tips to improve your dog's recall

Yes, it seems obvious, but if your dog’s recall is a bit "Fenton!!", rewind and go back to basics.
Practice at home where there are fewer distractions. Practice outdoors with your dog on a long line so they can’t bog off completely. Reward them every time they return to you, whether or not you asked them to. Don't rely on your dog to recall out of the blue if they aren't used to doing it regularly.

Reinforcement drives behaviour
You are competing with the sights, sounds and smells of the great wide world when asking your dog to come back to you. Find out what your dog’s favourite foods are. Find out what your dog’s favourite toys are. Make them the thing you take on walks with you. Keep a variety of rewards on your person to make coming back to you really rewarding for your dog.

Reward your dog any time they choose to look at you, regardless of whether you asked them to.
By doing this, you make engaging with you worth doing, and they will want to do it more. Keep your conversation going!

Have fun together
Out with your dog, but actually spending your time scrolling your phone? You better believe they are going to find ways to amuse themselves whilst you’re doing other things, and it will almost certainly include getting up to no good. Keep your dog engaged by paying them attention, be mindful of their experience, play some games and explore with them. Be silly, chat to them, play chase, get off the path, get them doing some barkour, play hide and seek.

Before you even let your dog off lead, assess how excited they are.
If they’re pulling like a steam train and ignoring you talking to them when they are on lead, then you’ve no chance of them hearing you when they are off lead. Can they focus on you? Are they able to eat treats? Can they follow well-practiced cues, like “sit”? If the answer is “no” to any of these, then your dog may be just too excited to be unleashed.

You want your recalls to be successful so you can reinforce and encourage more success.
Don’t call your dog if you don’t think they are going to come. If they are hoofing off after a squirrel or an excellent scent, for example, you are wasting your breath by calling them more than once. Go and get them if you are able to. Otherwise, wait until they are at least facing in your direction before shouting them.

But dogs learn through consequences
Yes, it is embarrassing and frustrating if your dog won’t come back when called. If they get a royal telling off when they do come back to you they are not going to want to do that in the future. Always make a big deal of how clever they are and reinforce them when they come back to you (even if they’ve been leading you on a merry dance prior to their return).

Invest in a long line!
If you are not 100% sure about your dog’s recall around different environments. If they have hoofed off after squirrels, other dogs, scents. They are a fantastic management tool, there is no shame in having your dog on a long line. Long lines come in a variety of lengths, from 3 meters up to 30 meters. Using a long line shows that you are being proactive AND will help to give you confidence when you’re out and about with them.

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