What is Recall?

What is Recall?

How many times have you called your dog only to get a blank stare or, ‘for heaven’s sake,’ a dog taking off in the opposite direction at a dead run through traffic? This should not come as such a surprise when we look at recall through our dog’s eyes. Ask this important question “how much fun?” has recall been for your dog? Fido come here…so I can put you in your crate. Fido come here now…quit playing with your friends. Or, God forbid, Fido come here…so I can smack you with a newspaper because you pooped on the living room rug. Does anyone else see this as not so fun for Fido? If you are reading this post, you probably look at recall as an obedience command. And even with all the practice in the world, you are probably still that person chasing your dog through traffic yelling and screaming! If so, read on, learn, and hopefully have some fun in the process.
Treating recall as a task or obedience command will only get you so far. And trust me, when your dog’s life is at stake, that is not enough. But teaching recall as a game, one that your dog loves, will get you a dog that will turn on a dime and come running to see what Mom or Dad has for them today. Games are the key to teaching anything to a dog. Don’t look at training as work, but as fun, and the sky will become the limit! (Just a little hint, this is also true for kids, coworkers and even that spouse you swear can’t be trained!) The next blog will cover the Non-Negotiable Rules that you will need to refer to at all times when using recall with your mutt, so check back soon for Part 2 of “What Is Recall?”