As Long As it Has Been Around, The Obedience Dog Training Recall is Missing the Point

Coming when called is a highly requested dog training skill. Dogs should want to gravitate towards their owners. But what do many dogs do instead?

Ignore their name. Sniff. Chase birds. Move further away when called. Lift a leg.

Off-leash training is considered an advanced skill, following basic obedience training. We suggest training your dog for off-leash situations right away, no matter where you are in your training. The typical sit, stay, come is important to teach, but as long as it has been around, it is missing one important point. When you call your dog outside of training practice, your dog is not likely to be lined up and facing you.

Start training a recall right away in a fenced-in yard, Sniffspot, a training center or even on a long line. You can practice recall elements in your living room as well.

The recall is an old skill. Traditional obedience style recalls have changed little since the early days of obedience trials. In trials today, we still see a drop on recall, which is similar to what was included in the first obedience test in 1933. This transferred over to kennel club classes and pet classes. Leaving the dog in a stay, walking away, and facing the dog are all part of the traditional recall, which involves calling the dog with one “command.” While this style recall is impressive to watch and has value, it is important to realize that a real-life recall will look different.

In fact, when you call your dog, chances are your dog is not facing you at all. Your dog might already be moving away or distracted by sniffing. For this reason, it is essential to think beyond the traditional recall and practice micro skills regularly to keep your dog’s recall strong. An example of this is intentionally slipping your dog’s collar over his head so he thinks he slipped out and then calling him to the front position. Another example is calling your dog from a stay facing the opposite way so that your dog’s back is towards you when you call. 

MJ’s Pet Training Academy, LLC

Recalls can be fun to train. Recall is an unnoticed part of various exercises in group class, including leave-it, target sending, and retrieving. 

The traditional recall is still valued and taught at MJ’s Pet Training Academy, LLC, but we have added many other styles of recall in addition. Our creative drills have been thoroughly tested before we teach them.  If you only rely on a traditional recall your dog’s recall might be much weaker than you’d expect.

Before you leave your dog in another stay for the recall, ask yourself how else you would use the recall in a real-life situation, and create a training scenario to match it.