The most critical and lifesaving skill a dog can acquire is the ability to stop whatever is distracting him and come to his owner. Unfortunately, I see too often, owners unable to recall their dogs from dangerous situations at the dog park or while leash walking. Many frustrated owners will stand tall, walk towards their dog, and tell them to “come” in a growly voice. This causes the dog to ignore them or worse yet, run away from them. If only they knew how to posture correctly! Let me tell you how.
Dogs are remarkably sensitive to human posturing i.e. how we use our facial expression, body movement and vocal pattern. To train a rocket recall you must do 5 simple things:
1. Bring your eyes low. In the canine world eye height means status. Higher eyes show a more dominant attitude. Lowered eyes mean sociability. So, when you want your dog to come to you, crouch down so your eyes are closer to the ground.
2. Move backwards quickly. All canines have prey drive. When prey encounters a predator, it moves away quickly. Do the same to trigger your dog’s prey drive so he will move towards you!
3. Use your “puppy party” voice to call your dog’s name. Your dog has to know that when he gets to you you’re going to have a giant puppy party for him filled with petting, praise, and treats. Keep your voice high and happy.
4. Make recall a game. While your dog is not looking, go ahead and hide. In a high happy voice cry out “Fido, where are you.” Keep calling out until your dog locates you. When she gets to you, cry out “you found me” and shower her with petting, praise, and treats. Trust me, your dog will never have a problem recalling to you if you play this game.
5. Train inside, then outside. Make the recall strong inside where there are less distractions and then take it outside where the distractions increase in difficulty.
Remember, recall is a relationship-based behavior. Your dog’s willingness to do it depends entirely on how much she trusts that returning to you will be worth her while. If you’re not in the habit of reinforcing your dog for behaviors you asked her to do, she may choose to ignore or avoid you. Therefore, never use your recall to admonish your dog! Your dog must always associate recall with a giant puppy party!
