The best recall is the one you don’t need

I spend a LOT of time in the wilderness with my dogs so I work VERY hard to teach them great recalls in all situations. One of the big things I see that erodes the quality of our recalls is when we are always using them to end our dogs fun as we seek to keep them safe. So I teach my young dogs to take the urge they feel to chase an animal as a cue to come to me to play instead. This way I am not having to call them off of exciting things, they are just coming to me on their own.

How do I do this? I start with my dogs on a long line. I actually love using a retractable leash that I attach to my hands free waist belt so I don’t have a long line to juggle. I don’t like using retractable leashes unless they are clipped to me so if I drop the handle it doesn’t scare my dog. This also means I have to be diligent about keeping them on trail and not letting them wrap around things. I start by marking and rewarding with their favorite things when they offer looking at me when out on the trail. I do not do anything to get them to look at me, I just wait for them to look at me. Once they realize I keep rewarding eye contact they start offering it more.

When I hear a squirrel (bird, or whatever tends to call their attention and desire to chase) I stand still and wait, the moment my dog makes eye contact I start praising using their engagement words they associate with playing. I do not pull them to me, I do not call them to me, I want the return behavior to become automatic and not dependent on my behavior.

To have a reliable response to prey driven excitement you really need a dog that loves playing with you! So if they do not, be sure to visit the engagement section and find more ideas on how to build play drive!