Recall = "Come" Command

Getting the dog to come to you is one of the top two reasons pet owners seek professional dog training help. (The other being "get my dog to stop [insert unwanted behavior here].)

What does this mean?

It means that COME, although it seems simple, is a difficult behavior to teach, AND an easy behavior to ruin.

It also means that most pet owners realize how critically important recall is: a dog responding to COME cannot engage in any other problem behaviors! If you have only enough time to teach one very reliable command, this is the one you should choose.

Why is it so hard?

Recall is hard to teach, because it punishes dogs who listen. WHAT?!?

That's right. When the dog does what WE want, it is not getting to do what HE wants. After all, if the dog WANTED to hang around sitting in front or beside us... well, we wouldn't ever need a recall command.


We ruin COME because of how we use it.

The dog is having a lovely sprint or romp or sniff or chat with a new doggy or human friend. She is exploring, leaving pee-mail, chasing prey. She is making her own decisions. She has found a lovely cool spot to lay with a good view. She is taking a dip in running water. She is exploring.

NOW is when you choose to say COME. "COME, doggy. Come get in the hot car and go to the boring house. Come do as I tell you. Stop all those fun things you are doing and come here."

Everything you call a "distraction" is something your dog calls a "reward". So, what you call "ignoring distractions", your dog calls "negative punishment". ("Negative punishment"= taking away something the dog likes.)

If the poor soul complies, and many of them actually do, bless them, the best we can manage to compensate with is a "good boy", some pets, the most generous among us are giving some treats. For some dogs, this compensation is actually enough. For others, more strategy is necessary!

To make things worse, sometimes after the dog gets to you, he now needs a bath or a nail trim or a car ride, or some other horrible thing happens. This can be viewed as "positive punishment" -- giving things the dog doesn't like. Of course, if you have one of those dogs who just LURVES a good massaging scrub, the picture is a bit different.

The worst of ALL is the idea that the dog can make the connection between bad behavior WAY over there and a punishment delivered HERE by me. Even the smartest of dogs are unlikely to make that connection! Next to you should be your dog's safest of safe zones.

Don't EVER call your dog and then punish it. Even if you did not get the timely response you want, by the time the dog gets to you, she is now GETTING IT RIGHT. Generally, positive punishment slows responses, positive reinforcement (rewards) speeds up behaviors. (Because, dogs, too, are more motivated by getting something they want than by avoiding something unpleasant.)



Some dogs have difficulty with recall because they have not yet bonded to or even trust their owner. For shy or fearful dogs, being near people is a positive punishment. For these dogs, it may make more sense to ask them to sit, down, or wait... or direct them to go to the car or another spot. They may be more comfortable approaching you from a non-confrontational direction (not straight-on), so you could turn yourself, walk away, and ask them to come to your back side. Reward by your side or slightly behind you without eye contact. Gradually transition to front-on, if you need it for some reason.

For many dogs, that sweet freedom, that stress-relieving run, that delicious scent of sex or prey or company -- it's all they can think about. Some brains are so stimulated by the rush of chemicals & electricity these salient (delicious) stimuli present, that their brain literally may not register your call. These are dogs that some trainers recommend never allowing off-leash.

For me, that is not an acceptable solution.



So how do we make sure that COME is reliable? How do we avoid making it a punishment?

1. Recall an off-leash or long-line-wearing dog (=say "COME')
2. Reward with 5 or 10 of your highest-value treats, (I use 20 or more pieces of kibble). Feeding one at a time makes it seem like more.
3. AND THEN (this is key) re-release back to good stuff.
4. Pause for enjoyment of good stuff (which is NOW rewarding your dog's successful COME)
5. Repeat

Vary the number of repetitions before the dreaded LAST CALL. Try not to telegraph that it actually IS that last call.

• Call your dog for good things, like mealtimes, food- or play-based training sessions, and walks.
• Recall an off-leash dog, ask for a sit or down or shake, reward, and release to play.
• Occasionally use SIT, DOWN, or WAIT to stop your dog, then go get them. If you do this ONLY at the end of off-leash time, the dog may catch on to this.
• PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE Vary location, context, distractions, number of recalls before the dreaded LAST CALL.

Now, even if you do everything intellectually "right", it is important to recognize that dogs are only canine. While that may be a whole lot closer to perfect than humans are, they aren't robots. That impressive recall you see a police dog or sport dog perform is the result not just of good training, but of good genetics and good management. That good training is likely performed by a professional for at least 1 hour a day. That dog has been selectively bred for its responsiveness to humans, amenability to the training approach being used, and "instinct" that makes doing what is expected "feel so right". That dog has the optimum amount of exercise, socialization, R&R, training, health care, nutrition, etc. that most pet owners simply can't provide.

You can have your dog's BEST recall, and it may not look like that. But your dog can't do better than it's best, and neither can you. Don't expect too much -- you'll both be frustrated for absolutely no reason.