
Let me guess, when you brought your puppy or dog home the first skill you wanted to work on was recall. I am with you! I think reliable recall is one of the most important things you can teach your dog no matter what age they are. There is an endless supply of “how to” videos on every platform with tips and tricks to teach a speedy recall. Games are great, but I want to discuss what I think is the authentically challenging part of teaching recall.
This weekend, I spent some time with a good friend helping her dog practice recall and neutrality around my dogs. I suggested some games I have learned from a variety of trainers. I am so confident that her and her cavapoo will succeed with consistent practice. This session helped me reflect on what I have learned about recall and what I would want to share with anyone trying to perfect it.
Being on “dogstagram”, I have seen countless reels with the most absurd suggested quick fixes for a good recall. One woman suggested you rub a strong smelling treat on your hand, so whenever you call the dog they will want to come back to sniff your hand. A few reels even suggested that you should let your dog off leash anywhere even if they don’t have reliable recall. I have personally been affected by this in real life, and it never ends well.

Neither of these approaches will lead to a dog that will turn on a dime to come to you the instant you call their name. I have found the best approach takes time and an incredible investment from you into your dog. This approach is based on relationship building.
I remember teaching Chief to behave off leash. He would be glued to me as long as I had his frisbee. We went to the beach on the first nice day in the spring. There were no less than 50 dogs running around. He paid them no attention and played diligently with me and his frisbee in the waves. I even allowed him to greet a few dogs, which he immediately recalled off of when I asked. We had a beautiful day.
A few weeks later, we returned to the beach to play frisbee. There was another couple with their off leash dog down the beach but Chief didn’t seem to mind them at all. After a few tosses, he tipped the frisbee off of his snout and it sunk into the surf never to be seen again. I thought “no problem, I have a cheese stick. We can work on obedience”. Less than a minute later, the other couple threw their dog’s ball and Chief shot off after it. I sprinted after him calling his name and finally got him to come back to me. I felt terrible about this- I didn’t appreciate when this happened to us in reverse and it was a wakeup call that I needed more than a frisbee to get Chief to recall every time.

Chief was still extremely young at this point. Very few people will tell you that relationship building takes time and dedication. Maybe what I was doing with Chief was some light bribery, always having his frisbee with us, and bringing high value treats everywhere we went. Depending on the environment, your dog’s mood, and other stress factors these items just wont’ be enough some days.
Today, I can bring Chief anywhere and he will stay with me on or off leash. He recalls off of anything (his highlight reel includes moose, deer, rabbits, and horse poop). We developed a relationship where he determines that I am the most valuable thing to him no matter what else is going on around us. This took time, patience, and hard work. We play together any chance we get, exercise together, learn new activities together, and overcome stress as a team. I still always carry food and treats with me, because my dogs deserve to be paid for their hard work. Bottom line, we just love to be together. That is what will always bring him back to me.

I am working on this same approach with Chickie. She is a much more social and independent dog than Chief, so I do foresee this being more of a challenge to teach her. I will dedicate as much time as she needs to practice in order for her to safely enjoy off leash freedom. As their handler, I will never knowingly put my dogs in a situation that could be dangerous for them. Letting them off leash is a risk I am willing to take once I am confident with their consistent recall. Anything can happen, and it is important that I prepare my dogs to seek my guidance in unknown situations. Dogs deserve to live a life of freedom, and it is up to us to prepare them to safely do so.
I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has taught me this “not-so secret” to recall. I am so inspired by the trainers who have instilled this idea of relationship building in my everyday training approach. I have seen personally how this approach can take you and your dog to the next level, and will always rely on relationship to lead a happy and healthy life with my dogs.

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