Recall is one of those things that it’s important to get right, but it’s not always easy to do so. Even more experienced dog parents can struggle sometimes, because all dogs are different and what you tried with one dog might not be quite as effective with another.
And, there are some common mistakes that dog parents can make. Fortunately, however, they’re easily rectifiable — it could be as simple as changing your usual rewards for some of the very best dog treats!
So, don’t worry, as professional dog trainer and behavioral consultant Amelia Steele, or Amelia the Dog Trainer, has explained everything we should know in a recent Instagram post.
“Recall is actually an advanced skill which requires multiple layers of training in order to be successful,” Steele explains. She looks at three key areas that dog parents can sometimes get wrong, and why it’s important for us to know.
1. You haven’t trained the foundational skills: “If you haven’t trained the foundation skills that go into recall training, you’re probably wasting your time with recall drills,” she says. To achieve a solid recall, it’s important to get the foundational skills in general training and communication, distraction training, and engagement right first.
You might find these 27 practical tips for training your dog on your own helpful if you’re planning on going back to basics. Or, reaching out to a qualified professional trainer may be the right option for you.
2. The rewards aren’t high-value enough: When a dog is distracted, recalling is quite a big ask for them, so it’s important to make it worth their while. If you don’t, they might learn that it’s not worth coming back to you.
“Often I like to incorporate fun rewards including play, scatter feeding, and chase,” explains Steele.
3. You’ve poisoned your recall cue by accident: “Poisoning your recall cue happens when you use it in situations that are too difficult, or you overuse your recall cue, to the extent that your dog believes that recalling isn’t worth it, or is even a bad thing,” explains Steele.
This can happen if you punish your dog for not coming back to you, too. But, it’s not difficult to fix this. All you need to do is abandon your current recall cue for a new one, and start again.
If recall is something that you and your pup are finding a little difficult, and you’d like some extra tips, you might also find this article useful: Three reasons why your dog’s recall isn’t reliable (and what you can do about it).
