Why Teach Your Dog Recall?
Teaching your dog to return on command is one of the most important skills you can teach. This command helps keep your dog out of trouble or even from engaging in dangerous situations. Additionally, teaching your dog to reliably respond to a recall command allows you to entrust your dog with more freedom from the leash.
Before You Begin, Make Sure You Have:
Your dog's favorite treats.
A short leash for early phases of training.
A 20-30 foot leash for later phases of training.
Steps of Recall Training:
Get your dog's attention by calling their name, followed by the word, "here."
Immediately offer a dog treat when your pup looks in your direction.
Use a clicker or say a marker word immediately after your dog accepts the treat.
The idea of this exercise is to build an association between the command word, "here," and the dog treat reward. The clicker or marker word is used to build an additional association between the successful behavior and a reward. (Eventually the treats can be phased out of the training and replaced with only this audible cue.)
Once your dog has mastered this training exercise on a shorter leash, you can begin using a longer leash for training. The process of this exercise essentially remains the same, however a longer leash allows you an opportunity for more movement and the ability to practice the recall command from a longer distance.
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