Hey! I'm using Pippa's book "Total Recall" and I'm on the second step with my 4 month old Chocolate Lab: Oscar. The step is to basically give the recall signal, and then run to make sure he completes the recall every time (using his chasing instinct to complete the recall). My problem is that once I start training (ie. get him to recall once and reward him) and he knows I have the rewards (bits of baked chicken breast) he just follows me. I can't get him to leave so I can recall him! We're still working on sit and stay and he isn't up to a good enough distance / time to use that for recall yet. I've tried having my wife hold him and then i recall him and then reverse. But it just feels like a "race dog" type situation. Once the "gate" is open he just runs toward me. Meaning it didn't really have anything to do with the signal. I've also tried ignoring him until he loses focus... but he's a lab... and I have chicken... So that takes a long time! Any other suggestions for ways to work on recall in a controlled setting? I could obviously take him to the park and he'd be more than happy to ignore me (and also my recall attempts), but that pretty much breaks all the rules set out in "Total Recall" and thus defeats the point! Thank you!
Haha ! I know exactly what you mean, I had this with my dog Cassie, when doing some of the indoor exercises for older dogs. She'd sort of loiter about because frankly, to her, I was definitely behaving oddly. It got to the stage where she was patently obviously thinking " ok, ok, I get it, you've got warm chicken, you put it on the windowsill, if I wander off a bit, you blow the whistle, I get the chicken, right?! But, the thing is, that they are still making the association of the recall whistle plus moving towards you equals really good things, so perhaps it doesn't matter that he isn't far from you. I'm not sure if this is helpful -- hopefully someone else will be along, @Boogie maybe?
I don't think the close proximity matters too much ! As Oscar matures and becomes more self confident , he will begin to leave your side a little more , then you can put it into practice , but take this as a success for now x
All is good, it shows you have a great bond. As he matures he will become bolder and move further away. Going between the two of you is great practice too. Keep it up!
Yep, you're not trying to test him at this stage, you're trying to build the association between the whistle, moving towards you, and the reward. You can even do this by tossing a piece of chicken away from you so he runs after it and, as he eats it, blow your whistle as he turns back to you, and toss a treat in the other direction. This is called "ping-pong recall" and is a great fun way for your pup associating the whistle with turning and moving towards you.
Lucky you - where are mine? Over the hill and far away Sure you'll get him there, with his bond with you, he's more than 3/4 already
Can you throw a toy to get him to run away then try your Recall. Or try without having any treats with you? But like some say, enjoy this now. Soon you’ll be back asking for advice on how to get your 18 month old to come back who used to have perfect recall. Lol.
