Dog Community

Recall question

Posted : 7/4/2006 2:05:15 PM

I know people say to use a long lead, have the dog sit and you progress further away and call the dog to you and treat in order to build recall. Zoe is very accurate at this, but I think it is partially because she doesn't enjoy a sit. So, I was wondering would this work if I did it when she was basically just doing her thing in the backyard and I call her?

I had her on a long lead hiking yesterday and whenever I said her name she did stop or come to me (depending on what I said) so I was proud of her for that. It was her first time hiking on a long lead instead of a 6ft leash near me.

Benedict

Posted : 7/4/2006 2:14:41 PM

I think it will work if it works for you and Zoe, if you see what I mean. I have not been teaching Ben recall by slowly backing away from him...I teach something else using that method, but not recall. However, the method I am using does work for us.

If she is responding to you that way, then train that way, IMHO. It is still a positive and gentle method and again, IMHO, may in the end be more useful in terms of her obeying commands in a practical, rather than training, situation.

Kate

jones

Posted : 7/4/2006 4:11:53 PM

If she's able to stop doing her own thing and respond to your call, you're fine. That's just a step up the distraction level from sitting there waiting for you to call her - so, no need to go backwards if she's reliable at the stage you're at.

probe1957

Posted : 7/5/2006 9:04:09 AM

It sounds to me like you are doing just fine on the recall, but if I am understanding you correctly, your dog won't sit/stay until released? I think you need to work on that, if that is the case. Odie had to stay in a sit for 10 minutes to pass his basic obedience class.

mudpuppy

Posted : 7/5/2006 9:47:56 AM

no, you don't need to put the dog in a sit; in fact, it's kind of counter-productive. In real life, when are you going to be calling your dog to you? probably when she is running around doing her own thing off leash. So many recalls in the backyard or when walking her on a long line are wonderful exercises. Wait for her to wander away, and then call her.

Terri

Posted : 7/5/2006 9:56:22 AM

The way our trainer teaches recall is on a long lead. You let the dog do their own thing and wander off. Before they get to the end of the lead, you call them and say "come". If they do it, great. If not, you have the lead and can reel them in. Once they get there, they get a treat. This teaches them that no matter if they want to or not, come means come. We also like to practice making Loki sit/wait and then calling him from long distances.

smilee1079

Posted : 7/5/2006 11:45:49 AM

Billy: Zoe can sit in a stay for a while... but she is anticipating stopping it so as soon as I give the cue, she is happy to come to me. I feel she is fine at that... it is the recall from doing other stuff I will continue to work on.

miranadobe

Posted : 7/5/2006 2:39:14 PM

The point of the long line is so that you can reinforce the command to Come if she ignores it. If she has the sit down, then you sound fine.

I supplemented Gracie's puppy training with just this sort of thing. I let her run around the beach and if I called her and she came, she was rewarded and treated like a queen. Just randomly, not in the middle of any official training exercises. It helped her understand that Come means COME under any circumstances. Sitting, standing, running through the water, chasing the cat, whatever.

Xerxes

Posted : 7/5/2006 2:59:52 PM

ORIGINAL: probe1957

It sounds to me like you are doing just fine on the recall, but if I am understanding you correctly, your dog won't sit/stay until released? I think you need to work on that, if that is the case. Odie had to stay in a sit for 10 minutes to pass his basic obedience class.

I'm glad we're not in that class. Xerxes will sit for treats but that's all. Sighthounds don't have the padding back there to make it comfy at all. I'm untraining the sit now, not totally but I'm using it less and less. He'll go into a down/stay just fine...doesn't matter where, we were on the median of a busy road last night and rather than the "sit" I put him in the "down" and he did just fine.