by Paul Knight

Created on: August 06, 2010

In the training of any dog there's always things that we might let go because as individuals we don’t see a problem with it like not managing to complete the “Lay” command or giving you their paw but one command is imperative to safe and responsible dog handling and that is the “Come” command. In an ideal world we would all have parks near our homes and the neighbour would keep their fence in good order but sadly this is seldom true so we must make sure if anything goes wrong we have total faith that our dog will return immediately.

I want to address first that we have to look at the situation from the dogs’ perspective as their world is viewed and lived much differently to our own. Dogs are pack animals and by the time you start recall training at a suitable park or beach you should have already mastered the home telling them where to sleep, toilet and eat which will not only have inadvertently started recall training but will have set you up as the clear pack leader. You should also be aware that for your dog this is not a trip to the local shop or a nice bit of recreation, it is in fact a hunting trip.

Before we even leave the house training begins by asking your dog to sit and be put on the lead even if you are just taking them to the car this is important as when you step through the door you are leading the dog out showing that you alone are leader. Once you get to the exercise area leave the dog on the lead for the first 15 minutes correcting them when they strain I usually use a short sharp ah! Sound as if to bark at them when they step out of touch. By doing this you’re letting them know to stay near the pack and look to you for guidance and it allows them to burn some energy making them more receptive for stage two.

At the beginning of any new command it is quicker to use small treats to enforce what we are doing as a reward for the right behaviour so have these ready hold on tight and let that dog off lead. To begin with allow the dog to have a 10 yard boundary calling them back into touch “Come” whenever they go out of it. Should your dog ignore you use the corrective ah! Sound to fix the behaviour, it is at this point if your dog does not listen you must say nothing, walk over to your dog and physically lead them to that spot. Every time your dog returns to you, you must reward them with lots and lots of praise and a treat. You then simply increase the distance you allow your dog to go before you recall and I would imagine you will make 30-40 yards after your first session.

Begin by going to the same park as this will set a routine much like a hunting pack would leave their den in a set fashion on a set journey and this will also help quicken the process. The most important thing to remember is that panic will not help so be comfortable with where you are and it would be practical to start in the garden at home to be safe and in any case once the command is set you can introduce a ball to sharpen the hunting technique giving your dog a mental work out too.

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