the world's number one dog social network

Many owners encounter problems with dogs that will not come when called while out walking, this is not only frustrating for the owner, but it can also be potentially hazardous. The following training tips can help to prevent recall problems:

#1. From an early age train the recall in a positive way: Find a good puppy class, preferably one where many fun games are practiced off-leash. For example one handler gently restrains Fido while his owner shows him a treat, the owner then runs a little distance away, holds out arms in a welcome gesture and calls Fido in a happy tone of voice. When the handler is confident that Fido is focused on his owner Fido is released and runs over to his owner, and he receives the treat, lots of positive happy verbal feedback, and petting. Keep practicing and as Fido gets good at this game, gradually increase the distance he is required to run.  If you don’t have a helper to hold Fido, then simply run backwards and encourage him to follow you, and reward with treats, praise, and petting.

#2. Never deliberately scold your dog when he comes back to you: This is a typical scenario, Fido runs off to investigate some interesting scent, when Fido returns to us, our first instinct is to be annoyed and to scold him. However, in effect we are not punishing the behaviour that Fido engaged in while he was away from us, but rather the act of returning to us. Fido soon learns that it is not much fun to come back to us! It is vital that we always welcome our dogs back to us, no matter what they have done.

#3. Do not inadvertently teach your dog that “come” means end of walk, play, and freedom: This is a very common mistake and it is very easy to do. Many owners do so accidentally in the following way. We only call Fido back at the end of the walk and then always put his leash on and take him home. Fido learns “come” means an end to fun, friends and freedom. We can prevent this by calling Fido back during the walk several times, hold his collar gently, give him some treats, then send him off again. Mix it up a little, call Fido back, and ask him to sit, attach the leash for 30 seconds, wait for eye contact, and then reward him with freedom. Make sure that calling your dog does not always signal an end to walks and play.

#4. Reward your dog in various ways for coming when called: There are many ways we can reward Fido for coming when called. Generally in the early stages of teaching the recall we can use food rewards, but as we progress it is important that we make use of other rewards and “life rewards”, a few examples:

• A quick game of tug
• A throw of a Frisbee/ball
• Freedom
• Opportunity to greet other dog(s)/resume play with other dog(s)

In addition if we pay attention to activities that Fido enjoys while out on walks, we can use these activities as rewards (as long as they are safe). This means that when Fido comes back when called we can instantly reward him with an activity which he wants most at that moment. Of course for reasons of safety there are times when Fido must stay close and be on leash when we call him back. However if we call him back regularly and reward him by releasing him, then the occasional time that we have keep him close and on leash will not be detrimental to his training.

#5. Never play chasing games with your puppy: Every so often I see a puppy dash away from its owner at the last possible second on a recall. The puppy will then bounce at the owner and offer a play bow, and will run off again as soon as the owner gets closer. This is frequently a direct consequence of people in the puppy’s family chasing it for fun. It can be very cute when Fido picks up a toy or sock and starts to run away from the humans around him. It is hard to resist giving chase. Unfortunately this teaches Fido that it is great fun to run away from his owners, rather than towards them. Therefore it is better to teach Fido that all play begins when he comes to us and not when he runs away.

#6. Be your dog’s best PR; positive reinforcer: A simple way to encourage Fido to come when called is to be rewarding, fun, and nice to be around. If we are always irritable or unresponsive to our dogs when they come to us, where is the motivation for them to return? Conversely, if we are a source of fun, games, affection, and make use of the endless list of life rewards at our disposal, our dogs will find us very reinforcing to be around.

#7. Walk your puppy off-leash in safe environments when possible: Create safe opportunities where you can walk your puppy off-leash. If you have a securely fenced off garden make good use of it. Walk Fido around the garden and reward him for staying close, giving you eye contact, responding to his name, and of course for coming closer when called. Young puppies are typically very dependent on their owners and it is generally very easy to shape the behaviour of staying close while walking, yet the puppy is still walking freely. So make the most of puppyhood and find safe enclosed areas for short walks.

#8. Play the follow me game: If we follow Fido around or run after him when he goes off, then he will learn that we will join him soon enough and he will simply go on his merry way. So we should avoid this, and instead when Fido goes off in a direction of his own make a noise to get his attention and simply walk or run in the opposite direction. Play hide and seek! At random moments during the walk when Fido is not paying attention to where you are, hide behind a tree. (Make sure you can keep a watch to ensure Fido is safe, but he cannot see you). When Fido comes looking for you, reward him with lots of praise, treats or a game. You can take this a step further and turn it into a really fun game by having a family member or friend hold Fido while you go off and hide. Fido is then given the cue “go find” and is released.

#9. Be unpredictable on walks: It is very normal for us humans to follow a routine when we walk. We get to the park, beach, woods, etc., and we walk a predictable route, then leave or head back to the car. Fido very quickly learns this routine and the problem is he learns at a certain point the walk is over, end of fun. This is when Fido will take great measures to dodge you because he does not want the walk to end. So be unpredictable and keep Fido guessing. Vary the route you take, change direction several times, recall Fido at various points on the walk, attach the leash, walk a little way, and remove the leash.

#10. Walk in varied locations: If possible, try to walk Fido in various locations do not go to the same place every day.

www.fun4fido.co.uk

clicker training 4 dogs, shaping behaviour 1 click @ a time