How To Teach Your Dog Recall

How to teach your dog recall is one of the most common questions asked by dog owners everywhere. When out on walks with your dog it is essential to keep your dog safe and also to avoid him becoming a nuisance to other dog owners when out on your adventures.

Walking with your dog is an enjoyable experience as well as being good for your health and social well being but becomes a chore when your dog refuses to return to you on command. This can leave you frustrated, scared for his safety and also make you very unpopular in the dog park.

Here are some tips to teach your dog recall:
* The first step is to ensure that your dog wants to be with you on walks and finds you fun and interesting to be with. Just walking round a field and ignoring him will leave him to find his interests elsewhere such as chasing the local wildlife!
* Before letting him run off lead, begin to teach your dog recall on a long training line and keep calling him back to you when out. Use a specific command such as 'here' and only use this command so you don't confuse your dog. Call in a happy, excited tone and make sure you have a tasty titbit waiting to reward him. Of course, the treats should make up his daily food allowance to avoid piling on the pounds!
* Don't keep calling him back to you while you are out, as this will become boring. Focus on the quality of the recall rather than the quantity as cramming loads of training into your walk will be counter productive.
* If your dog doesn't come to you immediately on your initial recall, turn around quickly and run the other way so that he has to follow you. Don't forget to praise him with a tasty treat!
* If you have a bad day when you try to teach your dog recall, take a break. If you become frustrated your dog will sense this and will be less likely to respond and may see the command as a punishment. The aim is to make the recall fun, your dog will want to come back to you as he gets loads of praise and treats.

It can be easier to watch a video or DVD on the television and see how the training is done before putting it into action. For a free demonstration click here!