Hello: Forgive if this question has already been answered somewhere. How long, on average, does it take to go through all the exercises for training in Total Recall book? Is it recommended to train these particular exercises everyday? I have a young Lab that has a decent recall when we are hiking alone but if he sees another dog and/or people, he’s gone. He will usually come back fairly quickly but I don’t want him to do this, of course, as not all people like this and not all dogs are friendly. It seems like I am going through the book pretty slowly due to time limitations on my part and am anxious for him to be trained. I know I need to be patient! How long has it taken some of you to train using this book? Thanks
Hi We didn’t get this book (remiss, I know) so didn’t start active training on Wilson’s recall until February when we started puppy classes, when he was 4 months old. We are at 8 months old now, we practice outdoor recall (long line training) probably 4 times a week with low level distraction and we still aren’t 100% there, 6/10 returns depending on distraction distance. I think the proofing element is often the hardest and longest stage of recall training as you’ve got to compete with the wonders of the world (other dogs, smells, animals, people). Believe it or not even cheese, chicken and hot dogs hasn’t won against these wondrous distractions. I can see us easily still working on this for the next 2-3 months to feel we were at 9/10 returns, perhaps even longer. Sorry I can’t be if more help, would love to know other people’s experiences... Jess