Total Recall
Recall is the ability to call your animal to you. This could mean the animal fully returns to you or just that they reorient (or look) at you for further information. In Colorado Springs, we have so many people that love to take their dogs out and be off leash for various activities. Depending on where you are going to be doing this, there are a lot of factors you need to be prepared for and having a solid, no-matter-what recall is the main one.
Before you enjoy time in an unfenced area with your dog off leash, you need to know that you can get them back to you under any circumstances. This can be difficult in our area since we have an abundance of wildlife, other off leash pets, people and everything in between that will be out there with you. Begin building your pets recall skills early and practice them often. These are the keys to success!
When you are building a recall, use a marker (this can be a clicker or a verbal marker like “good!”). You want to mark the behavior of the animal turning their head towards you, so mark/click as soon as you see that happening, like taking a picture. The reward (a toy or treat) will be delivered right in front of you. That is the rewarding zone to be in! You will build up distance over time as you work this. Use a long leash if needed when working on larger distances.
When your dog comes back to you and you deliver that treat, work on adding a collar/harness grab into it. If they are off leash and your goal is to get them back on leash, this will be part of the behavior. If you skip this step, you may end up turning your recall into a great game of chase instead!
Recall cues can be very easy to poison. This usually happens because people will only call their dog to them when it’s time to go, or time to give a medication, etc. Your recall should be given often for a number of reasons, but the most important is that it builds a heavy reinforcement history and a degree of unpredictability. If you call your dog over just to check in and put them on leash and have them settle for a second (this is a great way to calm an over-aroused dog at the dog park before problems start) then you can send them right back out to play. Do this several times. Your dog should always be in visual range of you. Allowing them to wander too far is just begging for problems.
Recalls can be a fun game for your dog to play with multiple people in a circle calling them in turn to come get a treat. Don’t forget those collar grabs! Once your dog has learned that coming to you is a fun game that always pays and is just part of the routine of daily life, you’ll be amazed at what they will leave to come back to you.
