You might have mastered your puppy's recall at home when you have lots of useful tools, such as the best long lasting dog chews or tasty treats to motivate your excitable pooch. However, this is only half the battle. This is something most dog owners discover when they try to use recall while outside on a walk, where various distractions surround their canines.
Many dog owners have sent in their pleas to Canine Coach Dog Training on Tiktok saying they really struggle with using recall outside because all their dog wants to do is play with other dogs. While we can’t blame our dogs for wanting to socialize and have fun with fellow canines, teaching them to respond to recall while being distracted is highly beneficial.
The Canine Dog Coach responded with a video, he outlined that this isn’t a recall problem but in fact a general training problem. He said, “Think about how many times inside the house you have taught your dog to sit for a paw or a rollover, all of these things that aren't very important.
"Now think about how many times you've done repetitions of being around other dogs on a lead and teaching your dog focus and teaching your dog that skill of being able to actively avoid a distraction.”
He believes that this is one of the most important things you can ever teach a dog but it’s something dog owners don’t work on enough. Yet they expect their dog to come running back when they have fun distractions like other dogs and people to trot on over to and self-reward themselves with.
Watch Canine Coach Dog Training Explain How To Improve Your Dog's Recall Outside
@thecaninecoach ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim
Although the thought of trying to train your dog when there is higher risk of distraction around you, and sometimes an audience of other dog walkers nearby, can be daunting, putting in this work will make recall a whole lot more seamless in the long run.
The Canine Coach Dog Training says that we must spend time teaching our dogs to offer their attention in tricky situations where distractions surround them. This way your pooch can learn to overcome this and give you the focus and attention that you need to keep them out of trouble.
He does admit that this is a lot harder than teaching other skills, like how to lie down and stay, but that teaching a dog to focus will have a greater impact on obedience.
If you're still struggling to gain your dog's attention after practicing this for a while then perhaps there is an underlying issue. For example, you might have an anxious pup on your hands and you should read up on how to calm a dog down during periods of high anxiety before trying out any more training.
