Last weekend we were at a sheepdog trial, where I could walk the dogs off leash in a field full of campers and other dogs. The area was surrounded by a knock-you-to-your-knees electric fence. What a joy to know that I could trust my dogs to stop when I said, stay close when asked, and come when I called. Were they obedience competition perfect? No; I had to use my “outside voice” a couple of times, once when Maggie discovered a treasure trove of kibble someone had left in the grass after driving away. I made a mental note to do a couple of sessions of “coming away from food on the ground” with some kick ass reinforcements. (Maggie requests chicken please.) I was not an idiot and never let them get within 10 yards of the fence, and like all good dog owners, was always looking 50 yards and 5 seconds ahead. But what a joy to be able to let the dogs be free to explore with their eyes, ears and noses.
I was not alone; my dogs were little different than most of the other dogs at the sheepdog trial. There’s nothing like training a dog to listen to you from hundreds of yards away when running high speed around prey to inspire confidence closer in. (Not to mention doing this with dogs bred specifically to work with you as a team; I didn’t see any Beagles running around loose.)
On our last night there I walked the dogs at the end of a brutally hot day, the air as hot and heavy as soup, while the electric whine of cicadas played back up to the rhythmic chirping of field crickets. It was nasty weather, but I still reveled in letting my dogs soak up the scents of a late midwestern summer. I found myself wishing that every dog could experience the kind of freedom my dogs had that evening, knowing full well that it’s simply not possible in many cases. But the more control you have over your dog, the more freedom they can have. I thought it might be a good time to review not just teaching your dog a recall, but also maintaining it, to make sure their response is what you want it to be.
Here’s a summary of the steps I use to teach a recall, and to maintain it.
First, before anything else, decide what cues you are going to use. Use verbal clues that are sharp and clear, like PUP PUP PUP or clapping your hands. I like to use a visual clue too–turning a little sideways and patting your thigh is a good one. This step seems trivial to many, but it’s hugely important. Most of us use too many cues for coming when called. Why confuse your dog or pollute the cue? Less is more here, and that takes training ourselves to be consistent. If you’re in the maintenance phase, pay attention to what you’re saying and doing. Are you still being crystal clear?
Decide what reinforcement you are going to use, and be sure to have it handy. You might consider having different levels of reinforcement, like kibble for an easy recall and chicken for a hard one. Mix up what a dog gets too–food sometimes for sure (especially when starting or training through a high level distraction), but letting your dog chase you while you clap and laugh, throwing a toy, and getting out the dinner bowl are great options. You know your dog; ask yourself what your dog wants to do herself. My dogs always want to run to the barn to start our woods walk, so calling them back and then saying “Okay!” is a great reinforcement. Never forget the power of using a problem (dog wants to do X and it wasn’t what you had in mind) as a reinforcement, as long as it’s safe.
Be sure to reinforce at the right time, especially in the beginning. I like to say Good!, clap and run away from the dog as soon as they turn their heads toward me. It’s always good to break any behavior down into steps, and the first step we want is for a dog to take her attention off of X, and turn it to us.
Start easy and gradually work up to hard. This is another point that sounds simple but is violated all the time. We ask our dogs to come when nothing is going on, and then ask the same when people are at the door and the other dogs are barking their heads off. Ask yourself, what makes it “easy” for your dog? What makes it hard? What is the probability that your dog will come when called? Start by reinforcing anything when it’s almost 100%, even if it’s only three feet away. Start small isn’t a waste of time, rather, it builds the foundation you need.
Try writing down a hierarchy of difficulty, from easy to hard and harder. Don’t begin to ask for a recall when you’re not well over 80 or 85% compliance at a lower level. This takes being thoughtful and observant, so spend some time on it. Of course, it’s different for every dog; that’s why knowing your dog is so important. Every dog has a harder time when aroused and distracted by something he loves; it’s your job to know what those distractions are, and either find something he loves more, or give him access to it, if you can, after responding to your cue.
This is also an important thing to do when you’re doing maintenance. As I said earlier, Maggie and I will do a few sessions about coming away from kibble in the grass. It’s not critical, she came when I used my “outdoor” voice and I knew she would. But why not clean it up? It’s both more fun for both of us when it works immediately, and safer besides.
How often should you do recall training? I’m a big fan of interspersing family dog training into your daily life with a dog. I might ask a dog to come when called 15 times in a day when training, but rarely do I ask over and over again. You can repeat the recall two or three times, but it’s even better to make it part of life. Call once during the first walk of the day, and be ready to reinforce it. Wait to start your dog’s breakfast until she’s in another room, call and then reinforce by getting out her bowl. Call for a play session, etc., you get the idea. Just don’t call for anything she doesn’t like, especially not early in training. But if you want it to work anytime, then train it any time, not just during “training sessions.”
What if she doesn’t come when you call? Well, that’s going to happen. Here’s my advice: If you call and nothing happens–not even an ear twitch, go closer to your dog and call again. Boost up the energy in your cues. Then reinforce anything, including the slightest head turn. When you get it, praise, clap and run away to make it look fun. Then give your dog the treat when she gets to where you had been in the first place. Don’t hesitate to put a treat right beside your dog’s nose if you have to when in the early stages of training. Try to avoid repeating the cue so that your dog doesn’t learn what my first working Border Collie learned, a million years ago, when being taught to lie down on sheep: Lie down LIE Down LIE DOWN! I’m sure he thought that was the cue, all six words of it.
That’s just a start; there are lots more details in The Puppy Primer and Family Friendly Family Dog Training, and on my website in the Learning Center. I also have a DVD on getting started on a great recall, Lassie Come! You could also check out the videos on Kikopup; Emily Larlhan does a great job dividing training into understandable steps. The late and great Sophia Yin has some wonderful videos too, don’t hesitate to check them out. Please add your own favorite resources in the comments, the more the better.
I can’t conclude this without stressing safety first. Many dogs will never be safe off leash, some only in certain contexts. Know your dog and know the environment. It’s always good to work on a great recall, cuz, well, you never know. Remember too that most people stop training too soon; they get good responses at moderate levels of distractions, but never train through the harder ones, while still expecting them to work.
MEANWHILE, back on the farm: We are just back from the Deadhill Stockdog Trial, where good scores go to die.
The name aside, it was a great trial, well run by lots of volunteers and gracious hosts Linda and Doug Uzelac outside of Lakeview, MI. I ran Skip in the “Open Ranch” class. Think of it as the Intermediate class, but the sheep were so challenging that there were more letters than numbers on the scoreboard. (Letters mean that the handler retired (i.e., the sheep won) or the judge called you off.) I’m proud of Skip, he did some exceptional work for a dog of his age and experience. He ran a little wide leaving my side at the beginning of the Outrun, but lost no points for it (20/20), did a lovely quiet, controlled Lift (9/10) and a pretty straight Fetch to me. We lost 7 points though, (13/20) because the Fetch isn’t over until the sheep are wrapped around the handler to begin the drive and ours wasn’t tight enough.
The part I’m really proud of though is his work on the ewe who repeatedly turned to face him (see 2:25 and 3:03). He kept his cool (and uncharacteristically, so did I). We had to finesse her away from where she was determined to go. It was beautiful work, made it look easy (it wasn’t), but it used up a lot of our time. We had a really nice cross drive (at about 5:15) and then ran out of time 8-10 yards from the pen. The Drive is worth 30 points, but you don’t get even one of them until you’ve finished it by getting close to the last exercise, the pen. A few more yards and we would’ve had our drive points and a good score. It was hard for Jim to get it all on video, but there’s enough that you can see Skip working well. Good boy.
Skips’s second run also included some beautiful work; he listened and paced well and read his sheep like a pro. I made a handling error at the second set of gates, so we ran out of time again on the drive. But overall, we both learned a lot and I was truly pleased with how he did. Maggie, on the other hand, was over her head, so I pulled her from her second run. These kind of sheep are her worst nightmare, and there was no point in setting her up to fail. We all cuddled on the camper bed that night, hair and slobber be damned.
The weather was volatile. Unbearably hot most of the time, interspersed with lots of lighting and occasional rain. But it made for gorgeous skies.
The farm includes some beautiful horses. These horses changed position every few minutes–I’ll sweep the flies off your face with my tail, and then we’ll switch up. Who could get tired of watching horses?
This is Linda Tesdahl’s dog Mona, perhaps the happiest dog I’ve ever met. She just came off the course working impossible ewes, and seemed to think it was the most fun she’d ever had in her life. It sounds as though she thinks that every day, every minute of it. Linda is a top handler; what a joy this dog has someone who knows how special she is.
That’s it for this week. Tell us your successes and challenges with recalls, we’re all ears. Then go kiss your dog for me. Lucky, lucky us.
Kat says
Recently one of the Great Pyrenees rescue sites I follow posted a graph about things that make you feel powerful. Money was a short bar, Status a slightly longer bar, Having your Pyr come when called was a bar stretching nearly across the page. It made me laugh. D’Artagnan does have a pretty solid recall within our large yard even when out of sight but I’m not going to trust him outside it yet. He will come back but it would be on his terms and time not mine.
When D’Artagnan came to us he had no recall and didn’t even respond to his name. I figured ‘come’ and ‘here’ were poisoned cues so I set out to train ‘Pow’ as a recall cue. I added the gesture of right fist to left shoulder. I also started teaching him his new name (his registered name is Darth Vader and no way is he a Darth Vader). Teaching these at the same time he decided his recall cue is his name and ‘Pow’ means come faster than an amble. I’m OK with that. He’s figured out which inflection on his name means I want him to come and which inflection means I just want to see where he is and I’m pretty good about instinctively using the right inflection.
In the evening I can call him from inside the house sitting in bed and calling out the window in the upstairs bedroom and he’ll amble around to the front door to come in. Coming in for the night is not his favorite thing so I make sure there are a few pieces of ‘leftover’ cat food for him to find in the cat bowls when he comes in.
Teddy says
This is so helpful and we definitely need to do some remedial work. Thank you.
I love the photo of Mona! And I love the little aside: “I didn’t see any Beagles running around loose.” Our rescue is predominantly BC, Lab, and Beagle. She looks like the first two, but more and more, I am learning the value of the DNA test: All things related to behavior and training make a lot more sense and go more smoothly when we know there’s a Beagle in there!
Thank you for the information on how to refresh our recall (which definitely needs it).
Che says
What to do when your dog doesn’t care about food at all (even steak, chicken etc) or toys but is motivated by people (well, or squirrels). I can NEVER have my havanese off leash because he would much rather go meet his future fans than stay or come. This one male havanese is the only one I’ve had like this. The girls acted a bit more dignified. I have had 3 trainers come to the house and he has gone through all the obedience classes and he is fine UNTIL a person is involved.
MinnesotaMary says
Great post! My beloved huskies can never be trusted off leash outside a fully fenced area, but I still practice recall in as distracting an environment as I can. It’s a little bit of insurance that may or may not be successful in case they get loose, but I’ll take all the help I can get!
Debby Gray says
I loved watching the Video! What good work from both Skip and you.
My Monty will never be off leash outside. He is too easily distracted by every rabbit and squirrel he sees. But we do work on come inside the house and in the fenced back yard. His call is ” Monty, Monty” and he will work for any food from cheese to a small piece of a dry treat.
Trisha says
Che: Ah, your dog is telling you what he wants! If access to people is what he wants, then make them the reinforcement! Have him beside you, cue recall, lure with food first few times only, the release and let him run to someone. All in a safe environment, of course. The trainee chooses the reinforcement, and lucky you, there are lots of people in the world!
Trisha says
Thanks Debby!
j says
For a great jackpot in the maintenance phase, get the tinfoil packets of tuna at the dollar store- no odor, your dog will never know you’ve got it. When you get a five-star recall, whip that out and let your dog stick his entire nose in that envelope. Best jackpot surprise ever! And it can sit in your pack or pocket for months.
Lynn Ungar says
So cool to see you and Skip working so beautifully together!
What has made the most difference with our recall is simply practice. Since moving the dogs and I walk in the neighborhood every day, and spend off leash time in two or three parks. We’re careful about giving other people and dogs their distance, and now Tesla has a lovely turn and race in on “PUP-uh.” Piper, on the other hand, is more likely to claim old dog privilege and join me when she’s done sniffing the thing that interested her.
Sarah Patzer says
One of the most difficult things for me with training the recall is training my family to use one work like “here” or “come”. I gave up on training the humans and so my GSD has a decent recall to the word “turkey” – the treat she gets for coming in the house. I may sound foolish at times and my neighbors may think I’m crazy, but it works.
Beth says
I also loved the video–that is so neat to watch a working dog do their thing!
We have an adult (mostly) mini-Aussie–our covid rescue–who is a double merle and totally deaf. We have successfully taught him a recall hand signal , but it’s of course contingent on him looking at us. He loves to run and is very fast, so we can never have him off leash in an unsecured area. We have a good sized yard and we walk him on a really long lead so that he at least has a sense of freedom and can sprint and sniff to his heart’s content.
Any additional ideas for teaching recall to deaf dogs or finding a way to let him run safely?
: )
Beth in Austin TX
Katja says
You are a treasure. Thank you so much for your words of wisdom and for all that you share. So grateful for you.
Margaret says
I decided early on with Kate that I would be careful to differentiate her Obedience recall from her get-your-butt-over-here recall, but this time I used the same cue with different antecedents. Get-over-here is, “Kate, come”. Formal Obedience recall is, “Kittikate, come”. The formal version is very context-specific; we’re in our training area or a ring, she’s on a wait, and I’m standing facing her with my arms at my sides; giving her lots of cues.
We have nowhere we can legally and safely walk off leash, so I only need to get her in from the yard or call her off a distraction in our training area, and so I have never needed to proof this to the same level that others do in different circumstances.
Bruce says
“(T)he more control you have over your dog, the more freedom they can have.” Trisha, truer words were never spoken. I feel a strong obligation to train my dogs so they can (safely) experience the joy of unfettered playing with other dogs, racing through the tall grass, following scent trails, and splashing in rocky streams.
Kat’s post about recall and Great Pyrenees is too funny. I have never worked with Pyrs, but I seem to be drawn to energetic and independent-minded hound-type dogs. Consequently few of my dogs have been naturally obedience-oriented, so we have definitely had to work at it. Also funny you mention Beagles, Trisha. My first dog was a Beagle-retriever mix, but pure Beagle in personality, independence, amazing nose, and dedication to chasing rabbits. I learned a lot from training a Beagle-brained dog to be reliable off-leash.
Current dog is vision- and hearing-oriented with a strong prey drive, so Trisha’s description of “looking 50 yards and 5 seconds ahead” is spot on. To that I would add: the dog is much better than me at detecting critters, so sometimes watching the dog’s ears, nose, and body language is more effective than trying to spot critters myself.
In obedience class we worked on “the name game” – call the dog’s name, and reward when the dog turns to look. This is a good basis for recall using “[dog’s name], COME!” followed by a yummy treat. Like most folks I start with simple and undistracted recalls on leash before working up to more challenging situations. If the dog does not respond, I usually clap my hands, run away, or yell a guttural “Hey!” rather than repeating an unsuccessful command.
When we are out in the woods I like to practice recall when squirrels are around (dog likes it, too). Squirrels can escape up trees, which keeps them safe and limits how far away the dog might run. Where possible I reward a successful recall by releasing the dog to attempt climbing squirrel-laden trees (dog remains non-arboreal so far, but not for lack of trying).
But discretion is the better part of valor. When the sun starts sinking low in the sky and critters (especially deer) start moving around, I put the dog back on leash unless we are in an extremely safe area. I also have an air tag on the dog’s collar so I can track her down if needed (fortunately this has not – yet? – been necessary).
Gorgeous cloud pictures, too!
Trisha says
Brilliant j! Great idea.
Trisha says
Kat: Love the graph! Reminds me of the GP joke: What do you call a Great Pyrenees off a leash? A dis-a-pyr, what else?
BARB STANEK says
Thanks for all of the sheep trial video! Love reading every word of your analysis. Keep it coming.
The bad news this week for me is that my 11 year old has hermangioscaroma. The prognosis is terrible as you all know. The good news is that I know about it and have time to say good bye. While saying good bye is wrenching, I am feeling very lucky that we have the time. We had the good times; we’ll take the bad times. I love him just the way he is.
The good news this week is I’ve shared my life for 11 years with an amazing dog. Feeling lucky.
cheryl says
I have 3 terriers- not a traditional breed for off lead and calling off of things- but with a lot of reps and really high value reinforcement for harder recalls- they can run free in safe areas. Today I set up practice recalls away from horses in a safe setup- 100% success- good dogs!
Shivani says
Luckily, our little corgi/aussie shepherd/beagle mix is highly food motivated. So far, he’s doing well in most situations with, “Auggie, come!” He comes on the run if we use a happy, bright voice and turn our bodies slightly, or pretend to run away. When he arrives he gets a treat and we bend down and place a few fingers in his collar, thinking that maybe this would train him to allow a stranger to hold his collar if he were ever to get lost (God forbid). We’ve also had good results with periodic jackpots. They really make an impression! We definitely find that his recall is directly tied to how often we practice, and in how many situations. Also, I found that my husband had a tendency to sound really stern when calling Auggie. Now that he’s switched to a happy tone, he’s more successful.
We’re lucky that twice a week he has an opportunity to run in a huge field with a few other dog friends — fully fenced but massive. Other than that, the off-leash opportunities are very few. We don’t take him to dog parks (too many issues), but occasionally he’s able to be off-leash at the beach, as long as it’s empty. For us, the biggest limitation to being off-leash is other dogs (keeping Auggie safe).
Melissa says
Recalls are a bit of an art form, and I am passionate about them!
The basic take home messages I tell my clients about recalls (that I have learned from owning spitz breeds and a primitive hound and training all of them to recall reliably):
1. Concentrate on money in the bank, not what you specifically want to recall your dog away from. Every time you call and your dog comes, that is money in the bank. Every time you call and they don’t come, you are hurting your training. So focus on getting money in the bank.
2. Don’t call unless you are confident the dog is going to come! See previous point.
3. Use your best rewards and don’t be stingy. If their eyes don’t light up and they don’t RUN to you when you recall, you need to practice more with your best rewards in easy conditions.
4. Commit! Call them like you mean to get their attention no matter what they are doing, so be loud and shrill and leave the fear that it will draw attention to you failing to recall your dog behind.
What people tend to forget is that it’s not about pitting your reinforcer against environmental reinforcers. My little hound will recall off chasing swallows for kibble. She certainly does not like kibble more than chasing swallows. It was a long process to achieve this with lots of very carefully timed recalls near swallows and lots and lots of practice away from swallows. I think as soon as you start thinking in terms of coming up with a better reinforcer than the environment, you will be constantly training reactively instead of proactively, and so you lose momentum and consistency suffers and you have frustrating setbacks etc. etc. You’ll get to the end goal eventually, but to get there, you should think about how you can get enough money in the bank with recalling that the recall cue becomes very salient, the dog lights up and whirls on a pinhead when they hear it, and they come fast and direct. Then you can tackle your problem stimuli.
Rondi says
This post is a great reminder and review! Random recall practice is part of every off leash walk with my 5 yr old Lab and has been since she was a pup. Kibble and release at this stage but it’s pretty much a game for her. Being strongly food motivated helps for sure!
Andy says
I was taught to chain reinforcers to keep the party going and it worked really well with Cecil, whose attention tended to wander once he reached me. I also love rewarding a good recall with an immediate trip to the fridge. If it was a truly impressive recall I would just think of whatever leftovers I had and just share them on the spot. I also did a lot of long-line practice in the street in case he escaped the yard.
Also I think I’ve joined the collie club, DNA test pending. Mahtoh will be my dog very soon (fingers crossed) and he is, uh, kind of crazy. He lounges around in the Texas heat most of the day but then for about a 2-3 hour block requires near-constant stimulation or he will go to the library and find a treasured book to nibble on. He reminds me a lot of Grover in “The Monster at the End of This Book”, except that Mahtoh is the monster, and he is eating the book.
Great video, Skip’s runs towards the end are super-cool.
Jenny Haskins says
You cannot have ever had a “See Ya!”
Mad Millie (the Cocker/Beagle) has an absolutely perfect recall — IF she knows the gate is shut.
All my various herding/sheep dogs had perfect recalls. Even the MiniFoxie had a good recall.
Trisha says
Oh Barb, I am so sorry. So glad you have some time together. And still. . .
Abby says
Thank you for the lovely reminders but most of all what to do when they don’t come… somehow I feel this gets often overlooked.
Betsy Batejan says
My starter dog was an American Foxhound (I don’t recommend that) and I worked diligently for a year to have a reliable recall before I realized it would never happen in an open area with lots of interesting smells. And that was OK. But I do resent it when I read other trainers on line that say “any dog can learn a reliable recall”. I very much appreciate your more even handed approach and loved your remark about not seeing any beagles off leash!
My current dog is very dog reactive so could never imagine having her in a field full of other dogs let alone off leash. But she has so many other lovely qualities and I’m sure she laments my shortcomings on some days. None of us is perfect.
Sarah MacKinnon says
Very nice to meet you last weekend Tricia. I enjoyed watching you work your dog. He is a sharp worker & looker! Our chat on the hillside, as we captured the colors of the sunrise, was a nice way to start the day!
Gayle Fowler says
For those folks with pups that would like to give their dogs off leash time in fenced in areas they may want to check out Sniffspot.com. It’s a website, and they have an app too, were you can put in a location and find folks renting time in their fenced in areas. I’m in Maryland and there are quite a few options – I’m not sure how well known this app is in other parts of the country.
Trisha says
Was lovely to meet you too Sarah! I’ll bet your photos are gorgeous! I have so much to learn about photography, someday I’ll take a course.
Frances says
You remind me how very lucky we are to be surrounded by safe places for off leash walks, so that my dogs get at least two good roams every day. I would not say my dogs’ recall is brilliant- OK, but not perfect – but their Wait! is excellent, and their Leave! pretty good, so we get by. I do cheat a little – now Poppy is struggling a bit due to liver failure she needs encouraging to get going on walks, so we start with a treat just inside the gate to prove I have some, and then at least every quarter mile after that, and just sometimes the treat is chicken. Poppy and I amble along, Sophy explores and does her thing while staying in sight, and we get together at every field gate for a check in. A treat on getting back in the car, a treat every time we go back into the house after being out in the garden- all tiny, but it all helps to make sure that there is always something good about to happen.
Both dogs are now 12, so like me do rather more ambling than dashing, which makes the occasional zooms from Sophy and enthusiastic rocking horse lollop from Poppy when I call all the more special.
Martin says
I initially taught my last dog, a Golden Retriever named Dolce, recall through fetch. She naturally came running joyfully back to me every time I threw a ball (giving up the ball was a different story altogether), so I simply had to say the word while she was bounding towards me. Of course, I had to then proof it in other situations, and I had good success – though I couldn’t call her off wildlife, so she still had to be on-leash most of the time.
Unfortunately, other family members weren’t careful with their training and the cue became poisoned for them. However, she had a very solid hand-targeting with them. Instead of finding a new cue for recall, we expanded the hand-targeting to including coming to us first. That worked really well.
With Nanuk, my Spitz-Gold Retriever-Mix, we went straight to the hand-targeting. It’s such a great command – easy to teach, can be practiced in almost every environment, and can be used to fake many other commands (come, on, off, down, leave it, heel, etc. I still teach these most of these separately for more precision and because training is a fun game, but training and proofing takes time and I need to be able to communicate with my dog as soon as earthly possible). Because it is so versatile, it’s easy to get “money in the bank”. I’ve only had Nanuk eight months, and he has already performed this correctly several thousand times.
A game that some dogs really get into: Have two (or more) people alternate calling the dog. While the dog is going to person 1, person 2 finds a new spot to call the dog from. This can be more like hide-and-seek or more like tag, depending on the environment and the players. It can be done inside a house or outdoors. Since Nanuk loves this game, he associates recall with fun as well as treats.
I teach recall with three different cues – word, hand signal, and whistle. I make sure all three are taught very thoroughly and can be used independently of another. In some situations, a human voice can be hard to hear (great distance, near waterfalls, in crowds…) or a human cannot speak at all (illness…). In others, whistling or even making any kind of noise is inappropriate. Or I just don’t have my whistle on hand. A hand signal only works if the dog actually sees it. Since I want to be able to recall my dogs in all of these situations, I have a variety of cues.
I’ve found that my dogs respond better to my commands outside (including, but not limited to, recall) if I reward them for paying attention to me there. When they offer eye contact, I toss them a treat – they find that style of delivery particularly rewarding. I also reward them when they come to me on their own accord to check in. If they start getting obnoxious ab0ut it and spend more time begging for treats than sniffing, I space out the treats, making sure that I only give them something if they showed interest in something other than me in between glances. If it gets too bad, I don’t even look at them unless they’ve spent some time sniffing and use mostly praise as reward. Conversely, if they don’t check in often enough, I reward them more frequently and with better rewards. It’s a balancing act that really pays.
I’d better stop here, before my comment is longer than the original post!
Tricia Jacobs says
Thank you for sharing. Your posts are always thoughtful and helpful in our learning process. Can you tell me your opinion about if spaying and/or neutering has an affect on working dogs or otherwise athletic sporty type dogs such as those used in agility. And, if so, how does it affect their performance?
Trisha says
Tricia, oh what a can of worms! There are so few males dogs that are neutered in sheepdog trials it’s hard for me to say, and it would be anecdotal anyway. The best person to ask would be Dr. Chris Zink. If anyone knows the research, it’s her!
Susan S says
I’m passionate about this, because I believe that training a solid recall is the only way to allow my non-hunting sporting dogs to run & explore & play & be dogs, & to let them get the exercise they think they require. I start training a solid recall before the easy stuff, like “sit.” I’ll begin with hand touches & work from there. This summer I made a discovery. My young Brittany, who these days will run for an hour through goldenrod over her head if I let her, sometimes won’t take a treat when I do spot recalls because her tongue is lolling down around her knees somewhere & she doesn’t want anything in her mouth. I bought one of those water bottles for dogs. She will always come to me for water when she’s been running. It’s been the best reinforcement ever. Her need for water overrides her desire to run around.
Trisha says
Great point about water Susan S… and letting our dogs tell us what they need and want!
Martin says
Beth, is there anything you could attach to your deaf dog’s collar that you could remotely trigger to vibrate or to release a pleasant (!) smell? I know that there are shock collars that work that way – you press a button, the dog gets shocked even if they are quite some distance away. That’s obviously terrible and not appropriate for recall (or anything, really…). But if there are collars with a similar set-up that produce pleasant or at least neutral stimuli instead of painful ones, you could use that vibration/smell/whatever as a cue to either look at you and thus see your hand signals or as a recall.
(I hope you even read this – it’s been several days.)
Pete says
We are currently trying to enforce recall with our pup, and this is a really good piece with some good simple tips. It is also always nice to hear of the persistence that it takes others too, so as not to lose faith on the days when things are proving a little tougher than usual. Consistency and persistance are key!
I will also pass on the kiss to our pup!