for two minutes you are playing with him. This way he is paying attention to you and enjoying his time while on the walk. If you are not able to watch your dog, put him on a short leash.

• Invest new games to keep your dog interested to check on you. If your dog voluntarily engages with you, reward him with tasty treats or take out his favorite toys and play with him. Drop some food and call him using the recall command. When your dog obliges drop some more food and run away again.

• Teach your dog to be in a range to stay while walking off leash. When he reaches the end of his long run, give commands such as “this way” then stand briefly before changing direction. This will teach your furry pal to watch you as you are behaving unpredictably and he may lose you if he does not keep an eye on you. When this thing has been repeated a couple of times, change the direction without saying anything. If he catches up reward him with his favorite treat.

• If you want to teach your dog to come to you when called, it is best to leave him to play with every dog he sees. This way the dog will have a confirmation that other dogs are more fun, but when he gets beaten up by other dogs he will never leave you. He will sit beside you and wait for your instructions for release. Remember, just because your dog is friendly that does not mean that other dogs are also friendly.

• The final step is to make your doggy know that the quicker he follows your command to come back, the quicker he will be able to resume what he was doing before he was called. This will not only improve the speed of response but also keep your dog amused so that you do not have to allure him with his favorite food or toy as a reward.

If your doggy does not reliably respond to recall commands you should never put him off leash in a non-gated area. However, if he has mastered this command, you can set him free which would be the best gift that you can ever give it to him.