Want a great way to get in some recall practice? Call your dog at dinnertime, every time. Do this even if he’s standing on your toes while you’re filling his dish. Say his name and your recall word (such as, “Come”) and then set his dish down. Voila: instant recall practice!
Always Use Your “Happy Voice” For Recalls!
How do you like being called? Do you like the person calling you to sound angry or stressed? Or do you like being called by someone who sounds happy?
When we use an angry, frustrated, or stressed-out voice to call our dogs, we aren’t making the recall as rewarding as we should. Use a happy tone of voice to communicate that coming to you is fun.
Never Practice Calling’ Your Dog Unless You’re Sure He Is Going To Come
With recalls, the last thing you want is to teach your dog to tune you out. Yet many people do this without realizing it. The trick is to make sure that, when you practice recalls, every attempt ends in success.
Especially at first, you should only call your dog when he is already on his way to you. If your dog is merrily running in the other direction, and you’re shouting at him to come, you’re not training the behavior you want. Instead, he’s practicing to regard your yells as background noise.
Here’s where your work observing your dog pays off. Watch his body language. You’ll notice that sometimes he’ll seem intensely interested in something he’s seen, heard, or smelled. When he is, the risk that he won’t come when called is a lot greater. Other times, you’ll notice he doesn’t seem too interested in what’s around him. Maybe he’s even looked at you to see what you’re doing. Call him now, and chances are much better that he’ll come. And you’ll be practicing the recall behavior you want.