When Is It Time To Revisit or Begin Recall Training?
Dogs can be unpredictable even when they're fully trained, but the key question is: if your dog was to make a run for it, would they return if you instructed them to, no matter how exciting the distraction might be?
If you answered no, or hesitated, then visiting or revisiting basic recall training could really help you both avoid getting into some deep doo-doo.
Do you "recall" the video of darling Fenton who wouldn't come back to his owner anxiously shouting his name repeatedly in Richmond Park? Well, while this provided great entertainment, it does pawfectly demonstrate how lack of recall skills, and this could have ended up a completely different type of news story as Fenton potentially could have caused these protected animals stress.
Why Is Basic Recall Training So Important?
When your dog has strong recall skills, that means that your dog avoids:
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Being injured or killed in traffic
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Harming or killing livestock or protected wild animals during walks - it is an offence in the UK for a dog to cause stress or worry to livestock
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Being shot if it cannot be brought under control by a farmer protecting his livestock
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Stress to you, the dog owner when your dog doesn't return after recall instruction
While most dogs pick up basic recall beautifully as puppies, recall training is always a work in progress yet most of us forget to revisit it.
Revisiting Recall Training
Our pups revisit recall training and do come charging back when I call them, most of the time that is.
Over the summer though they have had a couple of spectacular "adventures" running away from me, Nicky, in the countryside, totally deaf to recall.
Both times I literally had to chase them until they were exhausted then throw myself at Petal to grab her by her Pup Perfect harness.
Then recently, they disappeared down a rabbit hole for a good 20 minutes and I had to hack my way deep into the brambles to haul them out. This was a clear indication to me, that it was time to revisit basic recall training with them, pronto, before they got themselves (and me) into any more trouble.
For their revisit to recall training, we are focusing on whistle training which I haven't explored with them before, so hopefully, the whistle will be a new sound that grabs their attention.
Whistle training needs to be done properly, or it just won't work, so I will be recording their progress and report back to you on how they are getting on.
In the meantime, here is a fantastic article from Dogs Trust about recall training as a handy resource for training your dog to come back when they are called.
Get Geared Up For Recall Training
Our Pup Perfect dog harness and training treat bag make pawfect dog training accessories here in the UK that will be your support throughout the process as you'll need to praise and reward your pups with a treat whenever they come to you.
Why not fetch our bungee dog lead with a hands-free belt while training your dog on the lead?
Happy recall training everyone! We hope this little woof of wisdom has helped as a handy reminder to revisit recall training. Let's avoid another Fenton incident, shall we?
Nicky, Caroline, and The Pups x
