Hello all! After a failed recall yesterday I have purchased the total recall book and am excied to start it. Just wondered if you all have any tips or tricks from doing it yourselves that would be good to know. Larks is 10 months old and had a nearly 100% reliable recall up until about 2 months ago. So we are beginning again!
Hi, use really high value treats such as roast chicken, sausage or ham or whatever Lark loves for your training. Work through the exercises thoroughly and carefully proofing them all. There's no hurry. We worked through Total Recall with our zero recall rescue boy Charlie and now he has good recall Good luck! xx
The thing to aim for, is to make yourself far more interesting than anything else on earth ! Many dogs are foodies , one of mine included , so as Helen has suggested, using tasty morsels is the way to go . However, some aren't so food led , so for these dogs , maybe a squeaky toy or a precious ball could be the way forward to get their attention .
Don't keep calling the dog for no reason. Save your recall and make sure it counts. Do it about three or four times on each walk and make it an event. Refrain from calling your dog back unless you really want them back - constantly calling a dog to you ruins recall. Let them play and explore, within safe boundaries. Start by only using your cue when they are already running towards you. Use high value treats and praise/treat a lot when they return. .
I got a lesson in how well Cooper knows her name the other day. I let her out of the house and needed to get her in the car to go somewhere, and she was in the neighbor's yard. I kept calling "Tilly Come" and she kept ignoring me. Then I realized I was using the wrong name. As soon as called Cooper Come she ran over to me immediately.
What happens right after is just as important. Never associate anything negative immediately after a successful recall. keep it going with praise and play. The food rewards work well for us so I make giving the reward take a longer time then I used to. Today Duggan hoofed it up the driveway after something and I just got my whistle as he came to the top and when I blew he skidded in his tracks and ran home full tilt so having had that response from a more challenging recall I gave him half a can of sardines and I fed it to him very slowly using smaller pieces.
This seems a good point. I often feel I'm nagging Cassie and try not to over do practising recall but what she's really good at is checking back with me, she's constantly looking for my whereabouts which must be due to all that about turn walking when she was tiny. I get a bit confused as to wether to or how to react to that, I feel she's being good girl but don't know how to reward her for it without spoiling her "freetime". Any tips would be welcome!
I say, don't look as her spending time with you as ruining her free time. Use it as an opportunity to interact with her; play a fun game when she checks in. That way, she's having fun and will be motivated to check in more, because it means fun things happen. The game can even be training something, as long as it's exciting enough
Checking in is great. But I know what you mean - they can become focussed on wanting food/ball/whatever and not run, play and sniff. I have a signal - two empty hands - which means 'no more just now, go and play'. So I treat/praise/play for checking in then give the 'go play' signal. It works very well with Mollie and Tatze but with Zaba I have to put the ball out of sight and, even then, he takes some convincing. I have certain points on the walk when I get the ball out for him for a swim so he's got used to when and where to expect it on our various walks.
When Charlie's check-ins become more than just check ins, not just glancing round to check where I am but they become him standing looking at me to see whether he can work, I let him work. It's what he wants to do - he is saying that he wants to engage with me and do stuff. This is what I've been training all this time! I want him to choose me over the environment. It's a good idea to do as Mags suggests - have a start cue 'ready to work?' and an end cue 'finished'. So the dog knows when reinforcement is on offer. It's also very important that the dogs knows he shouldn't wander off before you say 'finished'.
Yes, it's just those really. If she comes walks along side me of her own accord etc then that's fine we do stuff, which yes is great. But is it necessary or beneficial to reward looking for my whereabouts? I use the phrase "go and Play" to release her which she's fine with.
This what I do when she actually chooses to return to me. I don't think she's even really focussed on the food, I think she just thinks it what she does. It's more should I reward for just looking my way? Probably not. Mind you I'd be grateful if she didn't fit in as much rolling in stuff in between check ins, seems to have reached new heights this week But I will follow your advice to OP and minimise actual recalls during walks.
The way that I trained it was very slow and methodical. I started just in the house, I would carry some treats with me and would walk by him, say his name and put the treat right next to his face after he turned to look. I did this for about a week. Then I did the same thing while on walks. I would randomly call his name, when he looked, food right in his face to eat. I play fetch a lot with a long lead and call his name on return. I have had to use my recall once. He dashed out of the door after a rabbit. I ran outside and yelled his name. Luckily he came racing back. I have trouble at the dog park though, way too many distractions. I am probably going to start with the same method above until it becomes more reliable.
My dog's name is Tillie and if she is in the neighbor's yard she ignores me. I am working through the Total Recall book right now.
I am working with Tillie going through the Total Recall book. Since we are working only in the house right now, it's sometimes difficult to get her to not to pay attention to me. She always knows when I have treats and in the house she always follows me around. I sometimes find it difficult to do the exercises because of this. Any suggestions?
