How Long Does It Take? -- Reliable Recall Training.

[running_dog]

LOL I use these games with Zac, they work well, with most dogs I think they can lay the foundations for perfect/near perfect recall, with high prey/play drive dogs it might take a little more .

With hide and seek and changing direction Zac is really hard to catch out! He has to be very distracted in order to give me time to hide.

We do sessions of and random throwing of tennis balls and treats in front and behind too but I do the version with Zac running between my feet because this is a better foundation for front recall/handling.

 

[tigerlily46514]

//Also, she used to be/and still is a car chaser if we're close enough to the side of the road.//

Everyone's worst fear... Reeallly worth putting some time into solving that one.

My dog started doing that, cuz my dog, "Mr Makes Associations", began to react to cars, (with excitement) after my guy pulled up to talk to me while i was walking Buddy, well, Buddy was so surprised --just leaped all around with shock and joy, to find his beloved daddy in a car going by,----- that from then on, (especially in the dark), Buddy began to show excitement/moving towards oncoming cars after realizing his dad *could be* in a car going by.
But i did retrain Buddy's default "car" cue, and retaught him to step into grass if i say "car" all over again...


Your dog might not be able to work as closely to the street as this video is showing, maybe you'd have to start further back, but with practice, you could get there, too:

 

[bekah1001]

What about multiple dog recall. Sometimes the dogs get caught up in the moment of play/running together that they don't listen

 

[MissyBC]

@bekah1001: I taught Missy recall (we're still working on it...), same way as tigerlily46514 taught her dog. I always wait until Missy looks like she's done playing with other dogs and then I call her. Maybe that'll work for you? I hope so! Just like when a dog has to go (pee), you probably wouldn't want to call them out of play with the fact that they could learn to ignore you, as then it weakens the cue...

make sense?

 

[bekah1001]

Thanks!!! I'm retraining my recall because 'Come' has lost all meanings. Sometimes they will sometimes they wont come. Started tigerlily's method yesterday and they love. They do nothing and they get a treat. I did the session as soon as I got home so they are dying for attention and a good belly rub.

 

[tigerlily46514]

GOOD ON YOU BEKAH, i think this can be done! Just teach it alll over again, from scratch, convincing the dog, that your cue word is THE word for treat. Let me know how it goes, slowly advancing along, setting up dogs to succeed every time! GOOD LUCK,

and don't forget RunningDog's story, of how other ppl who do NOT reward the cue/or use it when dog will NOT come,--- can possibly weaken this training, so mayyyyybe select a word NO ONE uses but YOU?
and then AFTER dogs solidly know the cue, and come like bullets when they hear that cue, THEN let family know what the word IS. ......... AFTER training is complete..?

 

[bekah1001]

Wow good idea!

 

[Dioritt]

After reading every message in this thread, I decided to restart Alf's recall training as it'd got really sloppy. Too much abuse of the word 'come' has definitely weakened it.

I restarted yesterday using 'here' instead. Yes, I know I should probably have chosen a more obscure word but I just know I'd forget the word because it wouldn't feel natural to use. Nobody else, other than my daughter, is allowed to have Alf off lead outside, though, and at home I shall just tell people to NOT call him - that's MY job. If they really MUST call him in the house, then they can use some other method of getting his attention. His name will no doubt work because he loves visitors and whenever he hears them use his name, his there, right in front of them within seconds.

Anyway, I started by 'loading' him with the new cue. Here/treat - here/treat - over and over. Once he'd got that 'here' meant a treat was on its way (just like click means), I started holding one finger downwards, which he already knows is the cue for him to come and bump my finger with his nose. He quickly put two and two together and realised that the word 'here' means come and bump my finger (I have always asked my dogs to bump my finger after a recall if my finger's pointing downwards, otherwise just being within a yard of me is enough). After putting two and two together, he decided to start moving further away, then sitting and staring at me so that I'd call him to bump my finger and he'd get a treat. By the end of the evening he was sitting/standing on the other side of the room, staring at me, waiting.

According to the information that was originally posted here about this recall method, we're moving forward too quickly, so what I want to know is should I call Alf to me when he's sat across the room, or should I stick with just a few feet away? I'm concerned that if I don't recall him from where he clearly wants to be recalled that he'll start believing that 'here' only applies when he's already close to me. From the moment he 'got it' yesterday until we went to bed, he recalled every single time I used the new cue.

 

[running_dog]

According to the information that was originally posted here about this recall method, we're moving forward too quickly, so what I want to know is should I call Alf to me when he's sat across the room, or should I stick with just a few feet away? I'm concerned that if I don't recall him from where he clearly wants to be recalled that he'll start believing that 'here' only applies when he's already close to me. From the moment he 'got it' yesterday until we went to bed, he recalled every single time I used the new cue.

Sorry my response is so belated :-(

Go with what feels right with your dog. Every dog is different. If he's waiting to be recalled then go with it - you'll always have 100% recall if you only call your dog when he wants to come!

It is where you are adding in distractions that you need to be much more careful not to over challenge him.