Dog Training Tips

Dog Training Techniques For Recall

Here are some very effective dog training techniques for teaching recall behavior to your dog. For those times when your dog is not safely inside, or on a leash, having a good recall behavior is essential. Recall means that your dog comes to you when you call. It can be a challenging behavior to train, but the tips in this section will help.

Make Attention The Foundation Of Your Recall

If your dog is going to come when called, she has to notice you’ve called. She has to be paying attention to you. So one foundation of dog training techniques for recall is in training your dog to pay attention to you - to “check in” with you regularly and often, and to notice when you ask her for attention.

Fortunately, this is a simple behavior to practice. Just reward your dog for paying attention to you. Suppose you have a puppy and she’s been playing with a toy but suddenly drops it and comes over to say hi. Give her a treat or a nice scratch behind the ears.

Reward your dog for checking in with you in the backyard, or for looking for you when you’ve been out of sight for a while.

Another of my favorite dog training techniques is to reward your dog for responding to her name. Say her name before you put down her supper dish, or hand her a new toy. Toss her treats if you say her name and she looks at you.

Start Your Recall Dog Training At Home

One of the things that makes recalls challenging is that we expect it to work outside-and outside is a high-distraction environment.

Have you ever been reading, or watching television, and someone has said something to you - but you didn’t hear? Or maybe you realized they spoke, but didn’t understand what was said? In this situation, dog behavior is just the same.

When we pay attention to one thing, we often block out everything else. Dogs do this, too. And when a dog is outside, he’s got a lot to pay attention to! For this reason, it’s best to begin with in home dog training in a space that has few distractions - like your kitchen, or living room, or even a bathroom.

Reward Consistently

Make sure that you always make it rewarding for your dog to come when you’ve called. For that matter, make it rewarding for your dog to come up to you and check in, even if you haven’t called. By doing this, you reinforce that coming to you means good things - every time.

Make The Reward For Coming Wonderful

Along with distractions, another reason recalls can be hard when training your dog is that running around outside is tremendously rewarding to your dog. Depending on where you are, your dog may be playing with other dogs, or smelling interesting smells, or just stretching her legs after a dull day indoors. “The things a loose dog finds to do can be really, really fun.

In all aspects of training your dog, you need to make it even more rewarding for your dog to come to you. How do you do this? It depends on your dog. Since food is almost universally rewarding to dogs, many dog trainers suggest using food treats. However, make sure you pick the right treat. When you’re competing against other rewards, it’s best to use a high value treat - something really special. Examples include a bit of cheese, a chunk of hot dog, or a liver treat. You want to teach your dog that next time she has a choice to make, it’s best to choose you - because you are more rewarding than whatever else is going on.

Play is sometimes a great reward and can be one of the more effective dog training techniques as well. Does your dog like to chase balls? Offer a game of fetch as a reward for coming when called.

The important thing with these dog training techniques is to know your dog and to know what is rewarding to her. Be creative and use these positive dog obedience tips. Make coming when called the most rewarding thing that’s happening to your dog at that moment in time.