Many owners struggle with dogs that will not come back when they are let loose on walks. Some dogs seem deaf to their owners’ voices as they wander off into the distance, while others obviously hear the request to come, but actively avoid their owners in what appears to be a great game for them. The latter can be the most frustrating, because they can even successfully learn to take treats from their owners’ hands without getting “caught”.
Interestingly, there does seem to be some genetic basis for how likely a dog is to return to its owner (that is if it has had no training), as recall problems are experienced far more often in some types of dogs than in others. On the whole, it seems to be the more sociable breeds that are less inclined to come when they are called. In fact most of the dogs with this particular problem that I have dealt with have been Golden Retrievers! These extremely friendly dogs are happy to go off with any new person or dog and seem to care very little about where their owners are. There may also be other reasons that certain types of dogs struggle with the recall: Scent Hounds, such as Bassets and Beagles often have difficulty in this area, because the urge to follow their noses seems to override all other considerations, while for dogs like Huskies, Malamutes and Anatolian Shepherds, their independent nature tends to make them quite happy to venture off alone. On the other hand, I have come across very few recall problems in working breeds such as German Shepherds and Rottweilers. For these dogs sticking close to their human families is usually of prime importance.
However, regardless of breed, there are many things which can and should be done to train a reliable recall:
1. Train the recall in a positive manner from an early age: One of the most important exercises in puppy class is the recall. We teach this by holding the puppy on its leash while the owner shows it a treat and runs away a few metres. The owner then goes down on his or her haunches and calls the puppy in an excited and friendly voice. As soon as it is clear that the puppy is focused on the owner, we release the lead and allow the dog to run into the owner’s arms. There the puppy receives lots of verbal praise, affection and treats. Gradually, we increase the distance that the pup is required to run. This exercise should be practiced daily at home with young pups. If you do not have someone to hold your puppy for you, simply run backwards and encourage your pup to follow you for a few metres before giving him a cuddle and some treats.
2. Never intentionally punish your dog when it comes back to you: Often a dog may run off to do something which we disapprove of, like rolling in something dead and smelly or diving into a stranger’s picnic basket. When they do eventually return to us, our first instinct is to be angry and to scold them. However, in effect we are not punishing the behaviour that the dog engaged in while it was away from us, but rather the act of returning to us. The dog soon learns that it is a really bad idea to come back! It is important that we always welcome our dogs back to us, no matter what they have done.
3. Don’t unintentionally punish your dog when it comes to you: Many owners do understand the folly of punishing a dog when it returns, but they do so unintentionally in the following manner: They only call the dog at the end of the walk and then always put its lead on and take it home. In the dog’s mind “come” means an end to fun, friends and freedom. One dog I worked with was very responsive to most training, but if you uttered the dreaded “C” word she would look disgusted and avoid you at all costs, even when in her own garden! Make sure that calling your dog does not always signal an end to walks and play.
4. Reward your dog in various ways for coming when called: When we train puppies we generally use treats to reward them for coming. However, as our dogs mature it is important that we use “life rewards” as well. This means that when they come to us they are rewarded with that thing which they want most at that moment. This may be freedom (i.e. you release your dog to run freely again as a reward for responding to you), a game (i.e. you play tug of war, fetch or allow your dog to chase you as you run around) or the chance to play with other dogs (i.e. you release your dog to return to his canine friends). Obviously there are times when, for their own safety, our dogs must stay close to us and on the lead once we have recalled them. If we call them regularly and reward them by releasing them, then the odd time that we have to spoil their fun will not be detrimental to their training.
5. Never play chasing games with your puppy: Sometimes I see a pup dart away from its owner at the last possible second on a recall. The pup will then bounce at the owner, often in a play bow, but will dart off again as soon as the owner moves towards it. This is usually a direct result of people in the dog’s family chasing it for fun. Puppies can be very cute when they pick up a toy or sock and begin to run away from the humans around it. Many people can’t resist giving chase. Unfortunately this teaches pups that it is great fun to run away from their owners, rather than towards them. This is not a good state of affairs - our dogs should understand that all play happens when they come to us and not when they run away.
6. Make being with you lots of fun: A simple rule for encouraging dogs to come is to be nice to be around. If we are always cross or unresponsive to our dogs when they come to us, they will avoid us. However, if we are a source of fun, games, walks, affection and treats, our dogs will want to be with us.
7. Allow your puppy off-leash on walks when it is safe to do so: Although many people believe that it is better to keep a puppy on a lead until it is properly trained, I feel that if you have the opportunity to walk in places that are safe for your puppy, then he should learn from the earliest age to walk freely. Young pups are usually very dependant on their owners and it is usually quite easy to get them to follow closely. Having an older dog that is well trained also helps in this regard, as the puppy will often stick close to him. Reward the puppy frequently with treats for walking near to you and coming closer when called.
8. Don’t follow your dog around - make him follow you: Many people make the mistake of running after their puppies or dogs whenever they move in any direction. The problem is that this usually makes the dog continue on its way, because he thinks that the owner is coming to join him. One should rather make a noise to attract the dog’s attention and then run in the opposite direction to which the dog is going. The prospect of being left alone is not so much fun and most young dogs will quickly abandon what they are doing and run to catch up with “mom” or “dad”. It is also a good idea to hide away from your dog when he is not paying attention to where you are. (Find a place where you can watch your dog to ensure that he does not get into any trouble.) When our dog comes looking for you, reward him with lots of praise, treats or a game. You cane even turn this into a really fun game by getting one person in the family to hold the dog while another hides away. The dog is then told “go find mom/dad” and is released. This is one of Judah’s favourite games and it means that if we want him to come quickly on the beach or mountain we have only to bend down behind a rock or bush and he will rush to find us. A very useful thing!
9. Don’t be predictable on walks: Naturally, when we go to the beach or common to walk our dogs, we park at one end and walk the length of the beach and back or a do a circuit of the common. The problem is that a young dog that really loves being out soon realises that at a certain point the walk is about to come to an end. It is often at this point that a dog suddenly refuses to come near the owner, simply because it does not want to go home! One dog I know of would respond beautifully to recalls walking down the beach, but as soon as the owner turned to go back up the beach the dog would avoid her. It is important to try to keep the dog guessing: change direction several times when on walks and release the dog after recalling it at various different points on the walk.
10. Walk in different locations: Many dogs with recall problems that I know of go to the same place for their walks every day. The dogs become so confident and at home in the particular environment that they are quite happy to ignore their owners and go off by themselves. If possible, try to walk in various locations so that your dog does not always feel so sure of himself and sticks to you more closely.
Please note that all the suggestions above should only be implemented if it is SAFE to do so in that environment. I would never advocate allowing any dog off the lead around dangerous traffic or terrain where the dog could easily become injured, lost or disoriented.
Finally, a good way to improve recalls is to proof them against distractions. The technique described below is adapted from Jean Donaldson’s “Perfect Paws in Five Days” DVD:
1. Find a helper to assist you with your training and give them a bag full of treats.
2. Instruct your helper to take a few treats in one hand and to keep them in a closed fist so that your dog cannot take them.
3. Allow your dog to approach the helper and look for the treats, while the helper ignores the dog and keeps still.
4. Stand a few metres away and call your dog to you in as exciting a voice as possible.
5. If your dog does not respond, make any conceivable noise to get his attention.
6. Continue until your dog leaves your helper and comes to you.
7. Praise your dog like mad and allow the helper to approach and give the dog the treats.
8. Repeat immediately and continue until the dog is responding quickly to your voice.
The point of the exercise is that the dog must learn to leave the treats and respond to you in order to get the treats! This is a difficult concept for the dog: “to get what I want, I must move away from it and towards my owner.|” However, once the dog understands how to get success, it will be able to do this easily. This exercise can also be done with a favourite toy instead of food. If you do not have a helper, you can place the treats or toy on a high table or counter top and call the dog away from there.
The above article is intended to help prevent recall problems and to assist with dogs that are not brilliant at recalls. If your dog does not respond at all to being called or has a particular problem in this regard, you should seek the assistance of a reputable trainer or behaviourist.