Teaching a Reliable Recall

Does your dog blow you off when you call his/her name? Do you need to call your dog twice or even ten times repeatedly until he finally gives you a glance? Inadvertently, the repeated name calling is training your dog to ignore your first call, training him to come only after you are yelling at the top of your lungs. So let's fix that.

First of all, if your dog isn't coming when you call him, you shouldn't have him off leash anyways. What if there was an emergency you had to get your dog out of? If he isn't coming the first time you call him, you should practice come when called on leash.

I learned this interesting technique from applied animal behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin to practice come when called by using a retractable leash. The retractable leash should be used during this training, but it doesn't help in training dogs to heel because you cannot actually "retract" the dog if he is lunging or going the opposite way you are going. But it is effective in teaching dogs to come when called. However, you can also just use a long leash to practice this. Clip the retractable leash to your dog's flat collar. Throw some treats or wait until he is distracted by a bush or other dogs. While he is busy, unlock the retractable leash to lengthen it and then, say "Come Riley (or your dog's name)!" and run in the opposite way. Make it fun and fast by running the opposite direction and you'll find he'll come running towards you. Turn around and stop. As he is within 5 feet away, put a treat down to stop him in his tracks, lift the trick so he'll sit, and reward him once his behind touches the ground. Give him extra treats for remaining seated. Eventually, he can do this without a leash. But remember, just say the "come" command only once, and once only so that he'll be guaranteed to come the first time you call him!

Once they have a good come when called, not only can you use it to call them back on walks, but you can use it when they are barking at the door Here's the difference between two dogs: one who knows come and who doesn't:

Dogs repeat what works. So if you continuously reward your dog for coming when called, he will understand that coming to you is more fun than anything else he was chasing after. When he can consistently come when you call on leash, take the leash off indoors and call him. If he still comes, then take him outside in a fenced area and practice calling off leash. THEN, if you can bet your paycheck that he'll come when you call him with distractions, you'll know he can be reliable off leash. By then you won't need to reward him every time he comes back to you because he knows the behavior already. Instead, put him on a variable gambling schedule, where he'll want to come over just in case there's goodies to be had. 

For further explanation, please see Dr. Sophia Yin's website entry on come when called: Become More Exciting Than a Squirrel: Teaching a Reliable Come When Called

Disclaimer: I am not a veterinarian or a certified dog trainer (yet). All these reviews on products and training only reflects on what's worked for dogs I've trained and their lifestyles. Adjust to how you see fit for your dog.