Working the recall

fatmammycat

Since we were talking a bit about recal ( or lack ) on another thread I was wondering if we might have a yap about it here?
How do you train for recall? How good is your dog depending on distraction?
I used to use food when my dog was a young puppy, but since he's not entirely food driven I switched to a much treasured squeak toy as a lure, with a game of tug as the reward and this made him desire to return much higher.
A few weeks back I started using a whistle and I was amazed at how effective this is in comparison with calling him or whistling myself. There's a lot of energy to a whistle sound and he responds to it like lightening. This morning I was able to wistle him OFF chasing a rabbit, something I might not have been able to do even a short while ago, so I think it's made a huge difference.
Just wondering what everyone else finds useful/works/doesn't work for them? And also what other tests might be a good idea to practice recall through (safely of course).

borderlinemeath

When Coco was a pup I found that her recall was good in the garden but useless in the field, but as she's a typical gundog who would focus on birds it didn't bother me too much. When we're out on a public beach is when I want her recall to be at it's best and thankfully she's pretty good. Her achilles heel - is once again birds, so if there's a seagull flying about or cormorants sitting on the rocks then this is her focus. But absolutely spot on when it comes to other dogs and people. Benson is exactly the same, birds are his thing, but no problem returning otherwise. I find it's when the birds taunt them by swooping down or bobbing on the water just out of their reach that is when it's most difficult to regain their attention but with consistency they are getting better.

For training Coco as a young dog, food didn't have a great lure effect out in the fields. She also loves balls but when she's in her 'field dog mode' they have no effect either but wierdly her major motivator was if she felt she was missing out on a 'family hug'. This meant that if she didn't respond to her call that myself and himself would start whooping and hollering, throw our arms around each other, hug and jump up and down in order for Coco to think she was 'missing out' on getting the attention and the 'family hug':D. She would return like a bullet for the hugs and kisses:D. Luckily enough these are private fields behind our house so we couldn't be seen to be acting like a pair of lunatics, although we did have to employ the tactic on the beach a few times and once in a car park in front of a good lot of people when she jumped out of the car and thought she was going for her walkies there:o

Benson on the other hand is a foodie, he'll do anything for a morsel of food, sometimes he'll go into his repertoire of tricks if the food isn't forthcoming fast enough. Sit-paw-paw-other paw-down-roll over:p. So for recall it was no contest.

Both respond to the whistle, which I use on the beach if it's windy and my voice won't carry, or else I call "Woop Woop!" in a good high pitch and give them lots of "yays" and "woohoos" and applause when they are running back.
I look like and sound like a bit of an eejit on the beach but I don't really care as it gets the job done, and at least I'm not there shouting and roaring at the back end of a dog that won't come back.

fatmammycat

Aw, I think running back for a hug is just about the sweetest thing I've ever read.

tk123

borderlinemeath wrote: »

yays" and "woohoos" and applause when they are running back.
I look like and sound like a bit of an eejit on the beach but I don't really care as it gets the job done, and at least I'm not there shouting and roaring at the back end of a dog that won't come back.

My friend took a video on the beach a couple of weeks ago by mistake (new phone) - my god people must think we're mad the noise of us :pac:

Bailey boy is food driven and his recall is pretty good - we've done lots of work at home, on short lead when out for walks and on a longer lead to drill it in and he'll come flying back when I blow his whistle - I always give him loads of praise and and treat (a piece of kibble most times)

Ms Lucy has perfect recall at home and none at puppy class lol so we'll be out with our long line in the park practicing pretty soon - she can finally go out for a walk at the weekend She's both toy and treat driven atm so I've been using a toy as much as possible eg for teaching self control/not pulling on the lead and then working on her give command and treating when she gives it back so getting to practice both commands/actions at the same time.

Bannasidhe

My newest rescue dog is giving me problems - I am using food and it works grand with my other rescue (she is usually sitting at my feet tail wagging so fast she is in danger of taking flight before I even get the treats bag out of my pocket) but the other fella (who is very food orientated and would eat anything given half a chance) gets distracted by people/other dogs and half comes back before taking off again. It doesn't help that he is yappy.

I have managed to stop him being so yappy at home but once outside he just gets too excited...

Last week he ran 3 fields as he heard our long-term foster dog's distinctive 'I am playing with a soccer ball in a big field' yip. I should explain that OH was with foster dog who due to having a liver shunt tires easily so cannot come on the lengthy walks I take the jacks on. OH had mistimed her arrival (truth is - she didn't actually listen when I told her the plan!) at the field so I was 3 fields away rather than at the entrance to the lower field as we had arranged. New boy Charlie did his take-off, half return act before just sprinting away so he could play with the ball too.

He did run straight to OH (well, the soccer ball) and as soon as I got there he was put on the leash, but he shouldn't have taken off in the first place so I need a good 'distraction' (object of desire) to grab his attention fast.
I might try the squeaky toy tactic - if I can find one that still squeaks :P) - as he does love those.

Or a whistle...

bluecherry74

Recall is the bane of my life. One dog is deaf and the other doesn't listen!

I tried recall training with Jess, my deaf dog, when I first got her. Unfortunately it didn't work out, the deafness combined with Jess's stubbornness combined with a setter's natural instinct to chase anything that moves means that she has to be an on-lead dog. I recently discovered a quiet beach where I can let her off without worrying about her bothering people or running off too far (it's surrounded by cliffs).

Henry's recall was atrocious up until recently but we're working on it and it's improving. He's food motivated, buy only by "special" food so I usually bring cheese or meat out with me. Recently, though, he's started to respond to regular dog treats which makes life easier. I'm also a one woman cheerleading squad when he starts to run towards me.

fiacha

I'm preparing to get a rescue so I've been reading up on a lot of basic training. This chaps Youtube videos seem very informative. I have no experience to go on, so it would be good to hear what you folks think about his advice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QonpHq930Rk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLo8YP4-D8Y

ShaShaBear

Hmm. Shadow's recall. Does he want to come to me? Yes? Then his recall is excellent. Does he have better things to do with his time? Yes? Then what is this recall you speak of? :P

jsabina

I've started to teach Jago to come back when called from his first walk!
I've used food... but when he is outside he is not very interested.
The things that works ALWAYS is the ball. He is crazy obsessed.
The problem is when HE has the ball :P and won't be interested in a second one.

Anyway he is pretty good. Usually he comes back or if I just start walking in the opposite direction he will follow me.

If I want to stop him going somewhere usually I just have to "shout" STOP and he will stop (I would say it works 90%)
Also when I have to put him back on leash... it's like he understands when is the moment and lay down waiting for me :O without complaining..

BTW we were the Worse at puppy class :P

Ms Tootsie

Recall is the bane of my life! We used raw chicken for a while. Oddly this works very well when we are out and about but not so great when we are calling him from the front door and want him to come in.

In the latter case EVERYTHING is more appealing than the chicken including sniffing cat poo on the lawn. Bizarrely what we have found works when we are calling him into the house in ringing the doorbell. He will hear it instantly and come bounding back and run into the house to see who has 'arrived' :rolleyes:

Never thought of trying the whistle. Since the bell works so well for other dogs I might give that a go.

Pretzill

My word is 'Wait.' I have the luxury of being able to walk the dogs off lead quite a lot because I live in a very rural area and have a lovely forest walk on my doorstep, however, I still don't want the dogs to far from me. So since they were young when they are off lead I let them walk a little bit ahead and call 'wait' if I think they are drifting away.


This has been quite effective. Rather than being actually recalled they wait for me to put the leash on if I need to. Now I wouldn't risk this in a built up area and I do think it's because they have gotten used to this way they're good at it. In fact the eldest lady used to just alk beside me without needing a lead at all but she was exceptional.
Also therer are some personalities who never come to recall my first dog was a divil, especially if he got out by mistake, I lived in a built up area then and he was nearly always on lead. But if he managed to get out the front on his own he'd run, stand about 500 metres away like he was taunting you and evert metre you went towards him he'd step further away!

fatmammycat

kaza2710 wrote: »

Recall is the bane of my life! We used raw chicken for a while. Oddly this works very well when we are out and about but not so great when we are calling him from the front door and want him to come in.

In the latter case EVERYTHING is more appealing than the chicken including sniffing cat poo on the lawn. Bizarrely what we have found works when we are calling him into the house in ringing the doorbell. He will hear it instantly and come bounding back and run into the house to see who has 'arrived' :rolleyes:

Never thought of trying the whistle. Since the bell works so well for other dogs I might give that a go.

It is genuinely amazing how rapidly my guy responds to the whistle, I think the high pitch 'excited' tone of it really engages his brain.

fatmammycat

Bannasidhe wrote: »

My newest rescue dog is giving me problems - I am using food and it works grand with my other rescue (she is usually sitting at my feet tail wagging so fast she is in danger of taking flight before I even get the treats bag out of my pocket) but the other fella (who is very food orientated and would eat anything given half a chance) gets distracted by people/other dogs and half comes back before taking off again. It doesn't help that he is yappy.

I have managed to stop him being so yappy at home but once outside he just gets too excited...

Last week he ran 3 fields as he heard our long-term foster dog's distinctive 'I am playing with a soccer ball in a big field' yip. I should explain that OH was with foster dog who due to having a liver shunt tires easily so cannot come on the lengthy walks I take the jacks on. OH had mistimed her arrival (truth is - she didn't actually listen when I told her the plan!) at the field so I was 3 fields away rather than at the entrance to the lower field as we had arranged. New boy Charlie did his take-off, half return act before just sprinting away so he could play with the ball too.

He did run straight to OH (well, the soccer ball) and as soon as I got there he was put on the leash, but he shouldn't have taken off in the first place so I need a good 'distraction' (object of desire) to grab his attention fast.
I might try the squeaky toy tactic - if I can find one that still squeaks :P) - as he does love those.

Or a whistle...

€3:50 in the local sports shop, BEST money I ever spent

Bannasidhe

fatmammycat wrote: »

€3:50 in the local sports shop, BEST money I ever spent

My one concern is that their off leash area where I do my recall training is within whistle blow of the local soccer pitch so I could be the cause of some...confusion....:eek:

Will try the squeaky toy first as that is unlikely to be confused with a penalty whistle.

fatmammycat

Bannasidhe wrote: »

My one concern is that their off leash area where I do my recall training is within whistle blow of the local soccer pitch so I could be the cause of some...confusion....:eek:

Will try the squeaky toy first as that is unlikely to be confused with a penalty whistle.

Eek, good point, you'd get lynched if you wrecked the flow of the game!

Quality

My sister has big problems with recall.

She has a beautiful intact make husky with a wonderful gentle temperament. The only way she can allow him run is if he is attached to my girl. With a special cord.

He isn't motivated by food at all, absolutely no interest, he is actually a bit underweight, if he escapes he is gone, literally will take off and be found miles away.

How do you train a dog outdoors and off lead with no interest in food that just wants to take off?

He is very well behaved and is a house dog. They exercise him twice daily and is on a good quality feed. But a bit spoiled if you ask me;)

muddypaws

Quality wrote: »

My sister has big problems with recall.

She has a beautiful intact make husky with a wonderful gentle temperament. The only way she can allow him run is if he is attached to my girl. With a special cord.

He isn't motivated by food at all, absolutely no interest, he is actually a bit underweight, if he escapes he is gone, literally will take off and be found miles away.

How do you train a dog outdoors and off lead with no interest in food that just wants to take off?

He is very well behaved and is a house dog. They exercise him twice daily and is on a good quality feed. But a bit spoiled if you ask me;)

Perhaps just do some research into the breed. Huskies should never be let off lead in an unenclosed area. The Chuckchi people would set them free every summer to fend for themselves, that desire to run and hunt is hardwired into them, just like the impulse to pull. I will not re-home a husky to anybody that says they will allow them off lead, not one single breed club or rescue in the world advocates off lead.

bluecherry74

Quality wrote: »

The only way she can allow him run is if he is attached to my girl. With a special cord.

I've tried that a few times with my two using ordinary rope and mostly it works out ok, except Henry gets a bit overexcited sometimes and pulls Jess over. What kind of special cord are you using?

Quality

Yeah muddy paws she keeps him in most of the time as He is an amazing jumper as well. She got an enclosed run made for him as he was clearing her garden walls. Houdini wouldn't have a patch on him.

It's a pity she can't let him off lead, because he is so beautiful off lead when at full speed.


Blue cherry. I think she got the cable in the states it's about 3-4 foot long like a bungee cord. But not too springy. With the proper dog clips on the end of the . We put harness on the dogs When the ise it.My lab seems to be more dominant than him! So he is happy to follow her. He is a LOT lighter than her too

muddypaws

Quality wrote: »

Yeah muddy paws she keeps him in most of the time as He is an amazing jumper as well. She got an enclosed run made for him as he was clearing her garden walls. Houdini wouldn't have a patch on him.

It's a pity she can't let him off lead, because he is so beautiful off lead when at full speed.


Blue cherry. I think she got the cable in the states it's about 3-4 foot long like a bungee cord. But not too springy. With the proper dog clips on the end of the . We put harness on the dogs When the ise it.My lab seems to be more dominant than him! So he is happy to follow her. He is a LOT lighter than her too

Yeah it is one of the great dog ironies, nothing quite as pretty as a husky in full flight. Thankfully I have a large, fully fenced field for my lot, I love watching them run. Would she consider getting a harness, and a scooter, or getting out on the bike, and getting him pulling? Its a great way to give them the exercise they need, and great fun

Quality

Yeah will say it to her. That's a good idea about the scooter etc.

Must say she loves that dog. It's treated like one of the kids. And her husband looks fantastic since they for him. He has literally walked stones off himself!

pampootie

Is it ever too late to try and train recall? My jrt was never great, he was gone like a shot when he saw another dog and used to gallop like a loon after my poor neighbour on his cycle home from work. He's also developed an interest in chasing cars and because of this I kind of gave up on recall training and leave him on lead since the start of the summer. He's not even 2 so presumably there's hope yet with lots of training?!

RoverZT

fiacha wrote: »

I'm preparing to get a rescue so I've been reading up on a lot of basic training. This chaps Youtube videos seem very informative. I have no experience to go on, so it would be good to hear what you folks think about his advice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QonpHq930Rk

Hate those video's!!

Recall every dog my ass!

Some dog's just can't be trained.

Dog he picks is a german shepherd, you could train one of them to clean the house.

You can train dog's like Siberian Huskies all you want, but nothing will stop them if they want to chase something or explore somewhere, have seen it loads of times.

Some breeds can't be trained.

Bannasidhe

pampootie wrote: »

Is it ever too late to try and train recall? My jrt was never great, he was gone like a shot when he saw another dog and used to gallop like a loon after my poor neighbour on his cycle home from work. He's also developed an interest in chasing cars and because of this I kind of gave up on recall training and leave him on lead since the start of the summer. He's not even 2 so presumably there's hope yet with lots of training?!

Well, the best of my jacks at recall is a rescue who we think was about 3 when we got her. Judging by her reaction to the leash when we first got her, her main encounters with long leather straps were of the painful, whipped with them kind. She had zero training - nothing. She was timid at home, terrified to leave her bed, wouldn't eat until she was coaxed (her whole body language screamed fear), aggressive with other dogs while on leash and when we left her off leash she immediately ran for the nearest ditch (which could be some distance away) and cowered under the thickest foliage she could burrow underneath - refusing to come out. We would have to crawl in and get her.

Now - 9 months after we adopted Gillie - I wish the other 'animals' (:P) were as good as her - she rarely pulls, her recall is good 98% of the time, she sometimes has a little 'mrrrwaf' at other dogs when she is on the lead but stops when we say 'No, Gillie.'...and she comes bounding over for her 'num nums' all waggy tailed.



I tried the squeaky toy tactic with new boy Charlie last night and it worked a treat - he came bounding back immediately. Now to stop him trying to eat through my coat pocket to get at the squeaky toy...
I am delighted squeaky toy worked as the other night when I took them to the playing fields the lads from the local soccer clubs were doing drills and fitness training and the coach must have blown his whistle every minute - if I had been using a whistle to get my lot to come back it would have been bedlam.