The Joy of Recall Training - Teaching Your Dog to Return with Love and Trust

Recall training allows us the freedom to enjoy dogs walks in a very special way, as Canine Connection Club Member, Trainer, and Labradoodle Guardian Carole explains. But it's not always as easy to get your dog back on lead as you might have imagined. 

Bringing a puppy or perhaps an older rescue dog into your home is an exciting time: we all have dreams and one of them is usually to have long off-lead adventures together. I know that was one of my dreams for Baffi, our first puppy as a family together. We had waited a long time, so when he came into our home in September 2017, I was both excited and very nervous. I had suddenly come to realise that despite reading so much and talking to lots of different people before we got him,  I knew absolutely nothing. Lesson learned: The problem with reading a lot, watching countless videos and listening to different people, is that you end up totally confused!

Baffi is a very clever dog who is also very determined and fairly highly strung and we soon realised that actually bringing up a puppy is very hard work. We took him to puppy classes where he was (I’m sure Caroline his trainer would agree) pretty good, but of course that doesn’t always translate to when you get home. In most ways, though, he was good and learned everything very quickly. But when it came to being off the leash, I actually thought that dream was never going to come true. We must remember that freedom off lead isn’t a right, it has to be earned.

Of course we were doing it all wrong and I was severely lacking in confidence about him coming back when called. He was an over friendly dog that wanted to excitedly greet every other dog he met. His impulse control was next to nothing, he would go from zero to a hundred in seconds! I was really thankful to have our trainer Caroline help me through this period, otherwise I really don’t think we would have got very far. 

[If you need some help with your puppy, please do reach out for support.]

We started by using a long line. The training lines are really important for recall training and people just do not use them enough. I’m not talking about extension leads, I’m talking about training lines: we used a 5 meter biothane line that doesn’t tangle easily and is waterproof.

To begin with we  rented a private training field where dogs can play on their own without the worry of distractions - these fields are great when you are trying to start to teach recall.

Why use a recall cue for training your puppy?

Let’s talk about recall cues: when I hear people call their dog back, it’s usually by their name. I rarely hear an actual cue. I did a small ‘poll’ amongst dog walking friends and very few use a cue. Whilst it’s a personal choice and is whatever works for you, I think recall cues are have a really important place in our teaching. 

If you are using your dog‘s name, it’s possible, though you may not realise it, that  your dog may have come to associate his name with something negative. Your dog may also have a name that other dogs have, so you could be calling your dog at the same time as someone else whose dog has the same name. Having a recall cue means that you have a unique  word or phrase to call your dog. We chose ‘pronto’ and it’s still his cue today. The reason I say this, is because recall cues can also get ‘poisoned’ and no longer work. If that happens then you need to teach a new cue from the beginning. Some people also find a whistle is really helpful. I also have a second cue for when he’s close. I use ‘with me’ for attention off and on lead.

Building focus and trust through adolescence and beyond

If you are having trouble with recall, your dog may be struggling with focus and impulse control just like Baffi, or your dog could just be struggling through adolescense. You are initially thrilled that your puppy will always stay by your side and then all of a sudden that changes, because your dog has become a teenager, may be more confident, and finds it hard in the excitement of the world to listen to what you say. Again this is a time to really go back to basics with your teaching.

The foundation of good recall is always your bond with your dog, their focus on you. The best outcome is when your dog wants to come back to you - that they understand you are the fun part of being on a walk. It's great when your dog thinks that being around you is the best thing: much better than being out there in the environment chasing other dogs, wildlife, people or even picnics! We had to do a lot of work on this with Baffi. We practiced everywhere - everyday. The house, the garden: we played games to get his focus: hide and seek, 'Ready, steady, Go!' and more. When he comes back we still 'throw a party' with play or treats.

We also have a pre-freedom ritual, which we call his 'briefing'. We still do this eight years on; playing  a few games before we let him go sniff, demonstrates his focus on us. We mix up the games; middle, nose... and then, if he’s distracted, the lead stays on until we gain that focus back.

Once we were satisfied that in the private field he was really starting to listen, we took both Baffi and the long line out into a low distraction field, this then progressed to other dogs being in the distance. The next step was to actually drop the long line so that if he did get distracted, we could pick it up quickly. And then, once he was seeing us as the main event, we were ready to take away the line in a low distraction environment.

Something that was very important to our recall training was Barket Place's online group Connect with your Dog, which ran an annual recall challenge over three weeks. These were great fun and Baffi and I actually took part three times before helping out in latter ones; then encouraging others who were  struggling with their own recall. It was during one of these challenges that I actually let Baffi off lead whilst I was on my own, for the first time. I was so nervous and worried he would sense my apprehension. There was nobody else about, we had the field totally to ourselves and it wasn't a long walk, but it was the first time and it felt good.

Time to reattach the lead

Baffi has never protested when it comes to reattaching the lead at the end of a walk or during a walk if necessary, but if your dog will do anything to avoid the lead, teaching a cue or having a signal is a good idea.

Play a little game of taking the lead off and putting it back on, praising and treating when you put it on. Practice at home first, just so they know that actually it’s not so bad to have the lead reattached. Bring this out on walks, calling him back for no reason to put the lead on, rewarding with treats/toys and high praise all the time.

You can introduce a signal, such as clicking the metal part of the lead or we say ‘bow bow’ and he willingly has the lead reattached . 

Recall: a life long connection 

Start as you mean to go on with recall training. Never just let your dog off the lead and hope for the best. Use a long line and make the walk fun for your dog. If you have a puppy, pay attention once he gets to adolescence -things are going to change. Keep your teaching going throughout your dog’s life, especially when your dog gets older and may not have the cognitive or sensory skills that he had when he was younger. Prepare ahead and teach hand as well as voice signals. 

Off- freedom is a wonderful thing, but don’t presume that once you’ve trained recall that you’re done: teaching our dogs works for their whole life. Please don’t worry if your dog is like Baffi was - have the confidence that I didn’t have; there’s nothing better than walking alongside your best friend, knowing that they loves being right by you. Don’t rush recall, you have your whole lives ahead of you. It doesn’t matter if you have to wait six months, a year even longer to have that recall. It’s just important that you grow your bond with your dog, so that you have trust in each other to enjoy a lifetime of wonderful walks.

If you need help boosting your dog's recall on walks, take a look at our Reliable Recall Course (self-paced videos, so you can train when it suits you) or book in a consultation for individualised support.